A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 1559 



of solution under more intensive methods than have been possible 

 with the funds so far provided. 



A large part of this forest-management research is of value to the 

 States, from the point of view of State, county, municipal, and private 

 forestry. The concentration of Federal forest-management research 

 at regional stations gives to 'groups of States effective local sources of 

 information on a large variety of subjects. 



RANGE INVESTIGATIONS 



Forage for livestock is an important product of large areas of land 

 on or adjacent to the national forests in the West. Overgrazing, 

 where it has been permitted, has reduced forage production far below 

 capacity. Unrestricted grazing has had a detrimental effect on for- 

 ests and remains a threat to their existence. It is causing injury to 

 soil and to watershed values through erosion following depletion of 

 the protective plant cover. How depleted range areas may be re- 

 stored to a fully productive condition can be determined definitely and 

 completely only by research. Successful management of the range 

 requires a knowledge of the degree to which grazing can be practiced 

 without materially interfering with timber production or reducing the 

 quality of the forage below specified standards. 



To supply such knowledge, the Forest Service range investigations 

 have been centered upon the relation of range use to timber growing 

 and watershed protection, and upon the management of the range 

 resource. They have dealt with the problem of handling livestock 

 on the range only as it affects sustained forage production. Some im- 

 portant principles of grazing use have been developed, including the 

 necessity of (1) a very conservative stocking of the range, on account 

 of the striking decrease in growth of range plants during dry years or 

 dry cycles; (2) allowing palatable vegetation to make vigorous growth 

 before it is grazed; (3) giving bunchgrasses periodic opportunities to 

 re-seed; (4) grazing sheep and goats openly and quietly and bedding 

 them down in new places every night; and (5) obtaining better dis- 

 tribution of cattle on the range by means of well-placed watering 

 places and better salting methods. This research includes 25 years' 

 study of the value, distribution, and natural habits of many species of 

 forage plants present on the western range. Progress has been made 

 in determining the character and quantity and also the cause of dam- 

 age by livestock to forest reproduction and in working out forms of 

 regulation to minimize or prevent damage. 



Range research is now under way in only four forest regions in the 

 West. The need for it is by no means confined to the regions and 

 types where it has been concentrated. Investigations should be 

 extended as soon as possible not only to other western forest types and 

 regions but also to eastern regions where range use now accompanies 

 or could accompany timber growing. 



The same need exists as in the case of forest-management investiga- 

 tions of breaking broad problems down into smaller component parts 

 that can be attacked more intensively and successfully. 



Forest Service range research has much value for States and also 

 for private owners of range lands as a means of developing their graz- 

 ing resources. While the Forest Service research is regional in scope 



168342 33 vol. 2 33 



