University of Oregon Great Basin Vegetation Cover Study, Southeastern Oregon, 2023.

This data package contains qualitative and quantitative environmental and vegetation survey data used to investigate connections between cattle grazing intensity and vegetation cover in the Great Basin region of Eastern Oregon. The experimental design utilized a piosphere approach to select plots of different grazing intensity in pastures stratified by recent burn history. Surveys were completed in 340 plots around 43 water sources in the summer of 2023.

Surveys consisted of recording site characteristics (e.g. slope, aspect, human impacts) as well as measuring plant species cover, cattle and other ungulate dung counts, biocrust development, and soil stability and texture. Plants were generally identified to species where possible, allowing for comparisons between species as well as identification of trends among functional groups (shrubs, annual grasses, perennial grasses, annual forbs, perennial forbs, trees).