permanent and stable livestock industry, consistent with the pro- 

 tection of watershed and other values and uses of the national 

 forests. Grazing is a suitable and productive use for large areas 

 of national-forest lands. 



15. Why are reductions made in the number of livestock per- 

 mitted to graze on the national forests? 



Usually they are made for range protection; that is, to remedy 

 too heavy grazing which causes deterioration of the capacity of 

 the range to produce forage. Such overgrazing may have come 

 about through ( 1 ) use by too many livestock or game animals, 

 ( 2 ) use too early in the spring or too late in the fall, ( 3 ) drought, 

 which reduces forage production, (4) poor management of the 

 livestock on the range by the permittee, or (5) thickening of 

 timber or brush stands to the point that this plant competition 

 reduces forage growth. 



In some situations, including certain steep, easily erodible soils 

 and important municipal or other critical watershed areas, total 

 exclusion of livestock from the range may be required. 



More rarely, reductions are made as penalty for violation by 

 the permittee of the terms of the grazing permit or the regulations 

 on which it is based. 



16. How are necessary reductions in permitted livestock num- 

 bers determined? 



The reductions necessary are determined by the amount by 

 which the present permitted livestock exceeds the estimated graz- 

 ing capacity of the range in question. The opportunity to over- 

 come range damage by water development, reseeding, fencing, 

 and improved methods of management of livestock on the range 

 is given consideration. The final decision to reduce livestock 

 numbers on any national-forest range is reached only after the 

 opportunity has been offered the permittee for a thorough study 

 of the situation on the ground in company with the forest officer 

 in charge of the area. If heavy reductions are made they are 

 usually spread over several years to provide an opportunity for 

 adjustment in livestock operations. 



17. How great are the reductions proposed? 



As estimated in 1948, the reductions proposed for 1949 and 

 1950 averaged about 2 percent per year of the total number of 

 livestock permitted to graze on western national forests in 1947. 



These over-all average reductions would be of minor conse- 

 quence to stockmen if they could be spread uniformly over all 



