Grazing 



Next to timber production the most important 

 use of forest land in the region is the production 

 of forage. Under the open ponderosa pine forests 

 many grasses, shrubs, and herbaceous species grow. 

 Most of these are high in forage value. 



The range livestock industry is important. It is 

 estimated that nearly 2 million sheep (figure 26) 

 and a third of a million cattle valued, at more than 

 $100,000,000, graze the ranges of this region. 

 Practicallv all of the summer range available to 



only to the livestock industry but also to timber 

 owners, who derive secondary income from rental 

 of forest land for forage. It has been repeatedly 

 demonstrated that through proper land manage- 

 ment the same forest area can be used successfully 

 for timber and forage production. 



Soil and Watershed Protection 



With but few exceptions the streams of this region 

 rise in forested country. The dependence of agri- 

 culture upon irrigation and adequate watering 



Figure 26. — Sheep on summer range in a national forest in eastern Oregon. 



the industry is in the forested area and over 20 

 million acres of forest land is grazed. The limiting- 

 factor in the livestock industry is the volume of 

 summer range; there is sufficient spring-fall range 

 and winter range or hay production to support a 

 greater livestock population. One possible remedy 

 is to increase forage production on summer range 

 through improved management. The protection 

 of forest ranges and correlation of this use with 

 other forest land use is an important problem not 



places for stock makes it imperative that the flow 

 of streams be regulated and the water supply be 

 conserved. This is best accomplished through pro- 

 tection of the forested watersheds. Heavy invest- 

 ments in engineering works for irrigation and 

 hydroelectric power must be protected against 

 abnormal silt deposits which reduce water storage 

 capacity and cause other damage. Studies of the 

 exact effect of removal of vegetative cover upon 

 streamflow and erosion have not been made here. 



55 



