Rangeland Management Concept Note

Transcription

1 Rangeland Management Concept Note Richard Forsman, USFS-Retired I Introduction This paper introduces key definitions, concepts and issues that will be explored and collectively addressed during the USFS Rangeland Management Seminar. What are rangelands? Rangelands are any extensive area of land that are occupied by herbaceous or shrubby vegetation in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Rangeland vegetation may include tall grass prairies, short grass prairies, steppes, desert shrublands, shrub woodlands, meadows, savannas, chaparrals, and tundras. Rangelands are often areas of great biodiversity. They are the principle grazing areas for wildlife and livestock. Grazing is an important use of rangelands but the term "rangeland" is not synonymous with "grazing lands". There are areas of rangeland that are not grazed and there are grazed areas that are not rangelands. Temperate and tropical forests that are used for grazing as well as timber production can also be considered rangeland. Rangelands constitute approximately 308 million hectares in the United States (or about 40% of the landmass). Transitory range is range that is available for livestock use during specific stages of plant growth, typically as plant communities move from early to late seral stages. One example of transitory range are forested plant communities that produce large quantities of desirable livestock forage immediately after a wildfire or timber harvest; later, when the canopy closes in, that forage is no longer available or desirable. Participants will be provided an opportunity to examine transitory ranges and see how they can be strategically managed for livestock production while maintaining other values, such as forest regeneration. Why are rangelands important? Rangelands provide economic, environmental, and recreational resources. People around the globe derive multiple goods and services from rangeland ecosystems including wildlife and wildlife habitat; clean water; clean air; open spaces; global warming mitigation; recreational uses; food and fiber production, including livestock grazing; and a unique setting for social, recreational and cultural activities. We depend on these goods and services and expect them to be sustained for the benefit of future generations. 1

2 II Rangeland Management What is rangeland management? Rangeland management is a distinct discipline founded on ecological principles that involve the use of rangelands and range resources for the purposes stated above, and other associated uses. Rangelands are conserved using sustainable management tools including managed livestock grazing or prescribed fire. Once areas are tilled, seeded or irrigated, they are typically agricultural lands. High value rangelands are often converted to agriculture. Grazing can have both positive and negative effects on plant growth. When (timing) and for how long (duration) animals are allowed to graze a particular rangeland site is a key factor in both the condition of the range and animal performance. Forage production and the growth cycle pattern of grazed plants determine when livestock should graze a certain area. Other factors that influence vegetation production include light, precipitation, temperature, and soil nutrient content. On some rangeland eco-systems, fire can be an important regulator of range vegetation (natural or anthropogenic). Fires tend to reduce the abundance of woody plants (unpalatable) and promote herbaceous plants (palatable species) including grasses, forbs, and grass-like plants. What are common myths about rangeland management? In order to effectively engage stakeholders toward the shared objective of effective management and restoration of rangelands, it is important to surface and debunk common myths that compromise stakeholder commitment and unified action. Myth 1: 95% of the US (and most of the world) thinks that as grass grows, and you simply turn livestock out and let them graze it. If it isn t all grazed it is wasted. In this seminar you will learn why it is so important to strategically manage grazing use so that plants can prosper and produce better forage. Myth 2: The only way to restore rangelands is to remove livestock. In this seminar you will learn how rangelands can be improved while continuing to graze them. It is all in the management. Myth 3: The only way to manage grazing on rangelands is to adjust livestock numbers up or down. 2

3 In this seminar you will learn how simply reducing numbers of livestock and continuing season long grazing will NOT improve or restore rangelands. Rangeland management is a science and an art. It is a complex science but basic concepts can be simplified so land managers, land users and policy makers can understand how the system works and how to maximize benefit. Myth 4: You need a lot of rangeland area to successfully implement the concepts of rotation or time-controlled grazing. The concepts of rangeland ecology and management you will learn in this seminar can be used at almost any scale. Someone with a four hectare horse pasture will find that the concepts will work for them as well as landscape management of entire watersheds. III Practices in Rangeland Management Developing a plan for using rangelands requires information about the current condition and capacity of the land, intended use, and land owner objectives. The first priority is typically managing vegetation in a more sustainable manner. This should take into account grazing periods, rest, animal impact, and level of use that will bring about desired changes in the plant community. Second, it is necessary to implement the desired planned grazing system. These practices influence the movement of livestock and may include fencing, salting, stock trails, and herding. Other considerations in developing management plans include riparian areas, adjacent land use, recreation and cultural uses. How do you conduct integrated planning for rangeland management? Rangeland management occurs within the context of dynamic social and political pressures as well as complex institutional settings within a nation s governance system. Effective management requires a rational and thorough approach to incorporating multiple interests and priorities. This seminar will examine the science behind successful rangeland restoration and management and discuss the cultural, social and political challenges of implementing restoration strategies. The balance between degraded rangeland restoration and maintaining sustainable livelihoods of people and communities using the land is a key theme of this seminar and a common global challenge. Why is prescribed fire often associated with managing rangelands? Many rangelands are part of fire dependent ecosystems and require periodic burning to maintain their native plant communities. Fire is an important regulator of range vegetation, whether set by humans or resulting from natural igniters (lightning). Fires tend to reduce the abundance of woody plants and promote herbaceous plants including grasses, forbs, and grasslike plants. The suppression of periodic wildfires from desert shrublands, savannas, or 3

4 woodlands frequently causes a dominant tree and shrub community at the expense of grazing plants like grasses and forbs. This seminar will discuss the use of prescribed fire on rangelands and how it can be used as a tool to maintain native vegetation and protect watersheds. What are strategies to involve multiple stakeholders in resource management? In areas with multiple ownership or potential for conflict between land users, Coordinated Resource Management (CRM) may be deployed. CRM is a cooperative method to resolve renewable resource management problems. It is a tool for coordinating resource planning, management and educational activities with local agencies, private landowners and others. It is a team approach at the local level that promotes active participation and input from all stakeholders concerned with developing and implementing sound resource management and conservation programs. Coordinated resource management engenders improved communication, increased understanding of different points of view, an atmosphere of mutual respect, and resolution of resource conflicts. How do land managers and land users monitor rangelands? Once a management plan is developed and implemented for a rangeland site, the area needs to be monitored to see if desired changes are occurring. Monitoring may be short-term and include grazing use levels on specific plant species to help make immediate management decisions such as moving livestock. Long-term monitoring will include measuring changes in numbers, species and vigor of the plan community as well as impacts on habitat, water, soil and animals to determine if the desired changes in the plant community are occurring. IV Challenges in Rangeland Management today and tomorrow Both ranchers (livestock owners) and land managers alike benefit from minimizing duplicating efforts, bureaucracy and cross-agency bottlenecks. Some of the key issues and challenges to address include: Different socio-political contexts in different countries that influence rangeland management policies and practices. Managing multiple uses and values on rangelands to provide the outputs individuals and communities need to prosper, while maintaining sustainability for future generations. Working within our various cultural systems to figure out how to facilitate people working together to manage rangelands for sustainable use. Building and managing partnerships government, non-government, private, tribal, and other communities. 4

5 V Selected lessons from the Western United States As range science developed in the United States, agency specialists like US Forest Service range professionals who were educated through the universities tried to work with livestock producers grazing on USFS land to implement rotational grazing strategies. Most ranchers reacted negatively to this because these strategies increased their costs, (e.g., erecting cattle fences) and cost them time and labor (e.g., more of their time for moving livestock). Also, the new strategy required a mindset adjustment, and many ranchers were tied to tradition-- my grandpa did it this way and my dad did it this way, so why should I change? Resistance to change is a natural response. People don t like to be told what to do, and they will go out of their way to cause something to fail if it is forced on them. It was an uphill battle to convince people to make the changes that range professionals knew was the right way to go. The concept of Range Management School (RMS) came about when a group of range professionals decided to develop a curriculum that would help educate livestock producers on the basics of rangeland ecology, how plants react to grazing, and how plants need time to recover after being grazed. The results of this training were incredibly successful. When livestock producers learned about the ecology and science of plant growth, they began to understand that changing their management practices was not only good for the land, but it was good for them as well it made them wealthier and their herds were healthier. The range school concept has been adapted to many Western states in the US. Training materials have been shared between range professionals and it has grown to be a well-known program. The original curriculum for Range Management School (RMS) was developed by Colorado State University in partnership with federal land management agencies (LeValley et al 2000). Beginning in July 2004, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension (UNCE) directed a diverse working group that met monthly for five months to organize and bring RMS training to Nevada. In October 2004, the Colorado RMS team, comprised of four instructors from Colorado State University Extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service, taught a diverse group of 27 Nevada range managers, scientists and ranchers at a train the trainers session. Led by UNCE, the Nevada working group continued to modify the curriculum to fit Nevada s resources and needs. RMS uses sound science, collaboration and common sense within a unified message by a team of interdisciplinary instructors. The RMS curriculum, focusing on sustainability, is designed to put ranchers and agency range conservationists on the same page, ensuring not only better forage available for livestock, but healthy, productive rangelands for wildlife, recreation and other uses. It is also a platform to convene stakeholders that 5

6 own, manage and use an area of land and encourages dialogue. This concept of Range Management School is now being practiced in the Mid Atlas Mountains of Morocco. There it is called Range Management Training and Application Training (RMTA) because the concept of a school led many to believe that a physical school building was being proposed. USFS International Programs facilitated a train-thetrainers session using the Nevada Range School cadre and then helped facilitate that new cadre of Moroccan trainers conducting the training to community livestock producers. Those producers are now implementing a new grazing management plan that implements the concepts they learned in RMTA. VI Other Key Concepts Fostering stakeholder and community level engagement In this seminar, we will explore ways to engage communities and other public land users in sustainable management of natural resources. We will critically examine how this process is implemented in US land management agencies. We will briefly discuss national legislation that dictates how this process takes place. We will also explore methods for engaging resident populations in rangeland management to address applying local knowledge, analyzing stakeholder interest, and assessing local land use practices on resource sustainability. Participants are encouraged to explore the feasibility of adapting and implementing these engagement processes in their countries. Every country context is different and there is no oneway to manage community/public involvement. Land jurisdiction, community needs, ecosystems, national and local policies and history all influence rangeland management. Connecting rangelands and watershed management Rangelands comprise significant land areas of many countries. The proper management of rangelands has a very important role in the health of the watersheds they are a part of. Interconnected upland and riparian areas that function together as an ecological unit provide important wildlife habitat while sustaining other additional important community needs. Watershed condition is assessed when you understand the soil condition and productivity, riparian area extent and condition, wetland extent and condition, seeps and springs extent and condition, perennial stream extent and water quality. All of these variables are woven into proper rangeland management. This seminar will explore how proper rangeland management affects watersheds. 6

7 References: Managing Saskatchewan Rangeland (Revised Edition). Janice Bruynooghe, Ross Macdonald. (March, 2008). Targeted Grazing: A Natural Approach to Vegetation Management and Landscape Management. ASI, A. Peischel, and DD. Henry Jr. (2006). 7