16 



CIECrLAE 8 2, U. S. DEPAET^IZXT OF AGEICrLTUBE 



to 25 or more years to recover, the importance of conserving it is 

 apparent. 



Accordingly, for proper range management it is imperative that 

 reindeer owners see that their grazing areas are used at the right 

 seasons and jDarticidarly that the lichen areas are protected against 

 summer grazing. Lichens are necessary for the winter food supply 

 and must be conserved for that piu-pose. Continuous and careless 

 use of such forage in summer woidd be disastrous to the future of 

 reindeer gTazing. and for this reason great care should be exercised 

 in keeping the herds on the suhmier ranges away from the lichen 

 areas so far as practicable. The sunmier ranges comprise those 

 areas of chiefly herbaceous vegetation, such as sedges, browse, weeds, 

 and grasses. 



The desirable scheme is to divide the range tmit into four suitable 

 areas for seasonal gi'azing and then to use them only at the proper 

 time of year. These areas are (1) fall range, containing a mixture 

 of lichen and nonlichen forage: (2) winter range, containing a maxi- 

 mum Cjuantity of lichen forage: (3) spring or fawning range, pro- 

 viding abimdant fresh green gi^owth and giving protection from 

 severe weather conditions; and (4) summer range. comjDrising chiefly 

 a sedge and browse cover and offering some protection from flies and 

 mosquitoes. The number of reindeer to be grazed on these areas 

 must conform with their carrying capacity. For the average winter 

 range this is approximately 20 acres for each reindeer; for the fall 

 range, about 10 acres; and for the spring and summer ranges about 

 5 to 6 acres. Yearlong, the requirement is from 35 to 40 acres a head. 



RANGE FIRES 



One of the greatest sources of injury to range and of losses of 

 forage in Alaska is from fires. Sometimes they are deliberately set, 

 but in most cases they are due to acts of carelessness, such as leaving 

 a camp fire burniag or tossing away a lighted match or cigarette. 

 Damage to range by fire involves not only loss of forage and trees, 

 but also of game and ftir animals, since the small terrestrial animals 

 are destroyed as well as the cover of vegetation. The damage to 

 lichen range is particularly serious, since it may take a burned- 

 over lichen area as much as 25 and more years to recover; or if 

 it is so badly burned as to destroy the cover of humus, the changed 

 site conditions may result in a recovered stand of inferior species 

 or virtually in a permanent removal of the lichens, as far as practical 

 grrazing use is concerned. Tn view of the importance of the lichen 

 areas for winter grazing, it is vital to all reindeer men to ^xiard 

 agamst fires; and because of the damage to game and fur animals 

 and to tree growth it is the concern of everyone that fires be pre- 

 vented and fire protection sought. 



SUMMARY 



The principal practices to be adopted in the unproved handling of 

 reindeer may be listed as follows : 

 Employment of open herding. 



Combination of herds under one management on closely adjoining 

 areas, where it is difficult to maintain the herds separately because 

 of lack of sufficient natural division between ranges. 



