FOREST SERVICE. 245 



apparent. While in the nature of the case a long interval must 

 elapse before the results of investigations are fully available for use, 

 they are applicable to both private and Government land, and are 

 becoming an essential part of the everyday grazing practice. 



Intensive reconnaissance or stock taking by grazing specialists dur- 

 ing the year covered a total of 1,024,921 acres on the Beaverhead, 

 Montezuma, Carson, Santa Fe, Fillmore, and Wasatch National For- 

 ests. In addition, 573,101 acres were covered by local forest officers. 

 Reconnaissance of national forest ranges is now progressing at the 

 rate of less than 2,000,000 acres a year. It should be largely expanded, 

 since it is the essential basis, the inventory of forest resources, upon 

 which all betterments in grazing management depend. 



The trained grazing experts in the Forest Service have proved 

 invaluable not only in conducting range reconnaissance and preparing 

 grazing management plans for national forests, but particularly in 

 bringing the current use of the range into line with the new require- 

 ments. A much larger number of technically trained grazing men 

 is needed to get the improved methods of range management developed 

 by research into effect on the national forest ranges. 



"Artificial reseeding was studied principally at the Great Basin sta- 

 tion and the Jornada Range Reserve. At the Great Basin station it 

 was found that introduced species, such as timothy and redtop, do 

 not produce viable seed at 8,000 feet elevation or above, so that the 

 planted stands disappear and reseeding becomes necessary at inter- 

 vals of five to seven years. The sod-forming grasses, such as Hunga- 

 rian brome, Canadian blue grass, and others, spreading as they do by 

 underground shoots, will increase naturally from an original seeding. 

 The evidence points to the undesirability of using seed-dependent 

 plants as against the true sod formers in artificial reseeding of the 

 range. Artificial reseeding has in no way shoA>Ti itself as a sub- 

 stitute for range management that will secure natural revegetation 

 except on especially suitable sites where there is little hope for the 

 restoration oi native vegetation in the near future. 



Natural revegetation studies were continued at the Great Basin 

 station and at the two range reserves. On several forests in each of 

 the districts areas protected by inclosures have been established to 

 enable administrative officers and stoclanen to see by comparison 

 how use of the range as currently practiced is affecting the vegetation. 

 These plots are of material importance in determining the need for 

 improving the forage production and in convincing stockmen of the 

 necessity for methods of management that will permit revegetation. 



Critical studies of the effect of time and frequency of cropping upon 

 vegetation were continued at the Great Basin Experiment Station. 

 The results so far obtained indicate that too early grazing is the lead- 

 ing factor responsible for the present run-down condition of many 

 ranges, but that if grazing is deferred until the main forage plants have 

 reached a height of 6 inches, there will be little or no injury from this 

 source if the land is not too heavily grazed. Observations were made 

 on many forests to determine where grazing of the various parts of the 

 range should begin, and management methods were devised to con- 

 trol the movement of cattle to conform with the various seasonal and 

 altitudinal zones, by proper salting, herding, and fencing. Postponed 

 opening of the season compels range users to hold stock on the winter 



