A critical factor in the production picture is that 

 grazing systems must be implemented and range 

 improvements must be in place from 5 to 10 years 

 before they will become effective in increasing live- 

 stock production. In order to finance needed improve- 

 ments, the rancher and farmer must have access to 

 financing that can be adjusted to the expected timing 

 of benefits or returns. Some credit agencies do offer 

 long-term, low-interest loans; however, investment 

 capital for range improvements still remains scarce 

 and is often limited to the larger operators with con- 

 siderable equity. 



Research and Technology Transfer 



Research Needs 



No comprehensive estimate of the total research 

 effort is available. However, in 1975, there were 27 

 scientist-years (SY) of range research effort expended 

 at State Agricultural Experiment Stations, Forestry 

 Schools, and the Forest Service to meet the needs of 

 the Forest Service. ^3,64 ^^ increase of nearly three 

 times, to 75 scientist-years, has been projected for 

 1985 to meet minimum Forest Service range man- 

 agement technology goals established under the 1975 

 Resources Planning Act Program for National Forest 

 rangelands and its State and Private Forestry obliga- 

 tions. Substantially more research effort is required 

 to provide the technology needed to meet range man- 

 agement goals of the Bureau of Land Management, 

 other Federal agencies, and the non-Federal land- 

 owners. 



Range research in recent years has turned from the 

 single purpose range livestock grazing systems ap- 

 proach to the ecosystem approach; that is, research 

 is based on understanding the interrelationships of 

 multiresource productivity and use. Responding to 

 needs of multiple use management, increased effort 

 has also been devoted to the study of interactions and 

 compatibilities of forage production and livestock 

 grazing on wildlife and fisheries habitat, watershed, 

 recreation, and timber supply. 



Ecosystem analysis. — Understanding the structure 

 of biological systems and how they function is basic 

 to the wise management of those systems. Intensifica- 

 tion of research into the structure and functioning of 



'3 National program of research for forests and associated range- 

 lands. Prepared by a Joint Task Force of U.S. Department of 

 Agriculture and National Association of State Universities and 

 Land Grant Colleges, 40 p., August, 1978. 



"The cost of an average SY in 1975 was $70,000. The cost 

 included all technical and clerical support, together with facility, 

 administrative, and other operational costs needed to support one 

 scientist for 1 year. 



range ecosystems offers solutions to many concerns 

 such as energy flows, water availability, nutrient 

 cycling through range ecosystems, the interactions 

 among the plants and animals, and their relationship 

 to the physical environment. Such knowledge is 

 needed if the desired output of goods and services will 

 be achieved at a management level that will sustain or 

 enhance the ecosystem structure and function. 



Increased concern about preservation of plant and 

 animal species and the use of pesticides focuses atten- 

 tion on the need for improved understanding of eco- 

 system function. Research is urgently needed to 

 determine habitat requirements and management 

 strategies necessary for preservation and maintenance 

 of endangered species, and to establish guidelines for 

 ecosystem protection and management that will pro- 

 vide the optimum mix of plants and animals. 



Range resource inventory. — As of 1979, there was 

 no national system of range resource identification 

 and classification that is consistent among agencies 

 responsible for inventory, administration, research, 

 and providing technical assistance and education 

 concerning the Nation's ranges. Many classification 

 systems are currently in use. The resulting array of 

 systems fosters duplication of effort, but perhaps 

 even more importantly, the inventories and data 

 obtained often are not comparable, seriously restrict- 

 ing their usefulness. Technical research is urgently 

 needed to develop a universally acceptable multi- 

 resource identification and classification system. 



Resource improvement. — Major gains can be real- 

 ized from research aimed at better approaches to 

 rehabilitating deteriorated rangelands. Some ranges 

 have been depleted by attempts to cultivate them, by 

 past mismanagement of livestock, by encroachment 

 of undesirable shrubs and trees, and by rodents, 

 insects, and diseases. Past improvement practices 

 generally included mechanical or chemical treatments 

 to control undesirable plant species followed by seed- 

 ing with desirable forage species. Increased forage 

 production and/ or nutritive value was the objective 

 but treatment impacts on other range uses and values 

 were underestimated or undetermined. A more posi- 

 tive ecosystem approach is needed especially with 

 respect to harmful rodents, insects, and diseases. Pest 

 management systems must be developed to regulate 

 the harmful impacts of rodents, insects, and diseases 

 and also to enhance their beneficial impacts. 



Restoration of range ecosystems to correspond 

 more closely with their ecological potential should 

 improve stability of all range resource values as well 

 as increase forage supplies. Biological control of 

 insect and disease pests and undesirable plants, pre- 

 scribed use of fire, and use of grazing livestock to 



192 



