REVISED UNIVERSAL SOIL LOSS EQUATION

Vegetation

ØLive plant material

ØStatic variables include:

-Residue name, yield, retardance, senescence, moisture depletion for NWRR

ØTime varying variables

-Root biomass in upper 4 inches

-Canopy cover percent

-Fall height

-Live ground (surface) cover cover percent

ØSource of data: Research core database, NRCS core database, working databases

ØName and save


	RUSLE2 considers that only one vegetation is growing at a time.
	Values in database must describe the conditions when this vegetation is present.
	RUSLE2 can not combine data from one vegetation and another vegetation to produce a composite vegetation.
	An example is intercropping and the understory of grass under shrubs on rangeland.
	Try to use time varying root biomass values to account for root sloughing so that RUSLE2 can compute a buildup of biomass in the soil.
	Use time varying canopy values where canopy values decrease to represent senescence and RUSLE2 can compute a litter layer on the soil surface.
	Follow core databases.
	Review data from multiple studies and observations before selecting values. Variability is large. Don’t rely on data from a single source. RUSLE2 is designed to represent main effects in a consistent way across applications.