**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** GRAZING LANDS ARE INTEGRAL FOR US FOOD SECURITY, AND THE SUSTAINABILITY OF RANGELAND ECOSYSTEMS AND CATTLE PRODUCTION DEPENDS ON OPTIMIZED GRAZING STRATEGIES. PATCH BURN GRAZING (PBG) IS A NEW AND EXCITING MANAGEMENT STRATEGY THAT ROTATES THE TIMING OF FIRE ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE TO CREATE A MOSAIC OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. CURRENT RESEARCH SHOWS PROMISE FOR PBG TO ENHANCE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES, SUCH AS BIRD BIODIVERSITY, WHILE MAINTAINING SIMILAR CATTLE PRODUCTION RELATIVE TO TRADITIONAL GRAZING PRACTICES. HOWEVER, THE EFFECTS OF PBG ON BELOWGROUND PROCESSES, SUCH AS SOIL HEALTH, AND THE COUPLING OF ECOLOGICAL PROPERTIES WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEM (I.E., THE DEGREE TO WHICH PROPERTIES ARE DEPENDENT ON ONE ANOTHER - A MEASURE OF ECOSYSTEM HEALTH), REMAIN UNEXPLORED. WE WILL SAMPLE 33 BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC VARIABLES IN AN EXISTING TALLGRASS PRAIRIE PBG EXPERIMENT FOR THREE YEARS TO ASSESS THE ABILITY OF PBG TO INCREASE SUSTAINABILITY OR WORKING RANGELAND, WITH THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF LONG-TERM CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES. WE WILL DO THIS BY: (1) ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF PBG MANAGEMENT ON ECOLOGICAL PROPERTIES, PROCESSES, AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES (INCLUDING UNDERSTUDIED BELOWGROUND COMPONENTS); (2) DETERMINING WHETHER PBG ENHANCES THE COUPLING OF A MULTITUDE OF ECOSYSTEM COMPONENTS; AND (3) INVESTIGATING HOW ECOSYSTEM COUPLING AFFECTS ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN THE CONTEXT OF PBG. THESE OBJECTIVES DIRECTLY ALIGN WITH BOTH BNRE SOIL HEALTH PROGRAM GOALS BY PROVIDING DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF ABOVE-BELOWGROUND INTERACTIONS AND HOW SOIL HEALTH IMPACTS OTHER ASPECTS OF THE ECOSYSTEM AS WELL AS INFORMATION ABOUT WHETHER A NEW MANAGEMENT METHOD INCREASES SOIL HEALTH AND OTHER ECOSYSTEM SERVICES OF WORKING LANDS AND REDUCES THE ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT OF PRODUCTION SYSTEMS.