After fire, the decision to rest or graze a pasture is a difficult one, particularly when managing for a variety of resource conditions and ecological sites. This research project aims to provide ecologically based understanding of the effects of various grazing management schemes on post-fire vegetation communities. Five exclosure plots were established in two different Disturbance Response Groups (DRGs) in Northern Nevada to examine effects of spring grazing, fall grazing, and rest (control) on vegetative response. Treatments were applied manually using weed eaters in May/June for spring treatments and September/October for fall treatments. In addition, natural grazing in one of the DRGs was studied as cows were allowed back in the allotment 8 months after fire. Measurements were taken on vegetation composition, basal gap, annual production, and density of shrub seedlings. Results will show plant community response to different lengths of rest and different seasons of use after fire. Project results will help land managers stratify post-fire management decisions across large landscapes based on pre-fire condition, measured plant community response, and quantified ecological thresholds. Preliminary results suggest natural grazing 8 months following fire significantly suppressed cheatgrass cover followed by growing season use. Additional results will be presented at the 68th annual SRM meeting.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.