Evans et al. hypothesized that cattle diet selection would shift from herbaceous species to willows (Salix spp.) as the growing season progressed. They designed their study using 14 paddocks of approximately 0.25 ha in size. Of these 14 paddocks, six were sampled for forage availability and diet composition in 1994, three in the late summer grazing period and three in the fall, the additional 12 were sampled throughout the 1995 growing season by sampling three during each of the grazing periods. The study indicated that cattle diet stayed mostly constant throughout the growing season; willow was avoided, and Carex spp. made up the majority of the cattle diets. Although grazing activity has the potential to negatively impact riparian willows, these results suggested that timing of use and carefully controlled levels of herbaceous utilization could be used to minimize the consumption of willows by cattle in a montane riparian community.
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