UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
jru^WL 
BULLETIN No. 791 
Contribution from the Forest Service 
HENRY S. GRAVES, Forester 
S\J9*^5L 
Washington, D. C. 
PROFESSIONAL PAPER 
August 27, 1919 
PLANT SUCCESSION IN RELATION TO RANGE 
MANAGEMENT. 
Arthur W. Sampson, Plant Ecologist. 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
The problem 1 
Succession or the development of 
vegetation 2 
The plant types 7 
The wheat-grass consociation — 8 
The porcupine-grass-yellow-brush 
consociation 22 
The foxglove-sweet-sage-yarrow 
consociation 32 
The ruderal-early-weed consocia- 
tion 44 
The effect of grazing on plant suc- 
cession 54 
Destructive grazing and its re- 
lation to erosion 54 
Forage production on driveways 
and bed grounds 55 
Page. 
The effect of grazing on plant suc- 
cession — Continued. 
Succession on moderately de- 
pleted range grazed annually 
prior to seed maturity com- 
pared with succession on sim- 
ilar range protected yearlong. 61 
Judicious grazing 64 
Summary of the effect of graz- 
ing on plant succession on the 
range 65 
General summary 66 
Indicators and their use 73 
Application of plant succession to 
range management 73 
List of publications relating to plant 
succession, page 4 of cover. 
THE PROBLEM. 
The carrying capacity of a large portion of the millions of acres 
of western range has been materially decreased by too early grazing, 
overstocking, and other faulty management. Stockmen generally 
recognize this fact and are doing what they can to overcome these 
faults in management and to increase the productivity of the range. 
Where grazing has been subject to regulation for some years and the 
stock has been handled according to most approved methods the pro- 
ductivity of the range has been appreciably increased. 
One of the most serious drawbacks in the past has been the lack 
of a means of recognizing overgrazing in its early stages. In decid- 
ing upon the lands especially in need of improvement, the stockmen 
and those regulating grazing have essentially relied upon general 
112655°— Bull. 791—19 1 X 
