The food habits and distribution of a cow-calf herd on a northern Idaho summer range was studied for 2 years. The forest-pasture range consisted of comparable areas of seeded grassland (pasture), tall brush, and forest communities. The entire area was classified as Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)/ninebark (Physocarpus malvaceus) habitat-type; however, ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) dominated the forested communities. By early July, up to one-half of the cattle diet came from forest species, primarily browse. Ninebark comprised the major browse diet component. Browse species were selected more frequently in 1978, a wet year, than in the drought year of 1977, primarily because the livestock spent more time in the pasture during 1977. This occurred even though pasture production was much greater in 1978. Range managers in the northern Rockies should consider the forage value of tall shrubs when planning grazing programs. This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020
Scholarly peer-reviewed articles published by the Society for Range Management. Access articles on a rolling-window basis from vol. 1, 1948 up to 5 years from the current year. Formerly Journal of Range Management (JRM). More recent content is available by subscription from SRM.