4-734: The Santa Rita Experimental Range and Wildlife Area is the longest continuously active rangeland research facility and among the five oldest biological field stations in the United States . Located south of Tucson in Pima County , Arizona , the 52,000 acre Santa Rita Experimental Range (SRER) was founded in 1903 and administered by the United States Forest Service until 1987, when the University of Arizona College of Agriculture took over administration of
8-968: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Experimental forest An experimental forest , or experimental range , as defined by the United States Forest Service , is "an area administered ... 'to provide for the research necessary for the management of the land.'" According to the USFS, "Most Experimental Forests are large enough to contain significant stream systems and several dozen contain experimental watershed study sites with multiple paired basins ." Individual experimental forests range from 0.47 to 225 km (120 to 55,600 acres) in area. Experimental forests are distinguished from research natural areas and intensive monitoring sites. The present system of 80 experimental forests and ranges began in 1908. Many experimental forest are more than 50 years old. The system provides places for long-term science and management studies in major vegetation types of
12-472: The SRER maintains a repeat photography archive, allowing researchers to visually inspect land cover and landscape changes for 117 locations from as early as 1902 to present. The National Ecological Observatory Network also publicly publishes data collected on the range. [REDACTED] Media related to Santa Rita Experimental Range and Wildlife Area at Wikimedia Commons This protected areas-related article
16-495: The site. The mission at the SRER is "to advance research and education on the ecology and management of desert rangelands through the secure, long-term access to research areas, state-of-the-art facilities, new discoveries, and research legacies." The SRER makes available several spatial and time series data sets for research purposes including monthly resolution precipitation data from 1922 to present, long term vegetation response studies, and livestock grazing histories. Additionally,
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