Field Office Technical Guide

Section III - Resource Management Systems and Quality Criteria

• Guidance Documents for Resource Management Systems, Conservation Systems Guides; Organized by Service Center.
   
• Resource Quality Criteria for Resource Management Systems (RMS); Organized by natural Resource Concern and listing National and State Resource concerns and Quality Criteria with Assessment Tools Referenced.
   
• Resource Quality Criteria for Legislated Programs; Organized by Service Center and displaying approved Alternative Conservation Systems (ACS), Basic Conservation Systems (BCS), and Resource Management Systems (RMS).
   
• Guidance Documents; Organized by Land Use and displaying Essential, Needed and Desirable Practices to formulate an Resource Management Systems (RMS).
   
• Acceptable Management Systems (AMS) with Benchmarks and Resource Management Systems (RMS) Options; Organized by Major Land Resource Areas (MLRA) regions according to the 1983 MLRA map and Land Use in each Service Center.
   
• Conservation Activity Plans Technical Criteria; Land Use based guides for management activities to address most common resource concerns.

INTRODUCTION

Planning Process

Conservation planning is a natural resource problem solving and management process. The process integrates economic, social, and ecological considerations to meet private and public needs. This approach, which emphasizes desired future conditions, helps improve natural resource management, minimize conflict, and address problems and opportunities. The nine step planning process used by NRCS is discussed in detail in the National Planning Procedures Handbook (NPPH).

First Step

The first step in the planning process is an initial determination of the client's problems, opportunities, and concerns related to natural resources and human considerations within the planning area. Each land use listed at the end of this introduction has a separate list of Quality Criteria. The Quality Criteria are based on categories of resources, considerations, and resource aspects" which correspond to the rows found in the "Conservation Practices Physical Effects" (CPPE) matrix located in Section V of the Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG). The QC are summarized in a checklist called an EA-1 that can be taken to the field to aid in documentation of consideration of all Quality Criteria.

Steps Three and Four

Resource inventories and an analysis of resource data are completed in steps three and four. The results of this analysis are compared to quality criteria to document the kind, amount, and extent of existing and potential resource problems.

Alternative Development

Broad ranges of technically feasible conservation alternatives are developed with the client. Alternatives may include, structural and management measures as well as measures that mitigate potential adverse impacts on the resources. The purpose of formulating alternatives is to provide the most effective, efficient, and economical conservation treatments that address resource concerns and are acceptable to the client in solving problems, addressing opportunities, and meeting the stated objectives.

Resource Management System (RMS)

The conservation alternatives are developed to a Resource Management, System (RMS) level. An RMS is a combination of practices that, when installed, will meet or exceed established quality criteria for identified soil, water, animals, plants and air resource problems for resource sustainability. The installation of the planned practices will provide for the long-term conservation, protection, and/or improvement of the resource base.

Progressive Planning

When one or more of the resource concerns do not meet the minimum requirements for sustainability, planning is considered progressive. Progressive planning is when a client is ready, willing, and able to make some, but not all, of the decisions necessary to achieve an RMS level of management.

Resource Management System Formulation

The Resource Management System formulation process is discussed in detail in the National Planning Procedures Handbook (NPPH).

The preplanning phase can involve the use of information found in the FOTG. These include:

• General Resource References for Resource Planning:

Field office resource inventory and other supporting data are located in Section I of the FOTG.
Site and soils information is found in Section II of the FOTG.

• Conservation Practice Physical Effects (CPPE) Document:

The CPPE document is in Section V-A-1 of the FOTG.

• Quality Criteria:

Quality Criteria are in Section III of the FOTG.

• Guidance Documents:

Guidance documents are located in section III of the FOTG. These documents are usually specific for a particular area, generally a county or a group of counties.

• Conservation Effects for Decision-making:

Section V-B of the FOTG shows effects of applying practices in the RMS examples.

Resource Management System Quality Criteria

INTRODUCTION

Quality criteria establish the minimum treatment level necessary to adequately address the natural resource considerations that are identified during the planning process for the development of a Resource Management System (RMS). Quality criteria are quantitative or qualitative statements that are established in accordance with local, state, and federal programs and regulations in consideration of ecological, economic and social effects.

Not all resource concerns have quality criteria that can be quantified or have assessment tools that can measure changes in the resource. This table lists minimum treatment criteria for natural resource planning at the RMS level.

Resource concerns with established quality criteria are listed for each NRCS land use. Resource concerns identified using NM-EA-1 need to be addressed when they have been identified as a resource concern in step 1 of the planning process. Most states have developed resource concern checklists based on categories or resources, considerations, and resource "aspects" which correspond to the rows found in the "Conservation Practices Physical Effects" (CPPE) matrix located in Section V of the Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG). These checklists should be retained and used as a reference when first doing an on-site resource inventory. The resource checklist can provide planners with comprehensive lists of potential planning considerations.

Definitions

Quality Criteria: Refers to the level or condition of the resource that is considered to be minimally acceptable. All technical assistance provided to resource users will be directed toward achieving the Quality Criteria level established for SWAPA+H - Soil , Water, Air, Plants, Animals and Human. Resource quality criteria provide a means of determining the adequacy of technical assistance to land users by evaluating the ability of each planned Resource Management Systems (RMS) to achieve certain levels in an acceptable time frame.

Resources and Considerations: NRCS policy lists six resources (SWAPA+H) to include in all technical assistance efforts. The policy contains specific considerations related to each of the resources for which criteria are developed. Both the resources and their respective considerations are addressed individually.

Treatment standards: Refers to the planned and/or applied conservation measures necessary to achieve quality criteria in the resources of concern. Resource quality criteria provide a "goal" while treatment standards provide the "means" to reach the goal. Treatment standards are the basis for an RMS and serve as the measure of adequacy for planned treatment(s).

Establishment of Quality Criteria

In the establishment of criteria, the following basic rules are followed for consistency and uniformity:

1. Quality Criteria statements reflect a minimally acceptable CONDITION of the resource. When Quality Criteria are quantifiable a tool is specified to provide measurement. When qualitative a desired future condition is specified in a statement. All resource concerns that may be addressed during the planning process may not have established quality criteria.
2. Established criteria represent a MINIMUM level that is acceptable for a resource or resource concern. Because resource concerns, as written in policy, are problem oriented, criteria in effect state the acceptable level of change in a resource
3. Quality Criteria are quantifiable. Terms for criteria must state clearly" when enough is enough", so that planners know when planned treatment is adequate.
4. Quality Criteria levels must be ATTAINABLE with current technology and approved conservation practices.
5. Quality Criteria relate directly to an acceptable PLANNING level.
6. Quality Criteria of the resource represents a level that SUSTAINS the use and productivity of the resource indefinitely. There may be some negative short term effects on the resources to obtain the long term positive effects.
7. Quality Criteria levels should be USABLE, MEASURABLE, and/or RECOGNIZABLE.

Application of Quality Criteria

Quality Criteria establishes the minimum treatment level necessary to adequately address the resource concerns identified during the planning process for the development of a RMS.

The RMS criteria are met when treatment has been planned that, when applied, will resolve all of the identified resource problems (concerns) according to the Quality Criteria. The RMS will be considered applied when all of the conservation practices that make up the system have been Installed, Implemented or applied according to Practice Standards and Specifications in Section IV of the FOTG.

In some instances, actions by individual decision-makers cannot solve the resource concerns because it involves more than one decision-maker. In these instances group planning, project measures or multi-program activities may be required to meet the respective Quality Criteria. In cases where the decision-maker can not solve the problem as an individual, the criteria will be met when the land under the control of the decision-maker does not adversely contribute to the problem.

The use and implementation of these criteria will be consistent with federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

Planning Resource Management Systems

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

A Resource Management System (RMS )is a combination of practices that will solve the identified resource problems to at least the level indicated in the quality criteria and meet the cooperator's objectives. Successful resource management is dependent on the correct application of the practices that make up a RMS for managing all SWAPA+H aspects. These practices are essential to prevent resource degradation and ensure sustainable use. Other practices are used to enhance the resource management system and/or adequately treat a resource concern.

QUALITY CRITERIA FOR EACH LAND USE

The Quality Criteria (QC) for each land use contains the framework for development of RMS level conservation plans. The QC table can be developed on a Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) basis in order to maintain consistency across state and/or agency boundaries. All resource must be evaluated for each major land use, as a minimum, to achieve RMS level plans. For each NRCS land use the labeled "Essential Practices" includes conservation practices that will generally address the listed resource concerns. These practices will be the minimally accepted practices required in the conservation plan to meet a RMS. The table labeled "Needed and/or Desirable" lists practices alphabetically that may also be needed to compliment the essential practices, depending upon the circumstances. Any practice in Section IV can be included in the plan.

Technical Judgment

An RMS must satisfy the quality criteria for all Resource Concerns and address other resource concerns, as needed, on a case by case basis. Technical judgment will be required to determine treatment levels for resource concerns with no measurable quality criteria. The practices listed in the "Essential" and "Needed and/or Desirable" tables are the commonly used practices for that land use, however, any practice contained in Section VI of the Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG) may be used to address any resource concern (Pay attention to each practices description and purpose statements when deciding if a practice may be used to address a concern.)

Section IV Standards and Specifications

All practices contained in Section IV of the FOTG must be applied according to its specifications. Any change in the primary resource concerns will be measured by the respective assessment tool. Resource concerns without an assessment tool will be considered adequately treated when the practice(s) used to treat the resource concern has been installed according to the standards and specifications developed for the practice.

OFFICIAL NRCS LAND USE DESIGNATIONS

• Crop – Land used primarily for the production of field crops or orchard crops alone or in association with sod crops.
• Forest – Land on which the primary vegetation is forest (climax, natural, or introduced plant community) and the use is primarily for production of wood products.
• Grazed Forest – Forest land that produces under-story vegetation that is used for the production of livestock.
• Grazed Range – Rangeland that is primarily for the production of domestic livestock. Includes native plant communities and those seeded to native or introduced species, or naturalized by introduced species, that are ecologically managed using range management principles.
• Hay – Land on which perennial plants are managed and harvested for hay. (Annual plants planted for hay, and forage crops in short-term rotation are cropland.)
• Headquarters – Land used for dwellings, barns, pens, corrals, or other facilities used in connection with farm and ranch operations.
• Mined – Land on which the soil has been disturbed by the mining of minerals.
• Native or Naturalized Pasture – Forest land that is used primarily for the production of forage for grazing by livestock rather than for the production of wood products. Over-story trees are removed or managed to promote the native or introduced under-story vegetation occurring on the site. This vegetation is managed for its forage value through the use of grazing management principles.
• Natural Area – Land or water used for the preservation, protection, and observation of the existing resources, archeological or historical interpretation, resource interpretation, or for aesthetic value. Some of these may be officially designated by legislation or other authorities.
• Pasture – Grazing lands composed of introduced or domesticated native forage species that are used primarily for the production of domestic livestock. They receive periodic renovation and/or cultural treatments, such as tillage, fertilization, mowing, weed control, and may be irrigated. They are not in rotation with crops.
• Recreation – Land and water used and managed for recreational purposes.
• Urban – Land occupied by buildings and related facilities use for residences, industrial sites, institutional sites, public highways, airports, and similar uses associated with towns and cities.
• Water – A geographic area whose dominant characteristic is open water, but which may include a large portion of intermingled land, including coastal marsh lands.
• Watershed Protection – Land managed and used specifically for water production into streams, rivers, lakes and aquifers.
• Wildlife – Land or water used, protected, and managed primarily as habitat for wildlife.

Reference: 180 – vi – National Planning Procedures Handbook (NPPH), Amendment 2, April, 1998