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 Wildlife Rangelands 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)

Rangelands

Rangeland Wildlife Rangelands 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)

Rangeland Wildlife (Kenneth M. Gale, US Forest 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 Condition ExcellentGoodFairPoor Percent Composition Grazing Intensity Decreasers Invaders Increasers Climax

Rangeland Wildlife Management 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 Wildlife Management 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 TX FL AUs in TX

Rangeland Wildlife Management Grass (forage)* –Forbs and shrubs –Quality, quantity, & timing Warm-season v. cool-season –Removals* plantings

Rangeland Wildlife Management Overgrazing & overbrowsing –Vegetation –Soils –Aquatic & riparian systems (Scott Bauer, USDA ARS)

Rangeland Wildlife Management Water availability –Impacts on wildlife distribution –Desertification Grazing Climate change (U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)

Rangeland Wildlife Management Exotic plants & animals –Burros & feral hogs –Leopold: Cheat takes over –Improved/tame grass Bahia Bermuda Bureau of Land Management/photo by Bob Hall

Rangeland Wildlife Management Fire suppression, frequency, & timing –“Smokey the Bear” & habitat –Florida Pinelands Flatwoods Other (Dale Wade, USDA Forest Service)

Rangeland Wildlife Management 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 Wildlife Management Techniques Mechanical Herbicide Seeding Fertilize Fire Grazing –Pros & cons of each method

Rangeland Wildlife Management 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 Wildlife Management Techniques Herbicides –Control or remove unwanted vegetation –Top-kill sprouters to stimulate palatable growth –Impacts on wildlife USDA Photo by: Ken Hammond

Rangeland Wildlife Management Techniques Seeding –Revegetation Drilling Broadcasting Seedbed preparation –Impacts on wildlife USDA Photo

Rangeland Wildlife Management 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 Wildlife Management 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 Wildlife Management 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 Wildlife Management Techniques Grazing, overgrazing, & overuse Controlled grazing –Environmental protective grazing –Strategic grazing Leopold’s tool

Rangeland Wildlife Management Techniques Grazing systems –Continuous –Rotational Deferred-rotation v. short-duration –Area grazed –Duration of grazing

Rangeland Wildlife Management Techniques Grazing & fire: impacts on wildlife –Disturbance –Food –Cover –Water –Space Grazing & fire: impacts on ecosystems –Grasslands: –Tundra: –Shrublands: –Woodlands: Moderate – High Resiliency Low Resiliency Low – Moderate Resiliency Moderate – High Resiliency

Rangeland Wildlife Management 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”