12 



Stock Grazing. 



Probably one of the most serious hindrances to the proper growth 

 and development in the woodlot has been caused by grazing. There were 

 many, a few years ago, who claimed that grazing did not injure the 

 woodlot. 



Experience has shown, however, that in the Ontario woodlot grazing 

 must always be injurious. Many examples, as in Fig. 4, may be seen 

 in Ontario where the comparison of grazed and ungrazed woodlots show 

 the result. While the injury is admitted by many, there are those who 

 claim that the woodlot is of more value in protecting the cattle during 

 the heat of the day and giving them pasturage than for wood producing 

 purposes. It is very difficult to compare the rental value of the woodlot 

 used for purposes of pasturage and that of the woodlot used exclusively 

 for wood protection. One thing is certain, that to have a permanent 

 woodlot where conditions are favorable for tree growth the stock must 

 be excluded. 



Domestic animals are frequently classed as to the amount of injury 

 they inflict on the woodlot. From the standpoint of browsing the degree 

 of injury may be placed in the following order : Goats and sheep, horses, 

 cattle, swine, the first mentioned being the most injurious and the last 

 being least. 



Injurious effects of allowing stock to run in the woodlot may be dis- 

 cussed in its relation to the soil, the reproduction or young growth and 

 the older trees. 



Soil. While the effects of grazing on the soil may be least notice- 

 able, it is very important. Destruction of young growth soon opens the 

 woodlot to drying winds which carry off the humus-forming leaves and 

 gieatly lessen the moisture content of the soil. Light begins to enter and 

 reach the ground, causing grass and weeds to start which soon develop 

 a stiff sod. Trampling of the soil causes it to become impervious, thus 

 allowing the water to run off rapidly instead of being held in the soil as 

 is the case in normal conditions. After these unfavorable conditions have 

 come to prevail, the tree seeds find it very hard to germinate and soon 

 there is no reproduction taking place. 



Young Growth. The leaves and tender branches of the young 

 growth in the woodlot are eagerly browsed by the animals. Some species 

 of trees are less liable to browsing than others. The Ironwood seems to 

 be particularly immune from browsing, so that in many Ontario wood- 

 lots that have been grazed the larger percentage of the young growth is 

 composed of Ironwood. 



Cattle have been noticed standing in good, fresh clover, greedily 

 devouring the leaves from limbs of Sugar Maple which were thrown into 

 the pasture. Evidently they enjoyed a change in diet. 



Old Trees. The trampling of the soil, the destruction of young 

 growth, which should protect the soil from sun and wind, and the form- 

 ation of an impervious sod all aid in lessening the vigor of growth of 



