NOTES ON THE GRAZING & FIRE MEETING OF SATURDAY AFTERNOON

NOTES ON THE GRAZING & FIRE MEETING OF SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

Andrew Williams convened and took notes. About 15 people participated.

Several problems with grazing for conservation purposes include the costs of fencing, trailer and other special equipment, the availability of water, the complication of rotation to prevent continuous grazing, the issue of who owns and who controls the cattle or other livestock, and the great difficulty of using livestock on small prairie remnants.

Scott of TNC Broken Kettle Preserve was very active in the discussion. TNC uses cattle (the only livestock they use, at this site. He says cattle can be very creatively applied, alone and in conjunction with other tools. He feels there is something intangible missing at big fire-managed sites like Cayler Prairie. This sentiment was echoed by another participant.

Pros of big mammal use:

1 disturbance of various kinds, like urine spots, big carcasses, trails, differential use of the site.

2 as opposed to fire grazing is much less homogenous in its affects and affords one greater control.

3 light and intermittent grazing increases niche availability for inverts, whereas fire reduces niche availability.

4 trampling in of seeds, especially after burning,

5 sowing of seeds immediately after a period of high stocking,

6 removal of thatch promotes seedling establishment

Cons of big mammal use:

1 selective grazing may cause loss of particular plants (cattle love Silphium and Helianthus)

2 fencing and equipment costs

3 cows tend to loaf in wetter areas and can trash these spots

4 supplemental feeding promotes loitering at one spot with great local disturbance, also the risk of weed seek introduction through supplemental feeding.

5 need to quarantine animals (for 1 week at Broken Kettle) before introducing "borrowed" cattle to the prairie

6 erosion can be very bad if lighter soils are involved

Several ways to mimic effects of grazing are brush pile burning or rototilling (box turtles benefit), mechanical disturbance of tanks (Kansas and Wisconsin examples). Mowing can provide disturbance, both with and without removal of the cut hay, this’ll also have varying affects on various taxa. Pocket gophers also create a lot of disturbance.

Examples of sheep and goats used in NH, CO, even IA (Northeast corner).

The tension between stocking rates and remaining fuel for burning can be worked out successfully, as at Broken Kettle. Write a contract with your rental graziers so if you see detriment to your site you can legally remove the cattle at any time. Short periods of high stocking rates can be worked out with local farmers, as at Broken Kettle.

There’s need for a "Traveling Grazier " business.

Deer and turkeys provide disturbance in the current landscape.

Cattle are often used, but other domestic livestock can also be used. Different species affect the flora and so the fauna differently. We debated the differences of bison and cattle. Scott and Pauline see these behaving differently, whereas the Konza group sees so little difference between the affects of cattle vs. bison that they advocate for the use of cattle in situations where bison cannot be employed.

Can’t economic and conservation grazing both work? Can’t we find a style that benefits all our goals? Can’t this message be gotten out in a non-confrontational way?

One asked, "Who is opposed to grazing as a management tool?"

Were bison and elk in Iowa? The debate rages. Archeological evidence of bison is scanty, but river bed bones tell a different story. Much time elapsed between when Europeans colonized the east coast and when they arrived here.

Various sites can be managed differently with grazing, as with other tools, and we should experiment and note and report what we see resulting from our experiments.

Greg observed that in MT, the emphasis is on grazing, but in IA it’s on flowers and plants – where is the middle ground?

Pauline noted that she learned at Konza that an area dominated by smooth brome before bison were introduced there grew so like in appearance the adjacent prairie that one couldn’t see a difference. Her experience at her own site is that bison can radically shift the dominance of plants in an area. Bison can be "agents of restoration."

In NE & KS, bison shift to areas after fire occurred there.

Cattle in Dakotas use green growth on the edges of individual grass clumps, wut with fire, much more forage becomes available to them, and more nutritious forage also. Cattle gain weight faster on C4 grass pasture than on C3, but surely a seasonal issue is involved here.

Grazing and mowing impact fuel loads and so increase patchiness of fire. Burning followed by grazing may be a very effective way to fight brush encroachment.

Article in BioScience (spring 1998?) by Konza group warrants your consideration.

Chad offered: Assess your objectives, then apply various tools at various times.

Pauline says: Avoid formula approach. Each site warrants your special consideration.

Land management is an art as well as a science. "Ready-fire-aim" strategy can be very educational!