Jornada Basin and Experimental Range Mesquite Herbicide Project (JERHM) Core Methods Data, 2020-2022

This dataset includes contains line-point intercept, plant height, gap, and species inventory data collected over three years (2020-2022) as part of the Jornada Experimental Range Herbicide Mesquite Project (JERHM). Data were collected to assess plant community composition and structural change to herbicide application across a Black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda) grassland to Honey mesquite (Neltuma glandulosa [=Prosopis glandulosa]) shrubland encroachment gradient. Twenty sets of paired, 5-hectare plots (n=40 plots total) were established across a N. glandulosa encroachment gradient in 2020. One plot within each plot pair received an aerial application of herbicide in 2021, with the second plot left untreated by herbicide as a control. Data were collected annually following the following the Monitoring Manual for Grassland, Shrubland, and Savanna Ecosystems (Herrick et al. 2017) on each of three, 50m permanent transects established on each plot. These data are also available within the Landscape Data Commons (https://landscapedatacommons.org/) under ProjectKey=Jornada_JERHM. There are no immediate plans to continue data collection.