In British Columbia, many practices related to rangeland management are not working as effectively as they used to due to fluctuating environmental factors. The Grazing Response Index (GRI) is a tool which was developed in Colorado, USA to help rangeland managers and producers evaluate the effects of grazing in a current year by integrating management and climate factors which relate directly to growing conditions. To determine if this tool could be used in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, in conjunction with range condition assessments and range health assessments, the effectiveness of the GRI was determined by comparing the responses of three key forage species to various levels of clipping: clipped once at 40% or 70% or clipped three times at 40% or 70% removal of biomass. Results varied by species: bluebunch wheatgrass was impacted greater by intensity of clipping rather than frequency, rough fescue showed interactions between frequency and intensity while pinegrass results were variable. Though results varied by species, the GRI scoring for each species response was considered appropriate though it was conservative in its scoring of the more severe treatments. I conclude that the GRI could be a beneficial tool for annual range management in the Southern Interior to supplement long term management tools.
