MANITOBA GRASSLAND INVENTORY (MGI) – LAND IDENTIFICATION PROJECT

 

Introduction

The Department of Agriculture and Resource Development (ARD) is investing in developing a detailed Manitoba Grassland Inventory (MGI) to better support the grassland sector and its users. The MGI is a subset of the Land Identification Project.  By more adequately monitoring the types of grasslands we have in our province, we’ll be able to support the numerous organizations that work with our producers and community members as they continue to be great stewards of our grasslands.

Through many partnerships with the Manitoba organizations supporting Manitoba’s grassland users, the department is asking for your help to collect additional ground data to improve the accuracy of our model.  By providing a stronger tool we can measure the changes of our land management decisions on the existence and capacity of our important native and tame forage resources.

The inventory will also be able to support efforts to quantify EG&S inventories and values on grasslands in support of the development of market-driven sustainable standards and off-set markets – for example the current carbon off-set market for undisturbed Canadian grasslands.

Resources for getting started

  1. On May 25, 2021, ARD hosted a webinar on the MGI initiative. Here is a pdf of the slide deck: MGI Sampling Protocol - Presentation. And a video of the presentation is available here:
  2. The 8-page booklet outlining the field sampling protocol, which includes descriptions of the land cover types, a step-by-step guide to assigning land cover, how-to collect biomass assessments, an overview of the area of interests, a short review on setting up Survey 123 app, and a field collection sheet for you to print and use in the field. MGI Sampling Protocol
  3. The 1-page high resolution map of Priority Zones and Spots for field sampling MGI Sampling Protocol - Fieldwork Zones. We prefer data from these zones and spots, but are very happy to also accept data from other areas in Manitoba.

 

Submitting data

We have two options for submitting data to the MGI project 1) Digitally using Survey 123, or 2) Manually recording on the table included in the MGI Sampling Protocol. We prefer you to use Survey 123 to keep this as simple as possible.

  1. Our preferred option would be to collect these sample points utilizing Survey 123 application. Please refer to this guide to learn How to set up Survey 123 on your phone. You may also watch this video for further assistance Land Identification Tool - Manitoba Grassland Inventory (MGI) - YouTube
  2. The second option is to record the sample points for each site on the 1-page table found at the back of the MGI Sampling Protocol and email the table to glenn.friesen@gov.mb.ca.

 

Thank-you for taking the time to complete this survey as you visit any and many grassland parcels.

 

If you have any problems with the application or concerns please contact:

Glenn Friesen
Industry Development Specialist - Forage/Grasslands
Cell: 204-770-7266
Glenn.friesen@gov.mb.ca