4 CrRCULAR 17 8, U. S. DEPABTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE 



grazing. Subsequent grazing should be comparatively light until a 

 full stand has become established. Grazing should be kept light 

 after the second year until the creeping plants have vigorous root- 

 stocks or until the bunch-habit plants have stooled out well. 



The idea is sometimes held that less care is needed with cultivated 

 than with native pastures, once the stand is established. Under 

 range conditions this view is not in accord with the facts. If arti- 

 ficial reseeding is undertaken in order to obtain a forage cover that 

 will withstand heavier use than the native vegetation can survive, 

 the operator may be disappointed. Of course, ability to resist graz- 

 ing varies with species, but no forage plant can withstand indis- 

 criminate use. 



The requirements for handling range occupied by cultivated for- 

 age plants are practically identical with those for maintaining 

 maximum economical forage production on native pasture lands. 

 These requirements include such fundamental practices as (1) stock- 

 ing the range within the limits of its carrying capacity; (2) delaying 

 use of the range in the spring until the forage reaches a stage of 

 development where grazing will not be injurious; and (3) the appli- 

 cation of a system of use, such as deferred and rotation grazing, 

 which will permit the plants to maintain their vigor and allow those 

 which depend on seed for reproduction to mature and disseminate an 

 occasional seed crop. Provision in the plan of range use for these 

 important features of management will maintain the range at its 

 highest productivity and at the same time insure full annual utiliza- 

 tion of the forage crop. 



Artificial reseeding may sometimes be employed as a supplemental 

 measure in the management of range or other lands. In this event 

 the costs may be figured on a more favorable basis than in an 

 extensive range-improvement project. The seeding of cut-over 

 timberlancls as a measure of protection and to derive some revenue 

 from them pending their restocking to timber, and the seeding of 

 range to control poisonous plants are examples of the use of artificial 

 reseeding as a supplementary measure. 



SUPPLEMENTAL SEEDING 



Clear cutting is practiced in logging operations in the Douglas 

 fir region in the Northwest. Removal of the timber and burning 

 of the slash may be followed by a heavy growth of weeds which 

 are practically valueless for grazing and which create a consider- 

 able fire hazard until tree reproduction has progressed far enough 

 to crowd them out. Seeding these cut -over areas to forage plants 

 and using them for grazing until the time w^hen the young trees 

 crowd out the forage plants has been found practical as ^a means 

 of reducing the fire hazard and gaining some supplemental income 

 from the timberland. This method of use is advisable, of course, 

 only where there is no danger of grazing interfering with repro- 

 duction of the timber and where growing conditions are satisfactory 

 for early establishment of the forage plants. 



