Hughes examined four allotments that had been grazed consistently for 20 years in Arizona, under a rest-rotation grazing regime. The study data demonstrates that utilization levels play a role in the trend of key species. Utilization levels alone are not the cause of trend direction; weather and ecological succession play a major role. But lower utilization levels do allow for key forage species to increase when the weather ecological conditions so permit. Improvement comes with below 50% utilization levels. Land treatments are better maintained under rest-rotation grazing than season-long use, but brush and tree invasion occurs regardless of management. Rest-rotation grazing can bring improvement to arid and semi-arid ranges when there is potential for improvement or where land treatment sets back succession to allow for improvement. The results show rest-rotation grazing must operate with below 50% utilization levels in grazed pastures in arid and semi-arid environments. Heavy utilization levels during use periods will negate the effects of a year to one and a half years rest from grazing and cause static or a downward trend.
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