Rangeland Principles (REM 151) is a course taught by Karen Launchbaugh at the University of Idaho

Rangelands are vast arid landscapes that cover most of western North America and the earth.  This course is designed to introduce students to the science of range management and the major challenges facing rangeland ecosystems. Students will gain an understanding of the ecological basis for rangeland conservation and management relevant to assessment, grazing and other uses, and rangeland improvements.

Rangeland topics are presented in five main categories:

• Rangeland Resources & Uses
  • What are rangelands?
  • Why are rangeland important?
  • Changing uses of rangelands?
• Rangeland Plants
  • Grass, grass-like, forb, shrub, or tree?
  • Annual or perennial?
  • Native, introduced, or noxious?
  • Nutritious or poisonous?
• Rangeland Animals
  • Carnivore, ominivore, or herbivore?
  • Native, feral, or domestic?
  • Livestock-Wildlife interactions.
  • Setting a stocking rate.
• Rangeland Ecosystems Around the Globe
  • Grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, savannahs, deserts, or tundra?
  • Rangeland soils.
  • Riparian and wetland ecosystems.
  • Describing and monitoring rangelands.
• Rangeland Ecology & Management
  • What causes rangeland to change or stay the same?
  • How plants respond to grazing and fire.
  • Wildland fire, invasive plants and rangeland restoration.
  • How humans affect and conserve rangelands.
  • Adaptive management.