Response of mountain meadows to grazing by recreational pack stock
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Authors: D. N. Cole, J. W. Van Wagtendonk, M. P. McClaran, P. E. Moore, and N. K. McDougland
Date: 2004
Journal: Journal of Range Management
Volume: 57
Number: 2
Pages: 153-160
Summary of Methods: Recreationists sometimes use horses and mules when travelling in the wilderness and current management does not regulate grazing by pack stock in these protected areas. In this study, Cole et al. attempt to measure the impact of pack stock grazing in 3 wilderness area meadows, to determine if management should be applied. The impacts of grazing varied by site, year, and grazing intensity, with impacts becoming more obvious and predictable over time and as grazing intensity increased. In general, grazing reduced productivity and basal cover, increased percent cover of bare soil, and altered species composition by reducing graminoid species. The authors concluded that some management of pack stock grazing is needed in wilderness meadows to maintain the condition and productivity of these areas and recommend that managers develop an "animal nights per meadow per year" system to limit overuse and degradation of these wilderness areas.
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: horses, meadow productivity, mules, utilization, wilderness, yosemite national park
Annotation: Horses and mules were tethered to a picket with a 4 m rope and were allowed to graze the vegetation in that area for 146 -587 minutes. The time variation depended on the site and the desired level of utilization. Utilization varied between 15 -69% during the 4 years of the study.
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