14 Miscellaneous Circular 47, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture 



grazing threatens the continuation of the timber stands; tiny trees 

 a year or two old may be trampled to death by the cattle and sheep 

 or nibbled and destroyed when very intensive grazing forces the 

 stock to eat every green thing on the range. 



FOREST MANAGEMENT AS RELATED TO LIVESTOCK 



At present the range of livestock industry is settled upon a basis 

 firmer than at any time in its history. Stock have been reduced 

 where necessary, so that no more are run on the range than can be 

 maintained there year after year without depleting the range re- 

 sources. At the same time inaccessible regions have been opened by 

 the construction of trails, bridges, and other improvements. Range 

 which was useless on account of lack of water has been made avail- 

 able for large numbers of livestock through the development of small 

 springs and seeps. Certain forests have had their flocks and herds 

 reduced as much as 30 per cent for certain classes of livestock in the 



Fig. 



F-49888-A 



-The result of overgrazing ; forage and watershed protection destroyed. 



period 1909-1924. Sheep have decreased 137,325 head. However, 

 the national forests of the region as a whole now carry 93,870 more 

 cattle and horses than in 1909. As 1 head of cattle uses as much 

 forage as 4 sheep, this represents a real increase in carrying capacity ; 

 for these cattle and horses would be equivalent to 375,480 sheep. 



The wise management of the national forest lands means every- 

 thing to the livestock business. Without it, summer grazing in the 

 mountains, the backbone of the livestock industry of the intermoun- 

 tain region, would be lost. 



HYDROELECTRIC POWER 



EXTENT OF DEVELOPMENT 



One of the characteristics of the intermountain region is the 

 prevalence of electric light and power in all the small towns in the 

 vicinity of the mountains. The secret, of course, lies in the abund- 



