Heavy grazing was initiated on wet, disturbed sites in southcentral Alaska to try and reduce competition from herbaceous species, namely Canadian bluejoint (Calamagrostis canadensis), and increase regeneration of paper birch (Betula papyrifera) and white spruce (Picea glauca). Grazing decreased total herbaceous production and litter cover by 40%, although it increased bluejoint production by 200-300 kg/ha, presumably because of reduced competition and earlier greenup. However, paper birch and white spruce regeneration was not improved, and although these species increased in grazed sites, compared with their decrease in ungrazed sites, numbers remained considerably lower than the minimal reforestation requirement. Since a) grazing did not have a detrimental affect on runoff water quality, b) livestock did not switch diets to utilize leaves or twigs of willow, spruce, or birch, and c) seedling loss to trampling was not observed, heavy grazing may still be considered as an alternative site preparation technique.
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