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Rangeland Management
GEOG/ENVS 657Dr. B.A. Holzman
Rangeland Management• Definition of terms• Rangeland goods & services• History of RM• Laws pertaining to RM• Rangeland Ecology• Measure in RM• Grazing systems• Multiple Use• Wildlife and Range
Rangeland
• Land supporting native vegetation that is either grazed or has the potential to be grazed and managed as a natural ecosystem: includes grassland, grazeable forest, shrubland, pastureland
• Pastureland: Cultivated for (nonnative) forage- involves agricultural practices
GEOG/ENVS 657NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGMENT
DR. B.A. HOLZMANSFSU
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN GEOG/ENVS 657
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• Nearly 80% of the lands of the West are classified as rangelands whereas only 7% of some areas near the East Coast are classified as rangelands.
GEOG/ENVS 657NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGMENT
DR. B.A. HOLZMANSFSU
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN GEOG/ENVS 657
3
______________________ * % of their total areas in drylands ** The term rangelands, for purposes of desertification assessment, includes all territories presently used as grazing lands, which are accounted for in yearly FAOs statistics, as well as other non-agricultural, largely unoccupied, drylands which are used only occasionally by nomadic pastoralists or are presently unused at all.
1004409 30926 70 3475 Total
100131 70 91 30 40 Irrigated lands
100 570 40 235 60 335 Rainfed croplands
100 370020600 80 3100Rangelands**
%*
million hectares
%*million hectares%*
million hectares
TOTAL
NOT AFFECTED BY DESERTI-FICATION
AFFECTED BYDESERTI-FICATION
Rangeland Management
• Management or manipulation of rangeland components to obtain optimum combination of goods and services for society on a sustained basis
Can be taught as agricultural or ecological profession
(rangeland ecologist/ rangeland manager)
GEOG/ENVS 657NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGMENT
DR. B.A. HOLZMANSFSU
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN GEOG/ENVS 657
4
• Herbivory: The consumption of plants by animals.
• Grazing: The consumption of standing forage (edible grassesand forbs) by livestock or wildlife.
• Browsing: Consumption of edible leavers and twigs from woody plants (trees and shrubs) by large hoofed animals.
Rangeland Management
Two components1) protecting and enhancing soil and
vegetation complex.
2) maintaining/improving output of consumable range products (meat, fiber, wood, water, and wildlife)
Concepts of RM• Rangeland is renewable• Energy from the sun fuels the system• Rangelands supply humans with food and fiber
(cost less than pasture)• Productivity (amount of available forage) is
determined by characteristics of soil topography, and climate
• Variety of products can be produced (food, fiber, wildlife, minerals, and timber) and harvested from rangelands
GEOG/ENVS 657NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGMENT
DR. B.A. HOLZMANSFSU
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN GEOG/ENVS 657
5
Rangeland management needs to rely on information from many fields: biology, geology, soils, chemistry, nutrition, economics, agriculture, recreation and ecology.
What goods and services are derived from rangelands?
• a habitat for animal species; • a habitat for native plant species; • a source of high quality water, clean air
and open spaces; • a setting for recreation• the foundation for low-input, fully
renewable food and fiber production
• Native grazing• 1515 -1540: Livestock introduced in
Mexico and escapees end in Texas• 1590: Sheep grazing established in New
Mexico and Arizona• 17th Century: Spanish settlement
– Missions
History of Rangelands and US
GEOG/ENVS 657NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGMENT
DR. B.A. HOLZMANSFSU
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN GEOG/ENVS 657
6
• 1849 Gold rush: Animals in California• 1865-1900 Cattle drives from Texas
through the Plains• 1870s increase cattle on the plains/imports
to Europe
1800s
Cattle drives
Late 1800s
• 1880-1890s cattle/sheep rancher conflicts• 1870-1930 “Oh the farmer and the
cowman should be friends”• 1885-86 Severe winter on
the plains,1891-92 severe drought
GEOG/ENVS 657NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGMENT
DR. B.A. HOLZMANSFSU
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN GEOG/ENVS 657
7
• 1862: Homestead Act (160 ac)
• 1909: Enlarged Homestead Act (320 ac)
• 1916: Stockraising Homestead Act (640 ac)
• Tragedy of the Commons
Late 1800s (cont.)
1900-1930s
• 1898 System for grazing permits on federal land
• 1905 USFS set up in USDA• 1910-1920 Grazing laws put into affect on
fed land• 1920 Range Management as a
discipline
1930-1960s
• 1931-36 Severe drought• 1933-35 Soil Erosion Service (’33)-
Soil Conservation Service (‘35) • 1934 Taylor Grazing Act• 1948: Society for Range Management
GEOG/ENVS 657NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGMENT
DR. B.A. HOLZMANSFSU
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN GEOG/ENVS 657
8
1960-2000• 1960 MUSY• 1976 FLPMA• 1962-92 Decrease in grazing of Federal
lands
1970s The Sagebrush Rebellion1990 The “Wise Use” Movement
Rangeland and wildlife
• Rangelands comprise about 95% of food source for wild animals
• Compete for forage, water and land
GEOG/ENVS 657NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGMENT
DR. B.A. HOLZMANSFSU
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN GEOG/ENVS 657
9
Rangeland Measurements
• AUM • Weight/biomass• Area/Cover• Density/frequency• Grazing Capacity
Animal Units/AUM
AU= 1 cow or cow with suckling calf (1000lb)AUM : 26 lbs dry matter (DM) per day as
forage, combined with a factor for tramping and waste of about 25%, results in an estimate of about 1000 pounds of dry matter (DM) from forage to supply one AU each month
AUMs
1.25Full grown horse
0.14White-tail deer
0.2Ewe and lamb
0.2Mule deer
GEOG/ENVS 657NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGMENT
DR. B.A. HOLZMANSFSU
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN GEOG/ENVS 657
10
Grazing Intensity
• Heavy Use: clipped or mowed appearance, trail evidence, all areas show use
• Moderate Use: about ½ of good/fair forage, value plants used, little trailing evident,most of the range shows some use
• Light Use: choice plants and areas used, no use of poor forage, range lightly disturbed
GEOG/ENVS 657NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGMENT
DR. B.A. HOLZMANSFSU
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN GEOG/ENVS 657
11
Weight/biomass
• Grazing capacity– Clipped plot – Grazing capacity per unit area∑(dry weight per unit area* species use factor)
for each plant species_______________animal unit requirement
GEOG/ENVS 657NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGMENT
DR. B.A. HOLZMANSFSU
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN GEOG/ENVS 657
12
Area/cover
Used to evaluate: soil protection, watershed health, rangeland condition and range trendAerial or canopy coverBasal coverMethods: ocular estimation,
step point method, line intercept methodpoint frame
Density/Frequency
Used to determine plant survival, monitor regrowth, look at grazing affects
Density: number of individual plants per area
Frequency: quantitative expression of presence/absence of individuals of a species in a population
Using Exclosures
GEOG/ENVS 657NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGMENT
DR. B.A. HOLZMANSFSU
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN GEOG/ENVS 657
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