Effects of grazing exclusion on rangeland vegetation and soils, East Central Idaho
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Authors: J. J. Yeo
Date: 2005
Journal: Western North American Naturalist
Volume: 65
Number: 1
Pages: 91-102
Summary of Methods: To determine the impacts of livestock grazing on range health, Yeo measured vegetation at 19 sites inside and outside of exclosures, that were 18-38 years old. Areas protected from grazing had less soil erosion and bare ground, and had greater species richness, cryptogram cover, and value for wildlife (due to increased forage and cover availability). Similarity in species composition inside and outside of the exclosures ranged from 45-82%. However, the limited cover of some key species, such as Poa secunda, was evidence of the impacts of grazing outside of the exclosures. Based on the data collected from the exclosures used in this study, the author suggests that many factors, environmental, temporal and historical, can affect the recovery of a plant community after grazing, and that recovery is not always predictable or successful after grazing removal.
Article Summary / Main Points: None
Vegetation Types:
MLRA Ecoregions:
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: grazing exclosures, long-term vegetation change, erosion, vegetative cover, screening cover, cryptograms, succession, poa secunda
Annotation: Grazing intensity and season of use were not listed in the paper. The site was historically overgrazed before 1820-1830, used for sheep grazing until 1950 and now is primarily used for cattle grazing.
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