Best Management Practices

NRB Breach Mitigation

This document is intended to provide some guidance on best management practices to mitigate breaches that either create or exacerbate cattle access to sensitive or high risk areas.

Traditional barb-wire fence

This is the standard for remediation of pasture and tenure boundary. Longer term durable solution to high risk areas where 100% exclusion in necessary (eg. range tenure or pasture boundaries, private land, in conjunction with cattle guards as wing fences and where highway safety measures are necessary). Can also be considered viable where no debris is present on site or in high fire hazard areas. This type of fence could be prone to snow press.

Debris Fence

Longer term solution for cattle exclusion in low pressure areas (eg. adjacent to riparian reserve zones (ie. S3 streams) or range tenure and pasture boundaries with mutual agreement (rancher/forest company/FLNRO)). Debris fencing is best constructed commensurate with harvesting operations and utilizing tree boles (not fines) in an elevated manner.

Debris Fence

Windrows

Shorter term application than debris fence where larger debris is not present or in remote or high snow pack areas. Location of windrow fence may pose a fire hazard next to roads and standing timber.

Windrow

Debris Log Placement

A solution to cattle disturbance of creek beds where no riparian reserve zone is present (eg. S4, S6 or NCD). Placing debris logs across a stream allows cattle to access water but does not allow trampling up and down the creek bed. Best constructed commensurate with harvesting operations and where tree boles (not branches) are fully suspended above the channel (not impeding stream flow). Amount of debris log placement should be commensurate with risk to stream (eg. distance or buffering to water intake, fisheries values, community watershed, slope gradient).

Double criss cross Single criss cross

Treatment Design (not limited to):

1. Criss cross – CWD criss crossed across creek to minimize/prevent livestock from travelling up and down the creek channel while still maintaining access points for watering.

a) Single criss cross

b) Double criss cross

Other practices that can be used alone or in conjunction with the above:

Off stream watering: placement of water storage or access devices away from sensitive main creeks. Could include standard gravity systems, nose holes and nose pumps

Nose pump Gravity fed

Range rider has been explored where large breaches have occurred. This has proven to be effective in combination with range improvements eg. cattleguards and wing fences at strategic locations.

Strategic grass seeding can be used as an attractant to move cattle away from sensitive riparian areas. A pilot project in Monte Hills area of district is just being completed.

Salting is employed as a standard practice for livestock nutrition. It can be used as an attractant to move cattle away from sensitive areas.