Native range shows evidence of prolonged heavy use. The climax 

 vegetation of blue bunch wheatgrass, fescue and associated bunch grasses 

 has been invaded by cheatgrass and herbaceous and shrubby perennials. This 

 use history has greatly reduced the forage production, and even under 

 intensive management, range improvement is slow and difficult on this 

 type of range. 



Types of Range Units 



There are three broad types of range units on the Flathead Indian 

 Reservation: 1) timbered mountain units, 2) open upland units, and 

 3) lowland grazing units. 



Timbered Mountain Grazing - Most of the grazing units are in this 

 category. These units are at the high elevations where timber production 

 is the primary objective and grazing of livestock is compatable with this 

 objective. The units are best adapted for summer grazing. At the higher 

 elevations, the season of use is about three months but on the lower eleva- 

 tions and in the more open forest, the season of use is comparable with 

 the adjacent upland range (typically six months.). Turn out dates on all 

 timbered units should not be before June 1 of each year. 



Forage production varies widely, depending on the type and age of 

 the timbered stand, the topography, and accessibility. Open parks and 

 meadows have a forage production of about 2.0 acres per Animal Unit Month, 

 hereafter referred to as A.U.M., whereas steep or heavily timbered areas will 

 produce no grazing. Present stocking rates on these units vary from four acres 

 per A.U.M. to nearly 80 acres per A.U.M.. Forage is primarily bluegrass, 

 clover, Idaho fescue, pinegrass, sedges and some bunchqrasses. An Animal 

 Unit Month (A.U.M.) is amount of forage required by an animal unit for one 

 month . 



(3) 



