GRAZING AND FORAGE PRODUCTION ON NATIONAL FORESTS 43 

 NATURAL REVEGETATION 



Cropping a pasture each year to the maximum of its forage pro- 

 duction is sure, sooner or later, to cause a sharp decline in its grazing 

 capacity. The most successful stockmen are now grazing their 

 ranges on the basis of the quantity of forage produced in the average 

 year rather than on the maximum yield in the best years. This 

 plan, in view of the yearly fluctuation in forage production, nearly 

 everywhere in the West, is insurance second to none against financial 

 loss. 



Improvement in the grazing capacity of native pasture lands, 

 the forage of which is composed largely of bunch grasses, is de- 

 pendent, periodically at least, upon a good production of fertile 

 seed. To insure seed production of the more palatable forage plants 

 requires avoidance of overgrazing, prevention of too early grazing, 

 and effective control and distribution of livestock. 



OPERATION OF DEFERRED AND ROTATION GRAZING 



The " deferred and rotation grazing plan " has been adopted 

 widely on national forest ranges in order to obtain the greatest 

 possible use of the forage and at the same time keep the lands in 

 a high state of productivity. The plan is based upon the growth 

 requirements of range vegetation, coupled with methods of handling 

 livestock to foster seed production, provide for the planting of the 

 seed crop, and furnish forage for the stock during the revegeta- 

 tional period. Briefly, the plan is to reserve some portion of the 

 range for cropping after the seed has ripened. The following 

 year, in order to avoid the destruction of the seedlings which origi- 

 nated from the seed of the first year's crop, and to provide for ad- 

 ditional seed where needed, the same area is usually reserved a 

 second time. If after two years of such deferred grazing the 

 forage plants have become vigorous and an ample number of seed- 

 ling plants have become established, a second area in need of seed- 

 ing is selected and the tract upon which grazing was originally 

 deferred is cropped before seed maturity. This plan of deferring 

 the grazing on one depleted area and then on another is continued 

 until the entire range has been revegetated. After that, grazing 

 after seed maturity is alternated or rotated from one portion of 

 the range to another in order to allow an occasional seed crop of 

 the better forage plants to develop and replace the decadent vege- 

 tation. This continuous rotation in the grazing plan has the big 

 advantage over yearlong rest or of a heavy reduction in the stock 

 during the period required for revegetation that it interferes not 

 at all with the production of beef or mutton. (3, 5, 6.) 



Deferred grazing has been attempted without adjustment in the 

 number of stock on overstocked ranges where improvement in the 

 plant cover was badly needed. Because of the overstocking it was 

 necessary to crop the forage on the unreserved parts three or more 

 times before seed maturity. These attempts have shown clearly 

 that the deferred grazing plan can be applied successfully only if 

 the number of livestock corresponds with the actual grazing capac- 

 ity of the range; otherwise the parts grazed before seed maturity 



