Show Experiment Unit Conducts n Tour The Utah Range Use Coordinating Coordinating Council held Its annual Field Tour on the Great Basin Experimental Range In Ephraim Canyon Canyo Friday June 28 Thirty rive participants learned about research on range r ran e Improvement and water increase In Increase increase in- in crease through conversion of brush and trees to grass Mr Reuel Christensen a council member led the tour At one of seven stops Dr Ben L. L Grover of the Utah State Agricultural ExP Experiment Station Sta Sta- Station tion displayed and explained results re results results re- re he research done over the past three years which sho showed d we were re excellent prospects for increasing In Increasing in- in increasing creasing the amount of water available for downstream uses from several bushy areas by byas byas byas as much as two to five Inches by converting water using brush to grass Dr Grover had obtained the results through use use se of newly developed soil moisture measuring equip equip- equipment ment Among the Instruments used was the neutron probe which Is especially helpful In making soil moisture determinations quickly A. A A Perry Plummer r Range Scientist for the Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station explained that conversion conversion conver conver- sion slon from brush to grass was feasible and particularly where additional water for downstream downstream down down- stream purposes could be dev dev- eloped He said that smooth brome because of Its aggressiveness and shade tolerance was the best grass for controlling shrubby species He explained sup sup- of brushy species not only was more water made available but the ranges were gr greatly atly Improved for the grazing grazing graz- graz ing ng of livestock and game In addition to are several other grasses and broadleaf herbs that could be used to advantage for Improving ing forage and replacing shrubby species For effective control of oak and associated shrubs on the thereas areas reas inspected seeds of ad adapted adapted adapted ad- ad apted and competitive herbs were aerially seeded after which the seeded range was treated with heavy anchor chains pulled by crawler trac trac- tors I Mr Plummer said there were I other effect effective ve treatments which I h oi e H In I but anchor chains were the best around all-around equipment for re re- re 1 of brush and producing a seedbed for the establishment of competitive grasses Don R R. Christensen and Stephen B B. B of the Utah State Fish and Game Division explained that cooperative studies studies studies stu stu- dies with the Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station have shown that more than one hundred species out of several hundred shrubs shrubs grasses and broadleaf herbs have beep been discovered for greatly Improving game and livestock range In Utah livestock range In Utah Important Important tant tact among these were the new type range-type alfalfas Including Nomad Rambler and Travois Travels Mr Christensen pointed out that nearly acres of depleted pinyon juniper ranges in Sanpete have been converted from trees to grass and other herbs to make Improved range for livestock and game through aerial seeding and anchor chaining The group ate a steak dinner prepared by Mr and Mrs Kenneth Kenneth Kenneth Ken Ken- neth Tuttle Manti Mantl at the Great Basin Experimental Range headquarters Other council members who participated In the tour were J J. Wallace Manta Manti Dan Freed and Ray Lake City Robert D. D Nielson State Director of the Bureau of Land Management Jack Curtis Assistant Assistant As Assistant As- As Regional Forester J. J P. P Blaisdell Assistant Director Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station K Kenneth Hill Director Utah State Agricultural Agricultural Agri Agri- cultural Experiment Station an and LaVar Ware Regional Coordinator Co Coordinator Co- Co Utah State Fish and Game Division 1 |