Riparian Management - The Basics

Transcription

1 Riparian Management - The Basics a. What are riparian areas? b. Why are riparian areas important to in-stream ecosystems? c. Why are riparian areas important to wildlife? d. Why are riparian areas important to livestock? e. What are the characteristics of a healthy or recovered riparian area? f. What are the characteristics of an unhealthy or degraded riparian area? g. Riparian areas are resilient. What does that mean? 2. Riparian management is largely Vegetation Management

2 3. Need enough vegetation during high flows to: 4. Vegetation to protect systems during vulnerable stages: Managing Animal Distribution 1. Why do livestock use and prefer riparian sites to uplands? 2. Attracting livestock to upland: f. g. 3. Restricting livestock from riparian areas f. g.

3 4. Controlling livestock access: a. Hard stream crossing b. Fenced access gaps c. Stream diversions d. Pumped water slightly off stream 5. Grazing management options include: 6. Kind and class of livestock: a. Cow-calf - b. Yearling cattle - c. Horses - d. Sheep - unherded - herded e. Others? Stocking Rate Considerations 1. Stocking Rate a. Even when pastures are understocked riparian areas can overgazed b. Understocked and Overgrazed c. Stocking rate can be unimportant in managing riparian areas Selecting Proper Season of Use 1. Dormant Season (Winter)- usually season of little livestock damage to riparian areas

4 2. Early Season (Spring)- Usually good livestock distribution between uplands and riparian 3. Hot-Season (Summer) - Riparian areas most susceptible to damage 4. Late Season (Fall) - Period of intermediate susceptibility to damage Grazing System Options 1. Timing Duration and Frequency of Grazing. Grazing systems that generally promote riparian health usually have this in common: (look at fig. 8 in reading) a. Maximize - b. Maximize - c. Minimize - d. Minimize - e. Minimize -

5 2. Grazing Systems to benefit riparian area - No single system is always best a. Continuous - Usually most damaging to riparian areas b. Late Season Deferment - Design system so that pastures containing significant riparian areas are not grazed (deferred) during summer/fall months. c. Deferred Rotation - Rotate summer deferment between pastures in different years. d. Rest Rotation - Rotate a year of complete rest between pastures in different years. e. Riparian Pasture Management Concept: i. Create small riparian pastures if riparian objectives cannot be met with other grazing management techniques. ii. Create pastures containing primarily riparian or upland vegetation. iii. Manage riparian pastures with riparian objectives iv. Riparian pastures balance forage between upland and riparian areas, e.g. provide enough forage in uplands of the pasture so that livestock will not be forced to the riparian areas to find sufficient forage. v. Fencing costs may be great but usually less than ribbon fencing of riparian areas. f. Management Intensive Grazing: i. Large herds of animals created by herding of fencing ii. Grazing one area of land for just a day or two iii. Don t graze twice in one year iv. Provides sufficient rest v. Implement herd effect

6 1 3. Cardinal Rules for Management of Grazing in Riparian Areas (Kinch 1989 ) a. The grazing management designed for an area must be tailored to the conditioned, problems, potential, objectives, public concerns and livestock management considerations on a site specific basis. b. Grazing must be managed to leave sufficient vegetation stubble on the banks and overflow zones to permit the natural functions of the stream to operate successfully. c. Alternatives to passive continuous grazing must be identified and implemented d. Grazing prescription should take advantage of seasonal livestock preference for uplands. e. Rest from livestock grazing should be employed whenever possible and appropriate. f. Those involved in the management of the area including the livestock user and the involved public should understand and agree on the problems and objectives to be addressed, as well as understand the changes which can occur, and how they can benefit from prober management and improvement in riparian conditions. g. The livestock user should be involved in designing the grazing system and monitoring results on public land allotments. h. All parties involved should share the commitment to achieve the management objectives. i. Grazing management must be flexible enough to accommodate changes based on need. j. Once management is in progress, frequent use supervision is essential by the parties involved. k. Mistakes should be documented and not repeated. l. Management successes should be used to promote good riparian area management elsewhere. 1 Kinch, G Riparian area management: grazing management in riparian areas. Tech. Ref US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Denver, CO. 44 pp.