UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



DEPARTMENT BULLETIN No. 1405 



Washington, D. C. 



September, 1926 



GRAZING PERIODS AND FORAGE PRODUCTION ON THE NATIONAL FORESTS 



By Arthur W. Sampson, Plant Ecologist, and Harry E. Malmsten, Grazing 

 Examiner United States Forest Service 



CONTENTS 



Page 



More and better forage 1 



Major forage types of the Wasatch 



Mountains 2 



Oak-brush type 2 



Aspen-fir type 2 



Spruce-fir type 3 



Climatic factors in relation to graz- 

 ing periods 3 



Air temperature 4 



Precipitation 6 



Grazing periods 8 



Relation of height of herbage to 



range readiness 8 



Plant development that indicates 

 range readiness or unreadi- 

 ness 12 



Relation of exposure and slope 



to range readiness 18 



Closing of the seasonal grazing 



periods 19 



Grazing periods in each vege- 

 tative type 21 



Page 

 Range management based upon proper 



seasonal use — 22 



Management plans 22 



Methods of controlling stock 22 



Management plan for typical 



range divisiou 24 



Effect of frequency of pasturing on 

 forage production and longev- 

 ity of vegetation 26 



Experimental procedure 27 



Results 28 



Application of results in range 



management 41 



Why grasses are superior as forage 



plants 42 



Range reseeding 42 



Natural revegetation 43 



Summary 50 



Literature cited 54 



MORE AND BETTER FORAGE 



Stockmen in the "West have always had confidence in the adequacy 

 of the native forage crop to provide pasturage for their livestock. 

 Indeed, under normal climatic conditions this enormous natural 

 resource has not failed the grazier, except where it has been called 

 upon to meet unreasonable demands. The productivity of the range 

 has declined sharply, however, wherever the requirements of plant 

 growth have been disregarded for many years in succession. Where 

 there has been too early or too frequent and to heavy grazing, undue 

 trampling, or some other unsatisfactory feature of range use, the 

 results have been uniformly bad. Many conspicuous examples show 

 that abundant nutritious forage can not be expected in the absence 

 of rational grazing and livestock management. 



More and better forage, as well as the maximum production of 

 beef, wool, and mutton, is a primary object of grazing management. 

 To maintain the forage productivity of a range unit it is necessary 



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