BENEFITS VERSUS INJURIES FROM GRAZING 287 



Effect Upon Trees Past the Reproduction Stage. When 

 trees have once elevated their crowns above the reach of 

 animals they are free from serious direct injury by domestic 

 animals. There may be some injury done by trampling and 

 barking exposed roots or by rubbing (principally due to cattle) 

 and by the compacting of the soil so as to hinder aeration. 

 The chief loss is a reduction of the increment of the stand 

 resulting from the injurious effects of grazing upon soil. 



Effect Upon the Control and Prevention of Forest Fires. 

 Grazing has a distinctly beneficial influence upon the forest 

 fire problem. 5 Grasses and forage plants when present in the 

 forest constitute the most readily inflammable portion of the 

 fuel for fires. When this is removed by grazing the fire hazard 

 is reduced, the start of a fire being rendered less easy and in 

 some cases its rapid spread made impossible. The beneficial 

 influence of grazing upon fire protection may offset all injury 

 caused to the soil and the forest. 



In the past the idea has prevailed in certain sections of the 

 country that annual fires set in the late winter or early spring 

 to keep down brush and to burn off the dead herbage, thus 

 permitting the stock to reach the tender new shoots, were of 

 benefit to the grazing industry. 6 The fallacy of this theory 

 has been exposed and it is now recognized that a decrease of 

 the better and an increase of the inferior varieties of forage 

 plants is a consequence of annual burning. 



In the past stockmen have been responsible for setting 

 many fires intentionally with the mistaken idea of improving 

 the grazing, to keep down the brush and in the South to 

 destroy the cattle tick. The situation is steadily improving 

 and within a relatively short period any injurious influence of 

 grazing upon the control and prevention of fires will be a 

 thing of the past. 



Benefits versus Injuries from Grazing. The extent of the 



