Show PLANTS WHICH INDICATE RANGE IMPROVEMENT OR DEPLETION By y ARTHUR W. W SAMPSON Director Great B Basin sin Experiment Station t Forest Service J Where the d deferred and rotation rotation rota- rota tion ion grazing system is properly applied it seldom takes many years ears to bui build d up the range to its original origin 1 grazing capacity pi provided provid- provid ovid ovid- ed d ample seed plants of a desirable desirable desirable desir desir- able kind remain for the production production tion lon of a g good od seed crop Accordingly Accord- Accord it is of the greatest importance import import- ance to xo recognize destructive grazing razing in the early stages in order to prevent killing out of a large arge proportion of the the more palatable palatable pal pal- at ble and desirable seed plants In the past the destruction of the he choicest range plants has seldom seldom seldom sel sel- dom been recognized until the grazing razing capacity of the lands has been een materially reduced or until the stock grazed were in poor condition of flesh Both of these extreme conditions conditions- are invariably accompanied by losses to the stockmen of various seri seriousness s ess His profits are either 1 by having to down the number of stock stock- th the range would formerly carry carry or 2 by having to accept a. a I lower price due to the poor condition on of the of-the the stock or both Certainly it is a matter of good business if not absolutely essential essential essential essen essen- to continued successful livestock livestock livestock live live- stock production that the stockman stockman stock stock- man and range expert recognize overgrazing before most of the choicest range plants have been It is is' a well established fact that as the more palatable plants are killed by overgrazing other other species not grazed by stock stock readily readily take the place of the desirable forage plants plants' It is on the basis of the replacement replacement replace replace- ment of one set of plants by another that the maintenance of the range on the one hand o or OJ orthe r the depletion of the e lands ands on m th the th e J 1 other can be determined This interesting interesting- replacement of one set of pla plants ts by another a is found founded ed on the fact act that species of a temporary character invariably the occupy occupy the place of the more stable or Ol deep rooted kinds sho shortly short short- t ly after the l latter have e be been n killed killed kill kill- ed and are ate able abl t to grow in hi infertile in infertile jn- jn fertile or indeed inde d shallow soils soils where the deeper rooted and and more exacting species ies cannot t be i maintained In practically all i all localities in inthe inthe inthe the West grasses grasses or those that grow y year ar after year from rom the same root loot l' l ot are by by far the most valuable as f forage rag all classes of sto stock k considered Pe Perennial Perennial Per Per- grasses such as wheat- wheat grasses and most mst of the bluegrasses blue blue- bluegrasses bluegrasses so-called so climax grasses are or permanent plants when a large stretch of herbaceous vegetation vegetation vegetation tion is considered and in in inthis this respect ct diff differs rs strikingly from annual weeds like Douglas knotweed knotweed knotweed knot- knot weed and c certain mustards which readily give way to the perennial l grasses when the latter the are re permitted to develop On n the high mountain forest fores ranges of the Intermountain Region Region Region Re Re- gion the constitute the highest stage That Thal J is to say wh where re the vegetation vegetation vegetation tion is permitted to develop in a natural way the finally occupy the soil to the practical exclusion of other otner plants Such a grass cover con con- taming as it docs very few vw weeds eds has the highest value for the grazing of cattle and horses thou though h sheep do moderately well on such feed Next to the wh th the the e i porcupine 91 or a h e 1 f 1 c 1 are re usually associated with certain certain tain am shrubs like sh and anda a few perennial weeds such such as lupine and mountain sunflower are re the most characteristic wheatgrass ss sst t type ype pe is overstocked porcupine grasses grasses' and associated plants are re the first t to replace the weakened weakened weak- weak ened ned or dying wheatgrass Owing to o the large variety of of palatable plants lants which make makeup up the porcu- porcu cover this type is much more va valuable ua le for she sheep p ith than n is the he wheatgrass cover TRio p por- por r- r ass t type pe also also affords go gr c zi g for ca cattle and hors hors- es s. s Next ext to the type ype is th the perennial weed type which consists commonly of such plants lants as s yarrow sweet sage blu blue lue foxglove mertensia and rubber weed These plants are the he first to app appear ar over the type when the latter latter latter- is grazed destructively and naturally seriously decreases the he grazing capacity of the desirable desirable desirable desir desir- able type The pere perennial mial weed type affords very little ittle interior forage for c cattle and horses and is grazed only moderately mod closely by sheep sh ep One Ope of this this- type of vegetation i is that it t fosters fosters' the the- inco incoming of various var- var ious ous poisonous poisonous plants p plants ants which are often the cause of heavy livestock livestock livestock live live- stock losses If destructive grazing is continued continued continued con con- on this perennial weed type these plants soon gave g ve way to a set of f ann annual al plants plants-plants that grow only one year This rep replacement r renders the lands practically valueless for grazing of any class of stock Such grazing grazing grazing graz graz- ing pr practice is usually accompanied accompanied accompanied by very destructive ero ero- skin sion which so depletes the so soil l as 1 to make a J tasK taste and requires requires' many V years to bring the lands back back seven s- s even ven to the inferior perennial L' L S weed stage S t s a aThus Thus we have the story in a 5 s nutshell of the n natural tural stages of rh 1 3 Y depletion depIction of the vegetation from JT the highest and most d esir- esir t j able wheatgrass type to the complete com corn r piete destruction ion of the palata- palata palatable palatable l ble forage By observing what charges are taking place in the fl plant cover year after year year it it- itis is f y not difficult to to determine whether whether whether ther the range is improving being being being be- be ing depleted or merely holding i its own in the competition tion with v h the stock which are being main- main maintained 3 on it it For a f full ll discussion of the J plant types that indicate whether i ther the range is improving or declining in productivity the reader is referred to Department l lof 2 of Agriculture bulletin No 5 |