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Range Management Chapter 1

This document provides an overview of key concepts in range management. It defines common terminology like rangeland, grazing, forage, and multiple use. It also outlines important information sources for range management like textbooks and the Society for Range Management. Finally, it discusses the importance of rangelands, noting that rangelands make up 70% of the world's land area and are critical for providing food and ecosystem services.

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218 views34 pages

Range Management Chapter 1

This document provides an overview of key concepts in range management. It defines common terminology like rangeland, grazing, forage, and multiple use. It also outlines important information sources for range management like textbooks and the Society for Range Management. Finally, it discusses the importance of rangelands, noting that rangelands make up 70% of the world's land area and are critical for providing food and ecosystem services.

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Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Range Management Chapter 1

1. Range Management Terminology


2. Basic Range Management Concepts
3. Range Management Information
Sources
4. Importance of Rangeland
4. Importance of Rangeland

a. Human Population Growth


b. Land Area of Rangelands
c. Primary Rangeland Products

5. Range Management Challenges


Range Management Terminology
Range Management- Manipulation of rangeland
components to obtain optimum combination of
goods and services for society on a sustained
basis.
Rangeland (Range)- Uncultivated land that will
provide the necessities of life for grazing and
browsing animals.
Multiple Use- Harmonious use of the range for
more than one purpose; livestock, wildlife, water,
recreation, etc.
Grazing and rangelands
Range Management Terminology cont.

Common Use- Intentional grazing of the


range by more than one type of animal to
obtain economic and /or social benefit.
Ecology- Study of the relationship
between organism or group of organisms
and their environment.
Economics- Study of how to allocate
scarce resources among competing uses.
Range Management Terminology cont.

Ruminant- Have enlarged compartment (rumen)


that permits microbial degradation of food before
it passes to the stomach (abomasum) [cow,
deer, sheep, goat, elk, moose, etc.]
Forage- All plant material on a given area
potentially edible by livestock and wildlife.
Grasses - Plants that have hollow; jointed
stems; fine narrow leaves; and fibrous roots.
Range Management Terminology cont.

Forbs- Nongrass-like
plants that have tap root,
broad leaves, and solid
non-jointed stems.
Shrubs -Woody plants that
have long, coarse roots;
branch near ground level;
and generally have broad
leaves.
Trees - Woody plants that
have a trunk that
branches well above
ground.
Basic Range Management Concepts

1. Grazing land is a renewable resource.


2. Energy from the sun can be captured by
green plants which can only be harvested
by the grazing animal.
3. Grazing land supply us with food and fiber
at a very low additional energy cost.
Basic Range Management Concepts

4. The amount and kind of forage available


is determined by the type of soil and the
climatic conditions. A given set of soil and
climatic conditions define a “range site”
5. Grazing lands supply us with multiple
products: food, fiber, fishing, hunting,
sightseeing, minerals, timber, and water.
Range Management Information Sources

1. Society for Range Management


Formed in 1948
Publications
Rangeland Ecology & Management
Rangelands
Books
Newsletters
Brochures
Society for Range Management

C. Address
Society for Range Management
445 Union BLVD
Lakewood, CO 80228
Website- Society for Range Management
(SRM): www.rangelands.org
Range Management Information Sources

2. Textbooks
a. 2005- Range Management: Principles and
Practices. Holechek, Herbel, and Pieper
b. 1994- Range Ecology and Management.
Heady and Child
c. 1991- Grazing Management: An Ecological
Perspective. Heitschmidt and Stuth
d. 1992- Grazing Management. Vallentine.
Other information sources

a. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation


b. Journal of Wildlife Management
c. Journal of Animal Science
Key Range Management Components

1. Protection and enhancement of soil and


vegetation complex.
2. Maintaining or improving output of
consumable range products, such as red
meat, wildlife, water, wood, fiber, recreation,
etc.
• Distinguishing feature of range management
is that it deals with manipulating the grazing
activities of large herbivores so both plant
and animal production will be improved or
maintained.
Four Basic Principles in Range
Management

1. Proper stocking rate.


2. Proper distribution of grazing animals.
3. Proper kinds of grazing animals.
4. Proper grazing system.
*Proper stocking rate or correct animal
numbers is considered the most important
part of range management.
Major risks associated with rangeland
livestock production in the United States

Risk category Example

Climatic risk Drought, severe winter

Biological risk Uncertainty in outcomes


of range management
practices; disease
infects livestock;
predation; grasshopper
infestation
Major risks associated with rangeland
livestock production in the United States cont.

Risk category Example

Financial risk Rising interest rates,


falling cattle prices,
rising livestock
production costs, falling
land value
Major risks associated with rangeland
livestock production in the United States cont.

Risk category Example

Political risk Rising taxes, increased


regulation, increased
grazing fees on public
lands, discontinuation of
subsidies, increased
protection for
endangered species,
land use restrictions.
Major risks associated with rangeland
livestock production in the United States cont.

Risk Category Example

Other Fire, theft, vandalism


Ecosystem Services
▪ Basic processes such as maintenance of
air and water quality essential to human
life performed by natural or near natural
landscapes (ecosystems).
▪ These processes have generally been
taken for granted by humans but their
importance is increasingly being
recognized as the world human population
increases and the world’s natural
landscapes diminish.
Ecosystem Services (examples)

a. Maintenance of air
quality
b. Maintenance of water
quality
c. Decomposition of
waste and organic
matter
d. Nutrient cycling
e. Pollination of plants
Ecosystem Services (examples)

f. Renewal of soil fertility


g. Provision of genetic resources
h. Natural control of pathogens and
diseases
i. Regulation of freshwater supplies.
Ecosystems services and products

1. Clean air
2. Clean water
3. Biodiversity
a. Medicine
b. Agriculture
c. Environmental barometer
d. Pest control
e. Right to live
Ecosystems services and products

4. Esthetics
5. Food
6. Ozone
7. Climatic stability
8. Environmental purification
9. Plant products (non-food)
10. Animal products (non-food)
Importance of Rangeland
Land Area of Rangeland

1. Composition of World Land Area


30% Deserts, Glaciers, Mountain Peaks
11% Farmland
24% Permanent Pasture (grassland)
31% Forest and Woodland
3-4% Urbanize (cities, airports, highways)
**70% of World Land Area is Rangeland.
***Rangeland is the primary land type in the
world.
Two Biggest Challenges of the 21st
Century

1. Stabilization of human population.


2. Stabilization of Climate.
Primary Rangeland Issues in New
Mexico

1. Drought
2. Invasive Plants
3. Grazing Management
4. Urbanization
5. Fire
6. Wildlife
7. Watershed Improvement
Primary Rangeland Issues in New
Mexico
8. Monitoring
9. Income Diversification
10. Multiple Use Conflicts
11. Insects/Disease
12. Riparian Improvement
13. Energy Development
14. Increased Regulations
15. Rangeland Restoration

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