Magilligan and McDowell compared stream channels with active grazing and where grazing had been removed for more than 14 years. They compared channels inside exclosures and in adjacent grazed reaches to identify the salient stream channel properties that respond to the removal of riparian stresses and documented the magnitude of these changes. Removal of grazing resulted in bankfull widths being between 10 and 20 percent narrower, and 8 to 15 percent more of the channel being occupied by pools. Not all of the channel properties demonstrated adjustment, indicating that 14 years may not be sufficient time for all stream variables to adjust.
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.