Jeff Herrick

Jeff Herrick

Soil Scientist and Land PKS PI, USDA-ARS, Jornada Experimental Range

Title & Affiliation(s):

  • Soil Scientist, USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, Las Cruces, NM
  • Land PKS PI, USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, Las Cruces, NM
  • SILC Fellow, Sustainability Innovation Lab, CU Boulder

Primary Research Interests:

Jeff’s research focuses on the factors that control the resistance and resilience of dryland ecosystems, and he has worked with a diverse group of US and international collaborators to develop inventory, assessment, monitoring and knowledge management tools that are applied at plot to national scales. He serves as an advisor to US government agencies on increasing return on investments in rangeland monitoring and assessment, is a member of the International Resources Panel, and is the US Government’s science representative to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). He currently leads development of the “Land-Potential Knowledge System” (LandPKS), a suite of mobile apps and cloud computing to support field- and pasture-scale data collection and decision-making.

Selected Publications:

  • Herrick JE, Neff J, Quandt A, Salley S, Maynard J, Ganguli A, Bestelmeyer B. 2019. Prioritizing land for investments based on short- and long-term land potential and degradation risk: A strategic approach. Environ Sci Policy. 96: 52-58.
  • Herrick JE, Lessard VC, Spaeth KE, Shaver PL, Dayton RS, Pyke DA, Jolley L, and Goebel JJ. 2010. National ecosystem assessments supported by local and scientific knowledge. Front Ecol Environ. 8: 403-408. doi: 10.1890/100017.
  • Herrick JE, Van Zee JW, Belnap J, Johansen JR, and Remmenga M. 2010. Changes in infiltration capacity and erodibility of coarse-textured soils following trampling disturbance suggest critical role of fine gravel and minimal effect of weak cyanobacterial crusts. Catena. 83: 119-126.
  • Bird SB, Herrick JE, Wander MM, and Murray L. 2007. Multi-scale variability in soil aggregate stability: implications for understanding semi-arid grassland degradation. Geoderma. 140:106-118.
  • Herrick JE, Bestelmeyer BT, Archer S, Tugel AJ, and Brown JR. 2006. An integrated framework for science-based arid land management. J Arid Environ. 65: 319-335.

Synergistic Activities:

  • Co-chair ESA conference: “Ecology in an Era of Globalization”
  • Mentor and advisor: ESA SEEDS
  • Lead developer: internationally-applied assessment & monitoring protocols on LTER research
  • Lead US science negotiator: the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
  • Science advisor: NRCS-NRI and BLM-AIM