Range management

RANGE MANAGEMENT

FORESTER’S

By Javed Iqbal PhD Scholar Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sc, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague

Headlines FORESTER’S


•Rangeland •Definition of Range Management •Terminology in Range Management •Principles of Range Management •Range Improvement Practices •Range Vegetation Analysis

Rangeland FORESTER’S


•Rangelands are vast natural landscapes in the form of grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts. Types of rangelands include tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, desert grasslands and shrublands, woodlands, savannas, chaparrals, steppes, and tundras. Rangelands do not include barren desert, farmland, closed canopy forests, or land covered by solid rock, concrete and/or glaciers. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangeland) •(n.) Land supporting indigenous vegetation that either is grazed or that has the potential to be grazed, and is managed as a natural ecosystem. Range includes grassland, grazable forestland, shrubland and pastureland. Range is not a use. (adj.) Modifies resources, products, activities, practices, and phenomena pertaining to rangeland. cf. rangeland, forested range, grazable woodland, shrubland, pastureland. (Society for Range Management. )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangeland

Definition of Range Management FORESTER’S


•Range management is the use of grazing land to ensure consistent livestock production and, at the same time, conserve range resources. (Glossary of Environment Statistics) •A distinct discipline founded on ecological principles and dealing with the use of rangelands and range resources for a variety of purposes. These purposes include use as watersheds, wildlife habitat, grazing by livestock, recreation, and aesthetics, as well as other associated uses. (Society for Range Management.) •Range Management is a distinct discipline founded on ecological principles and dealing with the use of rangelands and range resources for a variety of purposes. These purposes include use as watersheds, wildlife habitat, grazing by livestock, recreation, and aesthetics, as well as other associated uses. (University of Idaho)

Terminology in Range Management FORESTER’S


•A.U. Animal Unit •A.U.M. Animal Unit per Month •Abundance The total number of individuals of a species in an area, population, or community. •Age-Class (1) A descriptive term to indicate the relative age of plants. (2) Refers to age and class of animal. •Agro-silvo-pastoral Land use system in which woody perennials are grown with agricultural crops, forage crops, and livestock production. •Air-Dry Weight The weight of a substance after it has been allowed to dry to equilibrium with the atmosphere. •Animal Unit Conversion Factor A document which specifies the total authorized grazing for one year. cf. term license or permit. •Animal-Unit Considered to be one mature cow of about 1,000 pounds (450 kg), either dry or with calf up to 6 months of age, or their equivalent, consuming about 26 pounds (12 kg) of forage/day on an oven-dry basis. Abbr. AU. cf. animal-unit- equivalent



•Animal-Unit-Equivalent The amount of oven-dry forage (forage demand) required by one animal unit for a standardized period of 30 animal-unit-days. Not synonymous with animal month. Abbr. AUM. The term AUM is commonly used in three ways: (a) stocking rate, as in "X acres per AUM"; (b) forage allocations, as in "X AUMs in Allotment A"; (c) utilization, as in "X AUMs taken from Unit B." •Annual Plant Range on which the principal forage plants are self-perpetuating annual, herbaceous species. •Arid A term applied to regions or climates where lack of sufficient moisture severely limits growth and production of vegetation. The limits of precipitation vary considerably according to temperature conditions, with an upper annual limit for cool regions of 10 inches or less and for tropical regions as much as 15 to 20 inches. cf. semiarid •Basal Area The cross sectional area of the stem or stems of a plant or of all plants in a stand. Herbaceous and small woody plants are measured at or near the ground level; larger woody plants are measured at breast or other designated height.



•Biennial A plant that lives for two years, producing vegetative growth the first year and usually blooming and fruiting in the second year and then dying. •Biomass The total amount of living plants and animals above and below ground in an area at a given time. •Browse (n.) The part of shrubs, woody vines and trees available for animal consumption. (v.) To search for or consume browse. •C-3 Plant A plant employing the pentose phosphate pathway of carbon dioxide assimilation during photosynthesis; often a cool-season plant. •C-4 Plant A plant employing the dicarboxylic acid pathway of carbon dioxide assimilation during photosynthesis; often a warm season plant. •Canopy (1) The vertical projection downward of the aerial portion of vegetation, usually expressed as a percent of the ground so occupied. (2) The aerial portion of the overstory vegetation. cf. canopy cover •Canopy Cover The percentage of ground covered by a vertical projection of the outermost perimeter of the natural spread of foliage of plants. Small openings within the canopy are included. It may exceed 100%. Syn. crown cover



•Carrying Capacity The average number of livestock and/or wildlife that may be sustained on a management unit compatible with management objectives for the unit. In addition to site characteristics, it is a function of management goals and management intensity. (SRM) The amount of forage produced annually in a management unit is only one attribute used to determine carrying capacity. The forage also has to be available to the animals. On many rangelands, the carrying capacity may be less than forage production would indicate because parts of the management unit are inaccessible to grazing animals. In essence, forage is present but unavailable. •Climax (1) The final or stable biotic community in a successional series; it is self- perpetuating and in equilibrium with the physical habitat. •Closed Area Any area closed to certain types of use for management purposes. •Community A general term for an assemblage of plants and/or animals living together and interacting among themselves in a specific location; no particular successional status is implied. •Conservation The use and management of natural resources according to principles that assure their sustained economic and/or social benefits without impairment of environmental quality. •Consumers Heterotrophic organisms, chiefly animals, that ingest other organisms or particulate organic matter.



•Conversion Factor A factor by which stocking rates are partitioned according to the kind or class of animal based on energy requirements. cf. animal-unit •Corral A small enclosure for handling livestock. •Cover (1) The plant or plant parts, living or dead, on the surface of the ground. Vegetative cover or herbage cover is composed of living plants and litter cover of dead parts of plants. Syn. foliar cover (2) The area of ground covered by plants of one or more species. cf. basal area •Critical Area An area which must be treated with special consideration because of inherent site factors, size, location, condition, values, or significant potential conflicts among uses. •Decreaser For a given plant community, those species that decrease in amount as a result of a specific abiotic/biotic influence or management practice. •Deferred Grazing The deferment of grazing in a nonsystematic rotation with other land units. cf. deferment •Deferred-Rotation Any grazing system, which provides for a systematic rotation of the deferment among pastures. •Degree of Use The proportion of current year's forage production that is consumed and/or destroyed by grazing animals. May refer either to a single species or the vegetation as a whole. Syn. Use



•Density Numbers of individuals or stems per unit area. Density does not equate to any kind of cover measurement. •Desertification The process by which an area or region becomes more arid through loss of soil and vegetative cover. The process is often accelerated by excessive continuous overstocking and drought. •Diversity The distribution and abundance of different plants and animal communities within an area. •Dominant (1) Plant species or species groups, which by means of their number, coverage, or size, have considerable influence or control upon the conditions of existence of associated species. (2) Those individual animals which, by their aggressive behavior or otherwise, determine the behavior of one or more animals resulting in the establishment of a social hierarchy. •Enclosure An area fenced to confine animals. •Foliage The green or live leaves of plants; mass leaves, leafage. •Forage (n.) Browse and herbage which is available and may provide food for grazing animals or be harvested for feeding. (v.) To search for or consume forage. cf. (v.) browse, graze •Forb Any broad-leafed herbaceous plant other than those in the Poaceae, Cyperaceae and Juncaceae families. cf. legume



•Frequency The ratio between the number of sample units that contain a species and the total number of sample units. •Grass Members of the plant family Poaceae. •Grassland Land on which the vegetation is dominated by grasses, grass like plants, and/or forbs (cf. dominant). Lands not presently grassland that were originally or could become grassland through natural succession may be classified as potential natural grassland. •Graze (1) (vi.) The consumption of standing forage by livestock or wildlife. (2) (vt.) To put livestock to feed on standing forage. •Grazing Capacity The maximum stocking rate that will achieve a target level of animal performance, in a specified grazing method, based on total nutrient resources available, including harvested roughages and concentrates, that can be applied over a defined period without deterioration of the ecosystem. A description of the grazing capacity should include stocking rate, grazing method, targeted animal performance and nongrazed nutrient resources. •Grazing Pressure An animal to forage relationship measured in terms of animal units per unit weight of forage at any instant, i.e., AU/kg or ton.



•Grazing Season The time period during which grazing can normally be practiced each year or portion of each year. •Grazing System A specialization of grazing management which defines the periods of grazing and non-grazing. Descriptive common names may be used; however, the first usage of a grazing system name in a publication should be followed by a description using a standard format. This format should consist of at least the following: the number of pastures (or units); number of herds; length of grazing periods; length of non-grazing periods for any given unit in the system followed by an abbreviation of the unit of time used. cf. deferred grazing, deferred-rotation, rotation, rest-rotation, and short duration grazing •Herb Any flowering plant except those developing persistent woody stems above ground. •Herd An assemblage of animals usually of the same species. •Herding The handling or tending of a herd. cf. close, open and trail herding •Increaser For a given plant community, those species that increase in amount as a result of a specific abiotic/biotic influence or management practice. •Indicator Species (1) Species that indicate the presence of certain environmental conditions, seral stages, or previous treatment. (2) One or more plant species selected to indicate a certain level of grazing use. cf. key species



•Intensive Grazing Management Grazing management that attempts to increase production or utilization per unit area or production per animal through a relative increase in stocking rates, forage utilization, labor, resources, or capital. Intensive grazing management is not synonymous with rotation grazing. Grazing management can be intensified by using any one or more of a number of grazing methods that use relatively more labor or capital resources. •Invader Plant species that were absent in undisturbed portions of the original vegetation of a specific range site and will invade or increase following disturbance or continued heavy grazing. cf. increaser •Key Area A relatively small portion of a range selected because of its location, use or grazing value as a monitoring point for grazing use. It is assumed that key areas, if properly selected, will reflect the overall acceptability of current grazing management over the range. •Key Species (1) Forage species whose use serves as an indicator to the degree of use of associated species. (2) Those species which must, because of their importance, be considered in the management program. •Meadow A tract of grassland where productivity of indigenous or introduced forage is modified due to characteristics of the landscape position or hydrology. May be characterized as: hay meadow, native meadow, mountain meadow, wet meadow, or other designations. cf. grassland, pasture, pastureland, rangeland



•Nomadic Pertaining to the habit of wandering from place to place, usually within a well- defined territory. Syn. Migrant •Overgrazing Continued heavy grazing which exceeds the recovery capacity of the community and creates a deteriorated range. cf. overuse •Palatability The relish with which a particular species or plant part is consumed by an animal. •Pasture (1) A grazing area enclosed and separated from other areas by fencing or other barriers; the management unit for grazing land. (2) Forage plants used as food for grazing animals. (3) Any area devoted to the production of forage, native or introduced, and harvested by grazing. (4) A group of subunits grazed within a rotational grazing system. (5) v. To feed on pasture; to use as pasture. •Perennial Plant A plant that has a life span of 3 or more years. •Proper Use Factor An index to the grazing use that may be made of a specific forage species, based on a system of range management that will maintain the economically important forage species, or achieve other management objectives such as maintenance of watersheds, recreation values, etc. • Ranch An establishment or firm with specific boundaries together with its lands and improvements, used for the grazing and production of domestic livestock and/or wildlife.



•Salting (1) Providing salt as a mineral supplement for animals. (2) Placing salt on the range in such a manner as to improve distribution of livestock grazing. •Savanna Grassland with scattered trees or shrubs; often a transitional type between true grassland and forestland, and accompanied by a climate with alternating wet and dry seasons. •Semiarid A term applied to regions or climates where moisture is normally greater than under arid conditions, but still definitely limits the production of vegetation. The upper limit of average annual precipitation in the cold, semiarid regions is as low as 15 inches (380 mm), whereas in warm tropical regions it is as high as 45-50 inches (1,100-1,300mm). •Shrub A plant that has persistent, woody stems and a relatively low growth habit, and that generally produces several basal shoots instead of a single bole. It differs from a tree by its low stature (generally less than 5 meters, or 16 feet) and non- arborescent form. •Sod Vegetation which grows so as to form a mat of soil and vegetation. Syn. Turf •Tundra Land areas in arctic and alpine regions devoid of large trees, varying from bare ground to various types of vegetation consisting of grasses, sedges, forbs, dwarf shrubs and trees, mosses, and lichens.



•Terracing Mechanical movement of soil along the horizontal contour of a slope to produce an earthen dike to retain water and diminish the potential of soil erosion. •Tiller The asexual development of a new plant from a meristematic region of the parent plant. •Trail A well-defined path created by repeated passage of animals. •Trampling Treading underfoot; the damage to plants or soil brought about by movements or congestion of animals. •Trend The direction of change in an attribute as observed over time. •Underuse A degree of use less than proper use. •Ungulate A hoofed animal, including ruminants but also horses, tapirs, elephants, rhinoceroses, and swine. •Weed (1) Any plant growing where unwanted. (2) A plant having a negative value within a given management system.

Principles of Range Management FORESTER’S


The manipulation of the soil-plant-animal complex of the grazing land in pursuit of a desired result. The definition may be applied to specific kinds of grazing land by substituting the appropriate term, such as grassland in place of grazingland.

1. Correct Kind of Animals 2. Correct Number of Animals

3. Proper Distribution 4. Grazing System

Range Improvement Practices FORESTER’S


Range Improvement — Any activity or program on or relating to rangelands which is designed to improve production of forage, change vegetation composition, control patterns of use, provide water, stabilize soil and water conditions, or provide habitat for wildlife and livestock.

1. Re-seeding 2. Water Spreading 3. Mulching 4. Fertilization 5. Trails 6. Water storage point 7. Fencing 8. Salting point 9. Water conservation 10. Burning

Range Vegetation Analysis FORESTER’S


The calculation of the range vegetation for the better utilization of range resources. Or Range Vegetation is the relative degree to which the kinds, proportions, and amounts of vegetation in the present plant community resemble the desired plant community chosen for an ecological site.

1. Range Cover 2. Range Frequency 3. Range Density 4. Relative Cover 5. Relative frequency 6. Relative Density 7. Importance Value 8. Biomass 9. Carrying Capacity

Range management

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