Range Values in the
Dry Fir
April 21st, 2017
Clayton Bradley
Range Practices Specialist
Range Branch
Why is the Dry Fir important?
Provides spring and fall
grazing opportunities for
livestock and is important
habitat for wildlife
Range Values in the Dry Fir
• Livestock forage production and supply
– Production is dependent on tree cover, existing plant
community and moisture
– Supply is affected by limitations of use
Little forage, zero forage supply
Moderate
forage
production,
High forage
supply
High forage production, low forage supply
Range Values in the Dry Fir
• Resistance to Invasive Plants
– Tree cover makes this resistant to invasive plants
– We need the herb layer to supply resistance to invasive
plants
Range Values in the Dry Fir
• Resistance to Invasive Plants
– Knapweed and yarrow take over after a fire. The opening
in the background remained as bunchgrass
Range Values in the Dry Fir
• Adaptation to climate change
– Sites will be more diverse with more vigorous grass, forb
and shrub layers if managed for an open canopy and will
be more capable of adapting to a changing climate and
catastrophic events
– This site will go through
climate change with a
minor shift to grasses
Range Values in the Dry Fir
• Streams and riparian areas including wetlands & lakes
– Severe impacts if left unprotected
– Consider greater basal area retention and coarse woody
debris buffers
Tools to protect values:
• Debris structures – use riparian protection where there is
an increased probability of cattle usage
Tools to protect values:
• Off-stream watering
Tools to protect values:
• Forage seeding – trees, forage and livestock can grow
on the same hectare of land, plant trees through the duff
layer and not in bare mineral soil where forage will be
competing for moisture and nutrients
Tools to protect values:
• Obstacle planting – trampling damage is greatly reduced
when trees are planted 6 inches or less from an
immoveable obstacle
Discussion
&
Questions