** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** UTILIZING LIVESTOCK GRAZING TO MANAGE INVASIVE WEEDS AND WILDFIRE RISK IS GAINING POPULARITY IN THE AMERICAN WEST. DESPITE ENTHUSIASM ABOUT THE PRACTICE FROM LAND MANAGERS AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS ALIKE, SUBSTANTIAL UNCERTAINTIES ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF THE TOOL PERSIST DUE TO ECOLOGICAL VARIABILITY, TRADE-OFFS WITH OTHER CONSERVATION VALUES, AND ECONOMIC AND INSTITUTIONAL OBSTACLES. THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE (USFS) IS A KEY INSTITUTION FOR TARGETED GRAZING PRACTICE, YET IMPLEMENTATION ON USFS LANDS IS PATCHY. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH SEEKS TO UNDERSTAND THE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL POTENTIAL OF TARGETED GRAZING AS PART OF AN ADAPTIVE LAND MANAGEMENT TOOLBOX ON AMERICA'S NATIONAL FORESTS BY INTEGRATING SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL SCIENCES. THIS RESEARCH SEEKS TO UNDERSTAND HOW SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL PROCESSES OF INDIVIDUAL USFS STAFF, LIVESTOCK PRODUCER PREFERENCES, AND OTHER SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL FACTORS TOGETHER INFLUENCE TARGETED GRAZING POTENTIAL.THE RESEARCH INCLUDES A SURVEY OF USFS STAFF IN THE INTERMOUNTAIN, PACIFIC SOUTHWEST, AND PACIFIC NORTHWEST REGIONS TO UNDERSTAND THE ATTITUDES, NORMS AND PERCEPTIONS OF EFFICACY OF USFS STAFF THAT INFLUENCE IMPLEMENTATION OF TARGETED GRAZING, AND DISENTANGLE THE SOCIAL, INSTITUTIONAL, AND BIOPHYSICAL FACTORS, SUCH AS DEGREE OF INVASION AND FIRE RISK, THAT AFFECT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TARGETED GRAZING. ADDITIONALLY, A SURVEY OF LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS THAT GRAZE ON PUBLIC LANDS WILL INVESTIGATE PRODUCER PREFERENCES AND CONSTRAINTS TO PARTICIPATION IN TARGETED GRAZING PROGRAMS. FINALLY, USFS AND PRODUCER SURVEY RESULTS WILL BE INTEGRATED WITH ADDITIONAL BIOPHYSICAL AND INSTITUTIONAL DATA SOURCES TO DERIVE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL LAND MANAGEMENT ARCHETYPES AT THE USFS DISTRICT LEVEL THAT PROVIDE CONTEXT-SPECIFIC STRATEGIES FOR TARGETED GRAZING IMPLEMENTATION. THIS PROJECT DIRECTLY RESPONDS TO GOALS OF THE BIOENERGY, NATURAL RESOURCES, AND ENVIRONMENT AFRI FARM BILL PRIORITY AREA THROUGH A SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF THE POTENTIAL OF TARGETED GRAZING AS AN ADAPTIVE LAND MANAGEMENT TOOL IN MUCH OF THE WESTERN US. THE RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE ACTIONABLE RESULTS TO SUPPORT POLICY MAKERS, MANAGERS, AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS THAT GRAZE SHEEP AND CATTLE ON PUBLIC LANDS TO IMPLEMENT TARGETED GRAZING MOST EFFECTIVELY.