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Show the year. Some areas adapted to spring and fall grazing only are stocked on a year-long basis. (4) Poor balance between kinds and classes of animals and types of range has resulted because allocation of ranges often has failed to take into account the class of livestock to which the range is best adapted. Cattle have been put on ranges more suitable for sheep. Both cattle and sheep have been grazed on the same range. This double use often culminates in serious overgrazing. Livestock and game are in competition on certain ranges. (5) Indiscriminate burning of ranges has taken a heavy toll; ranges have been extensively burned to take advantage of a hoped-for increase of forage immediately following the fire without regard to loss of soil fertility and soil. Some of these fires have spread over extensive areas and destroyed a large amount of forage, especially that depended upon for winter feed. These burns often are a source of accelerated erosion and floods. At pres- ent, available fire control facilities are inadequate to cope with the problem. Some purposeful burning of "blackbrush range" is made. In the past 10 years, something in excess of 75,000 acres of this range has been burned, of which about 20,000 were burned under "controlled" conditions. Such burning does result in some for- age increase because the unpalatable blackbrush is temporarily removed and some palatable annuals invade the area. Gontcolled fires sometimes escape. The full effects of these fires on runoff and erosion are not known. (6) Although great impetus has been given to building of watering places, in some range areas inadequate water supplies and other range improve- ments definitely limit efficient livestock production. Improperly distributed watering places cause ani- mals to graze too heavily on some parts and prevent full use of those range areas where water is not read- ily available. (7) In view of the erratic climate and the recur- ring droughts, one of the first rules of good range management is the maintenance of a plentiful feed reserve. Such reserves are valuable not only from the standpoint of financial security for livestock operators during drought periods but also as a means of protecting the basic land and grass re- sources from the extensive and sometimes irrepa- rable damages that have resulted from overgrazing during drought. Failure to utilize plant growth by grazing is not a sign that vegetal cover is being wasted. A certain amount of forage reserve is needed to maintain plant vigor, to check runoff, and to hold the soil. Range experience shows that there are times when the unused forage may be needed as a reserve. Far too little has been done by some graziers in the basin to adopt practices that provide a margin of safety both for the operator and for the land. The densities and vigor of grasses generally are reduced by drought. With the return of favorable condi- tions, vegetation may appear to have fully recov- ered. This often leads to prompt restocking with- out giving plants time to regain density and vigor. (8) As a result of Federal homesteading policy and land transfers, the range presents an exceed- ingly complex and confused ownership pattern. Many tracts are owned by absentee individuals and corporations; many small holdings are interspersed among grazing areas; Federal holdings, while large in area, frequently are intermingled with other lands. A large part of the Federal range is in such small tracts and so badly scattered that effective management can be exercised only when such lands are consolidated with adjacent units. (See figure 4.) This irregular checkerboard of land ownerships, which has little or no reference to needs or planned land use, is tied in a maze of different types of titles and ownerships. Some individuals have acquired the land willingly; others have had ownership forced on them by defaulting debtors. Counties, States, and credit institutions have acquired range land through tax and mortgage foreclosure. (9) The large number of owners, with their wide variance of management policies, and the discrep- ancy between numerous small tracts as opposed to the need for comparatively large operating units, present a complicated problem in stable land ten- ure. If the range operator is to benefit from im- proved management and improved credit, he must have an adequate, properly balanced unit under his control long enough to reap the reward of his efforts. The individual has attempted to meet his problem by owning only his headquarters ranch, leasing pri- vate range, and using the public lands. Unstable ownership therefore results in many operators being unable to manage their range lands adequately. The tendency now is toward a term permit system of up to 10 years for Federal range. This tenure system provides operators with a better opportunity for using range lands properly and for installing facilities. State and other local public lands however are generally leased on a short-term basis, with correspondingly less opportunity for proper use. 425 |
