

Less than half of the rangeland in the contiguous States is in fair or good condition. 



Nevada is a major anomaly to this latitudinal gra- 

 dient in range condition with 60 percent of the range- 

 lands being judged in fair or better condition. This 

 relatively high rating of Nevada rangelands is surpris- 

 ing in view of recent concerns expressed about poor 

 range conditions in that State. 



Conditions of rangelands in Hawaii and Alaska are 

 generally better than in most of the contiguous 

 States. Slightly more than one-half of Hawaii's 

 968,000 acres of rangelands are in fair or good condi- 

 tion. Almost all (98 percent) of the rangeland in 

 Alaska is estimated to be in fair or good condition. 

 The high condition of Alaska's rangeland most prob- 

 ably reflects continuation of the cyclic pattern of wild 

 ruminant grazing under which Alaska's rangelands 

 evolved. Estimates made locally indicate that of the 

 lands in the Aleutian Islands that are being grazed by 

 cattle, 65-70 percent are in good condition and 25-30 

 percent are in fair. 



Condition by ecosystem. — In general, the grass- 

 lands are in slightly better condition than the shrub- 

 lands (fig. 5.4), but the differences are not significant. 

 The high-producing, high elevation rangelands — 

 mountain grasslands and mountain meadows — are 

 in much better condition than are the low-producing 



arid and semiarid rangelands (table 5.2). This may be 

 due to the history and short duration of grazing, 

 ownership patterns, levels of management practices, 

 and, most certainly, the relatively favorable moisture 

 conditions prevailing in these high elevation eco- 

 systems. The favorable growing conditions of the 

 mountain grasslands and meadows enable them to 

 recover fairly rapidly from the effects of past misuse 

 once better management is implemented. 



The Great Plains ecosystems, Texas savanna, 

 plains grasslands, and prairie, are in generally higher 

 condition than the arid and semiarid ecosystems of 

 the Southwest. The generally better growing condi- 

 tions in these ecosystems have contributed to their 

 present relatively high condition ratings. 



Most of the arid and semiarid ecosystems of the 

 Southwest are in generally poorer condition than the 

 other rangeland ecosystems, reflecting their long his- 

 tory of unmanaged grazing and the tough growing 

 conditions. The high condition of the desert shrub 

 ecosystem. 54 percent being in fair and good condi- 

 tion, may therefore be surprising. However, many 

 areas in this ecosystem are grazed only in the winter, 

 while other areas in the ecosystem are ungrazed 

 because of lack of drinking water for livestock. 



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