Range Management In The Central And Southern Rocky Mountains

Summarizes previously published reports on water-shed management in five vegetation zones, mentioning snow melt and run-off.

A simulation model was developed to estimate postfire changes in the production and value of grazing lands in the Northern Rocky Mountain-Intermountain region. Ecological information and management decisions were used to simulate expected changes in production and value after wildfire in six major rangeland types: permanent forested range (ponderosa pine), transitory range (Douglas-fir, larch, lodgepole pine, western white pine), mountain grassland, sagebrush, pinyon-juniper, and western hardwoods. Changes varied widely in quantity and duration among the range types. The largest decrease in net value was calculated for mountain grassland ($7/acre for a 2-year period). The largest increase in net value was calculated for a ponderosa pine sawtimber stand with 100 percent basal area removal ($36/acre for a l50~year period). The estimates calculated in this study should be useful in land and fire management planning in the Northern Rocky Mountain-Intermountain area.

Extensive regions of the world have a climate which, whilst permitting development of a continuous vegetative cover, is too dry for successful annual cropping. These are the semi-arid areas where land use is based on the natural vegetation. Easily degraded and difficult to maintain, they are under increasing pressure as expanding human populations move in and endeavour to force a living from them. As a result they contain some of the worst examples of resource degradation. This book examines the problems and opportunities involved in man's use of semi-arid areas. The authors are all actively involved in research and land management in the areas discussed. Each chapter begins with a detailed, up-to-date account of the ecology of the region (its climate, soils, vegetation, fauna and main ecological characteristics). This is followed by a history of land use, problems involved in its management, a review of current research and recommended land use practices. The common features of semi-arid ecosystems are brought together in a final section.