Projects and Research
Native Prairie Adaptive Management
The Native Prairie Adaptive Management program (NPAM) is a decision framework that was developed to address the degradation of native prairies caused by invasion of cool-season introduced grasses.
Participating management units occur across four states in the Northern Great Plans, averaging about 120 management units per year. Prairies enrolled in the NPAM program receive an annual management recommendation that is in part a result of the current state of the participating prairie units.
Management actions include resting, prescribed burning, grazing, or a combination of burning and grazing.
After the management is implemented, staff conduct vegetation surveys using the belt transect method to monitor the effects of the actions. The data collected from vegetation surveys inform the NPAM decision framework and help improve the annual management recommendations.
NPAM helps us implement science-based management of our individual management units, while leveraging learning that is taking place across all enrolled units.