18 BULLETIN 790, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



stand of such species and lack of variety in species. This condition 

 is a severe stage of overgrazing such as occurs around sheep bedding 

 grounds which have been used for long periods each year for several 

 years in succession. 



The 'predominance of flants which have little or no value for any 

 class of stocli., such as sneezeweed/ niggerhead,^ yellowweed/ snake- 

 weed,* and gum weed.^ These and similar plants frequently occur 

 in abundance over large areas of range and indicate that the range 

 needs careful management to give better forage plants a chance to 

 grow. 



The presence of dead and partly dead stmnps of shrubs, such as 

 snowberry,^ currant,''' willow,® service berry ,^ birch-leaf mahogany,^** 

 and Gambel oak.^^ This condition usually indicates that the most 

 palatable grasses and weeds have been overgrazed. There may be 

 some exceptions to this, as in the case of dwarfed willows on ranges 

 where grasses predominate above timber line. Sheep sometimes kill 

 the willows before the grasses are overgrazed. 



NoticeatJe daona.ge to tree reproduction, especially to western 

 yellow-pine ^^ reproduction on sheep range and aspen ^^ reproduction 

 on cattle range. Lack of aspen rei^roduction on a weed sheep range 

 indicates overgrazing, provided the natural conditions are favorable 

 to asjjen reproduction. On a sheep range where grass predominates 

 severe injurj^ to western }^ellow-pine or aspen reiDroduction may 

 indicate that the range is not well suited to sheep. 



Erosion and baQTenness, accompanied by a network of stock trails, 

 where formerly there was a cover of vegetation. These are ty|)ical 

 of areas where overgrazing has reached the extreme stage. 



The earmarks described are, perhaps, more tj'pical of overgrazed 

 sheep range than of overgrazed cattle range, but the general appear- 

 ance of the two does not differ greatly when overgi-azing reaches a 

 stage to be recognized by one or more of these earmarks. The main 

 differences are in the species of plants indicating the overgTazing. 

 Weeds eaten by sheep are often found in abundance on overgrazed 

 cattle range; coarse grasses palatable to cattle are often abundant 

 on overgrazed sheep range. This fact has given rise to the use of the 

 term " class overgrazing." 



1 Sneezeweed, Dugaldia lioopesli. s willow, Salix spp. 



- Niggerhead, Rudheckia occidentalis. " Service berry, Anielanctder spp. 



2 Yellowweed, Seneoio eremophilus. ^^ Birch-leaf mahogany, Cercocarpus mon- 

 * Snakeweed, Outierrezia sarothrae. tonus. 



^ Gum weed, Grindelia squarrosa. ^ Gambel oak, Quercns gamheUi. 



" Snowberry, Symphoricarpos oreophilus. " Western yellow pine, Pinus ponderosa. 



'' Currant, Bibes spp. " Aspen, Populus tremuloides. 



