When upland forage cures after the growing season, livestock seek out woody browse in ripar- 

 ian areas and meadows, which can result in over use. To maintain or improve the growth of 

 woody shrubs and trees, plan the season of use accordingly and alternate the season of use from 

 year to year. 



Periodically rest or defer riparian pastures during the critical growth period of plant species that 

 are essential to provide streambank stability and cover. 



Be flexible in deciding when to move livestock into or out of a grazing unit to accommodate 

 yearly variations in weather. For example, during years of below normal precipitation, livestock 

 may tend to graze riparian areas earlier in the season and more intensely than during times ot 

 normal precipitation. Plan to put livestock into that grazing unit earlier in the season to make 

 better use of all available forage, and then take them out ot the unit sooner. If this is not 

 practical due to breeding or calving/lambing cycles, livestock should be put into an alternative 

 "dry year" pasture when target grazing use levels are met earlier than usual. 



Provide off-site water in locations where adequate forage is available on upland sites. 



Develop riparian 

 pastures to be managed 

 as a separate unit 

 where feasible. 



Monitor livestock 

 forage use. Move to 

 the next grazing unit 

 when livestock reach 

 the desired herbaceous 

 plant use level or start 

 choosing to graze 

 woody species such as 

 shrubs and trees rather 

 than more herbaceous 

 forage such as grass 

 and forbs 





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Key grazing!, arcLLs slundd he scUxlcd iti serve u.s indicatms of ^ja::ni^' tmuiiu^i^'Jiu'hI for the 

 entire grazing unit. 



LiVESTOck qRAZilNq pAnERINS ANd 

 diSTRibuiioiN ilN RipARJAN AREAS. 



On upland grazing units that contain 

 riparian areas, take care to distribute 

 livestock throughout the grazing unit. 

 Riparian areas are often preferred by 

 livestock over upland range, particularly 

 during hot weather. A number of methods 

 can be used to control grazing of riparian 

 areas and to redistribute livestock. 



• Herd livestock to upland areas. 



• Place salt and supplemental feed in 

 upland areas. 



• Fence off riparian zones, or create 

 riparian pastures. 



• Provide off-stream, high-quality water 

 sources. 



• Renovate and seed uplands with 

 preferred forage species. 



• Conduct prescribed buniing of uplands 

 to regenerate desirable species. 



• Place rocks, tree branches, or brush 

 piles on streambanks to limit animal 

 access and the number of crossings. 



• Create hardened stream crossings. 



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