In this long term study, vegetation utilization was measured during an 8-year period from 1975 through 1982 at locations in Idaho, Nevada, and Utah. Vegetation use was measured at streamside and upland locations in pastures grazed by cattle under continuous, rest-rotation, and deferred rotation grazing. Cattle preference for streamside areas and their associated vegetation led to consistently greater use of vegetation on these sites. In most cases, the estimates of overall pasture use were within the upper end of the moderate range or the lower end of the heavy range, whereas streamside vegetation was more frequently used in the heavy use range. Use of streamside vegetation was almost always (92% of measurements) greater than use of upland vegetation because cattle preferred the riparian forage and the availability of water. Use of streamside vegetation was not reduced by rotational grazing strategies. Other methods to manage the distribution of animals and maintain healthy stream corridors should be investigated.
Citations and enhanced abstracts for journals articles and documents focused on rangeland ecology and management. RSIS is a collaboration between Montana State University, University of Idaho, and University of Wyoming.