Rangeland Wildlife

• What are rangelands & why are they so important to wildlife?

• What are the major wildlife problems in rangelands & how can we solve them?

• So what is an animal unit?

Rangeland Wildlife

• Fire, grazing, fencing, water, livestock, & wildlife: how do they interact?

• What are some rangeland management techniques?

• How does this help me as a wildlife biologist?

Rangeland WildlifeRangelands

• 47% of world; 33% of U.S.• Often unsuitable for cultivation• Dominated by grasses, forbs, and/or shrubs

– Climate• Rainfall/water• Temperature• Wind

– Disturbance• Fire• Grazing

– Use• Forage v. wood products

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

Rangelands

Rangelands

Rangelands

Rangeland WildlifeRangelands

• Grasslands– Prairies: short, mid, tall, palouse, coastal, etc.– Flatwoods and other “savanna”*– Everglades

• Tundra– Arctic– Alpine

• Shrublands– Cold deserts– Hot deserts

• Woodlands (interspersed)– Pinyon-juniper– Oak– Evergreen– California– Savanna*

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

Rangeland Wildlife

(Kenneth M. Gale, US Forest Service)

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

Rangeland Wildlife

• The field of Range Management/Science– Range condition (forage)

• How close to climax conditions (grasslands)

– Pastures & hayfields

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

Rangeland Wildlife

• The field of Range Management– Increasers, decreasers, & invaders

• Grass-dominated systems (grasslands)– Disturbance

» Can maintain climax (e.g., grazing and/or fire)» Needed to control invaders if high grazing intensity

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

Range ConditionExcellent Good Fair Poor

Per

cent

Com

posi

tion

0

25

75

50

100

Grazing Intensity

Decreasers Invaders

Increasers

Climax

Rangeland WildlifeManagement

• Animal Unit (AU): grazing pressure/forage required– Compare impacts & “K” among species & rangelands

• Cow + calf or 454 kg of cattle = 1 AU

• Sheep = 0.15 AU• Goat = 0.10 AU• Horse = 1.80 AU

• Bison = 1.80 AU• Elk = 0.53 AU• Bighorn sheep = 0.18 AU• Mule deer = 0.17 AU• Pronghorn = 0.10 AU• Caribou = 0.42 AU

– Browse & habitat components

Rangeland WildlifeManagement

• Animal Unit (AU)– Often expressed monthly (AUMs)

• Carrying capacity

– AUs v. range condition• USDA NRCS

– Wildlife– Improved pasture

– Varies by range type & condition• FL: 1 AU/2.5-3 ha• West TX: 1 AU/120 ha

FL AUs in FLTX AUs in TXFL AUs in TX

Rangeland WildlifeManagement

• Grass (forage)*– Forbs and shrubs– Quality, quantity, & timing

• Warm-season v. cool-season

– Removals*• plantings

Rangeland WildlifeManagement

• Overgrazing & overbrowsing– Vegetation– Soils– Aquatic & riparian systems

(Scott Bauer, USDA ARS)

Rangeland WildlifeManagement

• Water availability– Impacts on wildlife distribution

– Desertification• Grazing• Climate change

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

Rangeland WildlifeManagement

• Exotic plants & animals– Burros & feral hogs

– Leopold: Cheat takes over

– Improved/tame grass•Bahia•Bermuda

Bureau of Land Management/photo by Bob Hall

Rangeland WildlifeManagement

• Fire suppression, frequency, & timing– “Smokey the Bear” & habitat

– Florida• Pinelands• Flatwoods• Other

(Dale Wade, USDA Forest Service)

Rangeland WildlifeManagement

• Wildlife v. livestock– Competition– Disease– Forage v. habitat

• Food, cover, water, & space• Structure• Diversity• Edge & interspersion• Disturbance• Succession stage

– Economics• Trade-offs• Wildlife ranching

– Managing FL range for cows

or

Rangeland WildlifeManagement Techniques

• Mechanical

• Herbicide

• Seeding

• Fertilize

• Fire

• Grazing– Pros & cons of each method

Rangeland WildlifeManagement Techniques

• Mechanical methods– Control or remove vegetation– Disrupt compacted soils– Remove debris & litter– Seedbed preparation

• Disking• Blading & dozing• Shredding & brush hogging• Rollchopping & mowing• Plowing & rootplowing• Chaining, cabling, & railing• Harrowing & furrowing• Pitting & imprinting

– Wildlife impacts

Rangeland WildlifeManagement Techniques

• Herbicides– Control or remove unwanted vegetation– Top-kill sprouters to stimulate palatable growth

– Impacts on wildlife

USDA Photo by: Ken Hammond

Rangeland WildlifeManagement Techniques

• Seeding– Revegetation

• Drilling• Broadcasting

• Seedbed preparation

– Impacts on wildlifeUSDA Photo

Rangeland WildlifeManagement Techniques

• Fertilizing– Increase or extend palatability– Increase growth– Increase available nutrients– Alter plant distribution & composition

• Aerial v. ground• Pellets v. liquid

– Impacts on wildlife

Rangeland WildlifeManagement Techniques

• Fire (prescribed)– Change green-up, abundance, distribution,

composition, & palatability of plants– Change insect communities– Alter litter– Soils & nutrients

– Impacts on wildlife

(Dale Wade, USDA Forest Service)

Rangeland WildlifeManagement Techniques

• Grazing– Alter the timing, composition, productivity, &

palatability of plants– Considerations

• Vegetation type

• Stocking rate• Duration• Frequency• Rest• Timing• Kind of animal

(Keith Weller, USDA ARS)

Rangeland WildlifeManagement Techniques

• Grazing, overgrazing, & overuse

• Controlled grazing– Environmental protective grazing– Strategic grazing

• Leopold’s tool

Rangeland WildlifeManagement Techniques

• Grazing systems– Continuous– Rotational

• Deferred-rotation v. short-duration– Area grazed– Duration of grazing

Rangeland WildlifeManagement Techniques

• Grazing & fire: impacts on wildlife– Disturbance– Food– Cover– Water– Space

• Grazing & fire: impacts on ecosystems– Grasslands:– Tundra:– Shrublands:– Woodlands:

Moderate – High ResiliencyLow ResiliencyLow – Moderate ResiliencyModerate – High Resiliency

Rangeland WildlifeManagement Techniques

• Fencing– Grazing

• Free range

(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

Rangeland Wildlife

• Ownership of rangelands: private v. public

• Public rangelands– USDI Bureau of Land Management (BLM)– USDA Forest Service

• National Grasslands

– States & other

Rangeland Wildlife

• Public rangelands– Grazing fees

• AU’s

– Multiple use & issues • 1934 Taylor Grazing Act• 1960 Multiple Use Act• 1974 Forest & Rangeland Renewable Resources

Planning Act

Rangeland Wildlife

• Coexistence of livestock & wildlife– “No habitat management tool is more powerful

than the cow. Give her a little salt, supplement and water, and she manages millions of acres of bobwhite cover. Like any powerful tool, she can be harmful or helpful, depending on how she’s applied.”

• F. Guthery

Rangeland Wildlife

• Food, cover, water, & space

• Disturbance

• Leopold’s Tools– “game can be restored by the creative use of

the same tools which have heretofore destroyed it--axe, plow, cow, fire, and gun”