Stream channel and vegetation responses to late spring cattle grazing
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Authors: W. P. Clary
Date: 1999
Journal: Journal of Range Management
Volume: 52
Number: 3
Pages: 218-227
Summary of Methods: A 10-year riparian grazing study was conducted on Stanley Creek, approximately 6 km northwest of Stanley, Idaho (Lat 44° 15’ 46â€, Long 114° 59’ 02â€). The area has had a long history of extensive grazing (65% use) and mining activities prior to the study. During this study, the riparian area was grazed in late June with cow/calf pairs and received three utilization treatments: medium (50%), light (25%), and control (0%). Stocking rate was adjusted so that all treatments were grazed for approximately the same amount of time (14 days). Observations were grouped to fit into one of three categories: stream, riparian, and dry meadow. Plant canopy cover and percent utilization were visually estimated, and stubble height measured annually, immediately after grazing. Plant attributes and 31 channel cross-sections were measured four different times over the course of the study, with final measurements occurring the year after grazing ended. Cross-sectional measurements examined wetted width, average wetted depth, bank stability, bank alteration, channel bottom embeddedness, and channel bottom textural composition.
Article Summary / Main Points: Due to differences in pastures, data was compared within pastures and not between pastures. Dry meadow utilization rates closely mirrored target rates while streamside utilization was less than dry meadow. Stream observations: 1) Stream channel width decreased under all treatments, resulting in channel narrowing as grazing intensity increased. 2) Stream bank stability, channel alterations and embeddedness decreased under all treatments. 4) Light grazing resulted in significant reduction of fine textured sediments over the course of the study. Riparian vegetation observations: 1) Willow height and cover increased under all treatments. 2) Graminoid and forb species richness increased in all grazed pastures during grazed years 3) Ungrazed treatments ended with less total plant cover than at the start of the study. 4) Graminoid species returned to control heights one year following cessation of grazing. Dry meadow observations: 1) Forb and graminoid species increased when subject to grazing or drought, with a group of late seral species (sedge spp., bluejoint reedgrass, Baltic rush) decreasing overall treatments. Only moderately grazed treatments continued to show an increase in species the year following cessation of grazing. 3) Tufted hairgrass and Kentucky bluegrass increased as grazing pressure decreased, replacing thick stemmed aster. 4) Early grazing of this cold, mountain meadow resulted in cattle use of the dry meadow portions of the pasture more than the riparian area.
Vegetation Types: Riparian and Wetlands
MLRA Ecoregions: 43B Central Rocky Mountains
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Grazing Grazing systems
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: riparian, mountain meadow, streambank stability, width/depth ratio, willow, species richness, salmonid, fisheries, livestock management, grazing
Annotation: Pre-grazing utilization rates were greater than those tested in the trial, illustrating that under good management riparian areas and adjacent meadows can recover. Coarser textured soils at streamside could have minimized trampling damage from grazing livestock early in the season where finer soils would have been more prone to damage. The study area also experienced a drought during the study period.
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