Grazing is more than just defoliation of plants. The impact of herbivory affects ecosystem structure and function, both above and below ground. Ultimately, effects of herbivory are expressed to varying degrees at many levels of the ecosystem. Herbivory has been shown to affect plant physiology, morphology, and genetics. Plants have evolved many ways to avoid or tolerate herbivory. Whether plant overcompensate, equally compensate, or undercompensate to herbivory depends on pre- and post-harvest conditions of the plants and their environment. To be important to the manager, the magnitude of compensation must be greater than the inherent @'noise@' in the system. Natural resources managers use scientific information about herbivory to reduce ambiguity in decision-making in an environment of uncertainty. If an ecological response like compensation is to have practical application for the manager, the meaningful effects must occur on time and spatial scales that the manager can respond to with available resources.

Ecological Applications, volume 3, issue 1, pages 21-23

compensatory

(Abstract not available.)

hay production – irrigated 100 acres - williams la

History of range administration and research.

Rangelands, volume 2, issue 2, pages 56-59

(Abstract not available.)

Journal of Range Management, volume 33, issue 4, pages 286-291

Description and management of the meadow and western salsify weeds in British Columbia.

Rangelands, volume 15, issue 4, pages 148-150

salsify, tragopgon dubius, tragopogon pratensis

(Abstract not available.)

Farmwest.com

Wetlands are ecologically and economically important ecosystems with high conservation value. Although wetland vegetation is strongly determined by abiotic factors, grazing disturbance may also be an important influence on this community. We evaluated the effects of livestock grazing on wetland vegetation in marsh and wet meadow zones in intermountain depressional wetlands in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. We sampled marshes and wet meadows in 36 wetlands along a grazing intensity gradient ranging from fully fenced and ungrazed wetlands to unfenced wetlands heavily grazed by livestock. The amount of bare ground was used as a surrogate measure of the intensity of livestock grazing. Vegetation community structure and composition was strongly associated with grazing intensity. Increased livestock grazing favored shorter-lived and smaller plants; conversely, the frequency of tall and rhizomatous species, which constitute the dominant plant species in these systems, declined with higher livestock use. The effects of grazing were more pronounced in the marsh than in the wet meadow. Associations between species richness and grazing differed between zones: native and exotic species richness showed a unimodal response in the marsh while in the wet meadow exotic richness increased and native richness showed no response. The relationship between exotic frequency and grazing was also inconsistent between zones, with a negative association in the marsh and a positive but weak association in the wet meadow. Grazing-related changes in vegetation along the grazing intensity gradient were substantial and may affect the habitat value of these wetlands for dependent wildlife such as breeding waterfowl.

Biological Conservation, volume 144, issue 1, pages 511-517

depressional wetlands, disturbance gradient, functional groups, livestock grazing, marsh, wet meadow

Review of research and experiences in the use of fire as a rangeland management tool in British Columbia.

Journal of Range Management, volume 36, issue 1, pages 3-8

(Abstract not available.)

farmcentre.com, pages 1-2

Range planning under the Range Act and FRPA.

There is a dearth of knowledge on the selection and utilization of Columbia milkvetch (Astragalus miser Dougl. ex Hook. var. serotinus) by grazing livestock on rangelands in British Columbia, Four grazing trials were conducted with cattle on Columbia milkvetch range in southern interior British Columbia, In the first 2 trials during 1990 and 1991 cattle grazed an upper grassland site in late spring, In 1992 and 1993, the animals grazed a lodgepole pine forest site during early summer, The density of Columbia milkvetch and its basal area were similar at both locations, The Columbia milkvetch was not a preferred species on the grassland site as indicated by the bite count technique that determined its percentage in the diet, Consumption of Columbia milkvetch increased gradually as other forage species were preferentially selected and depleted, On the grasslands, consumption of Columbia milkvetch by individual animals did not show an addictive pattern, At the forest site, utilization of Columbia milkvetch was determined on a weekly basis during 1992 and on a biweekly basis during 1993 by paired plots, In contrast to the grassland site, Columbia milkvetch was a preferred species at the forest site where it was utilized to a greater extent than grasses or other forbs, Approximately 80% of the Columbia milkvetch was utilized during 1992 and 60% during 1993, which was significantly greater than the utilization of grasses or other forbs, Forage nutrient analysis at the forest site indicated Columbia milkvetch had higher crude protein and lower ADF content than other forages but it caused livestock poisoning in 1993.

Journal of Range Management, volume 49, issue 3, pages 223-227

acid, astragalus, astragalus miser var serotinus, diet selection, miser var serotinus, poisonous plants, timber milkvetch

(Abstract not available.)

Rangelands, volume 2, issue 3, pages 118-120

Study to gather information about the establishment and growth of broadleaf trees, and to compare their performance with that of common conifer species in the eastern half of the former Cariboo Forest Region, established in 1993.