Updated March 12, 2024
Increase perennial grass: Average of 20% native perennial grass cover on the west side.
Maintain covered soil surface: All pastures average <5% bare ground across the ranch.
Cover for each vegetation type has remained mostly stable since 2016, with a slight decrease during the 2021-2022 drought. Bare ground has shown a stead decline since 2016.
Perennial grasses: Grasses that can survive for many years, whereas annual grasses germinate from seed, reproduce, and die each year. Perennial grasses generally turn green sooner, stay green longer, produce more biomass, and are more drought-tolerant than annual grasses. Their deep roots stabilize soil, improve water infiltration, and recycle nutrients.
Native grasses: California native grasses are perennials, which have been largely displaced by exotic annual grasses.
Forbs: Herbaceous flowering plants that are not grasses, sedges or rushes.