Range management

Basics of Range Management
by
Javed Iqbal
PhD Scholar

1. RANGE MANAGEMENT
FORESTER’S
By Javed Iqbal PhD Scholar
Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sc, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague

2. Headlines
FORESTER’S
By Javed Iqbal PhD Scholar
Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sc, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague

•Rangeland
•Definition of Range Management
•Terminology in Range Management
•Principles of Range Management
•Range Improvement Practices
•Range Vegetation Analysis

3. Rangeland
FORESTER’S
By Javed Iqbal PhD Scholar
Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sc, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague
•Rangelands are vast natural landscapes in the form of grasslands,
shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts. Types of rangelands
include tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, desert grasslands and
shrublands, woodlands, savannas, chaparrals, steppes, and tundras.
Rangelands do not include barren desert, farmland, closed canopy
forests, or land covered by solid rock, concrete and/or glaciers.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangeland)
•(n.) Land supporting indigenous vegetation that either is grazed or
that has the potential to be grazed, and is managed as a natural
ecosystem. Range includes grassland, grazable forestland, shrubland
and pastureland. Range is not a use. (adj.) Modifies resources, products,
activities, practices, and phenomena pertaining to rangeland. cf.
rangeland, forested range, grazable woodland, shrubland, pastureland.
(Society for Range Management. )

4. Definition of Range Management
FORESTER’S
By Javed Iqbal PhD Scholar
Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sc, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague
•Range management is the use of grazing land to ensure consistent
livestock production and, at the same time, conserve range
resources. (Glossary of Environment Statistics)

•A distinct discipline founded on ecological principles and dealing
with the use of rangelands and range resources for a variety of
purposes. These purposes include use as watersheds, wildlife
habitat, grazing by livestock, recreation, and aesthetics, as well as
other associated uses. (Society for Range Management.)

•Range Management is a distinct discipline founded on ecological
principles and dealing with the use of rangelands and range
resources for a variety of purposes. These purposes include use as
watersheds, wildlife habitat, grazing by livestock, recreation, and
aesthetics, as well as other associated uses. (University of Idaho)

5. Terminology in Range Management
FORESTER’S
By Javed Iqbal PhD Scholar
Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sc, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague
•A.U. Animal Unit
•A.U.M. Animal Unit per Month
•Abundance The total number of individuals of a species in an area,
population, or community.
•Age-Class (1) A descriptive term to indicate the relative age of plants. (2)
Refers to age and class of animal.
•Agro-silvo-pastoral Land use system in which woody perennials are grown with
agricultural crops, forage crops, and livestock production.
•Air-Dry Weight The weight of a substance after it has been allowed to dry to
equilibrium with the atmosphere.
•Animal Unit Conversion Factor A document which specifies the total authorized
grazing for one year. cf. term license or permit.
•Animal-Unit Considered to be one mature cow of about 1,000 pounds (450
kg), either dry or with calf up to 6 months of age, or their
equivalent, consuming about 26 pounds (12 kg) of
forage/day on an oven-dry basis. Abbr. AU. cf. animal-unit-
equivalent

6. Terminology in Range Management
FORESTER’S
By Javed Iqbal PhD Scholar
Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sc, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague
•Animal-Unit-Equivalent The amount of oven-dry forage (forage demand)
required by one animal unit for a standardized period of 30
animal-unit-days. Not synonymous with animal month. Abbr.
AUM. The term AUM is commonly used in three ways: (a) stocking
rate, as in "X acres per AUM"; (b) forage allocations, as in "X AUMs
in Allotment A"; (c) utilization, as in "X AUMs taken from Unit B."
•Annual Plant Range on which the principal forage plants are self-perpetuating
annual, herbaceous species.
•Arid A term applied to regions or climates where lack of sufficient
moisture severely limits growth and production of vegetation.
The limits of precipitation vary considerably according to
temperature conditions, with an upper annual limit for cool
regions of 10 inches or less and for tropical regions as much as 15
to 20 inches. cf. semiarid
•Basal Area The cross sectional area of the stem or stems of a plant or of all
plants in a stand. Herbaceous and small woody plants are
measured at or near the ground level; larger woody plants are
measured at breast or other designated height.

7. Terminology in Range Management
FORESTER’S
By Javed Iqbal PhD Scholar
Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sc, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague
•Biennial A plant that lives for two years, producing vegetative growth the first
year and usually blooming and fruiting in the second year and then
dying.
•Biomass The total amount of living plants and animals above and below ground in
an area at a given time.
•Browse (n.) The part of shrubs, woody vines and trees available for animal
consumption. (v.) To search for or consume browse.
•C-3 Plant A plant employing the pentose phosphate pathway of carbon dioxide
assimilation during photosynthesis; often a cool-season plant.
•C-4 Plant A plant employing the dicarboxylic acid pathway of carbon dioxide
assimilation during photosynthesis; often a warm season plant.
•Canopy (1) The vertical projection downward of the aerial portion of vegetation,
usually expressed as a percent of the ground so occupied. (2) The aerial
portion of the overstory vegetation. cf. canopy cover
•Canopy Cover The percentage of ground covered by a vertical projection of the
outermost perimeter of the natural spread of foliage of plants. Small
openings within the canopy are included. It may exceed 100%. Syn.
crown cover

8. Terminology in Range Management
FORESTER’S
By Javed Iqbal PhD Scholar
Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sc, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague
•Carrying Capacity The average number of livestock and/or wildlife that may be sustained
on a management unit compatible with management objectives for the unit. In
addition to site characteristics, it is a function of management goals and
management intensity. (SRM) The amount of forage produced annually in a
management unit is only one attribute used to determine carrying capacity. The
forage also has to be available to the animals. On many rangelands, the carrying
capacity may be less than forage production would indicate because parts of the
management unit are inaccessible to grazing animals. In essence, forage is present
but unavailable.
•Climax (1) The final or stable biotic community in a successional series; it is self-
perpetuating and in equilibrium with the physical habitat.
•Closed Area Any area closed to certain types of use for management purposes.
•Community A general term for an assemblage of plants and/or animals living together and
interacting among themselves in a specific location; no particular successional
status is implied.
•Conservation The use and management of natural resources according to principles that
assure their sustained economic and/or social benefits without impairment of
environmental quality.
•Consumers Heterotrophic organisms, chiefly animals, that ingest other organisms or
particulate organic matter.

9. Terminology in Range Management
FORESTER’S
By Javed Iqbal PhD Scholar
Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sc, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague
•Conversion Factor A factor by which stocking rates are partitioned according to the kind
or class of animal based on energy requirements. cf. animal-unit
•Corral A small enclosure for handling livestock.
•Cover (1) The plant or plant parts, living or dead, on the surface of the ground. Vegetative
cover or herbage cover is composed of living plants and litter cover of dead parts
of plants. Syn. foliar cover (2) The area of ground covered by plants of one or more
species. cf. basal area
•Critical Area An area which must be treated with special consideration because of
inherent site factors, size, location, condition, values, or significant potential
conflicts among uses.
•Decreaser For a given plant community, those species that decrease in amount as a result
of a specific abiotic/biotic influence or management practice.
•Deferred Grazing The deferment of grazing in a nonsystematic rotation with other land
units. cf. deferment
•Deferred-Rotation Any grazing system, which provides for a systematic rotation of the
deferment among pastures.
•Degree of Use The proportion of current year's forage production that is consumed and/or
destroyed by grazing animals. May refer either to a single species or the vegetation
as a whole. Syn. Use

10. Terminology in Range Management
FORESTER’S
By Javed Iqbal PhD Scholar
Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sc, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague
•Density Numbers of individuals or stems per unit area. Density does not equate to any
kind of cover measurement.
•Desertification The process by which an area or region becomes more arid through loss of
soil and vegetative cover. The process is often accelerated by excessive continuous
overstocking and drought.
•Diversity The distribution and abundance of different plants and animal communities
within an area.
•Dominant (1) Plant species or species groups, which by means of their number, coverage,
or size, have considerable influence or control upon the conditions of existence of
associated species. (2) Those individual animals which, by their aggressive
behavior or otherwise, determine the behavior of one or more animals resulting in
the establishment of a social hierarchy.
•Enclosure An area fenced to confine animals.
•Foliage The green or live leaves of plants; mass leaves, leafage.
•Forage (n.) Browse and herbage which is available and may provide food for grazing
animals or be harvested for feeding. (v.) To search for or consume forage. cf. (v.)
browse, graze
•Forb Any broad-leafed herbaceous plant other than those in the Poaceae, Cyperaceae and
Juncaceae families. cf. legume

11. Terminology in Range Management
FORESTER’S
By Javed Iqbal PhD Scholar
Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sc, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague
•Frequency The ratio between the number of sample units that contain a species and the
total number of sample units.
•Grass Members of the plant family Poaceae.
•Grassland Land on which the vegetation is dominated by grasses, grass like plants, and/or
forbs (cf. dominant). Lands not presently grassland that were originally or could
become grassland through natural succession may be classified as potential
natural grassland.
•Graze (1) (vi.) The consumption of standing forage by livestock or wildlife. (2) (vt.) To put
livestock to feed on standing forage.
•Grazing Capacity The maximum stocking rate that will achieve a target level of animal
performance, in a specified grazing method, based on total nutrient resources
available, including harvested roughages and concentrates, that can be applied
over a defined period without deterioration of the ecosystem. A description of the
grazing capacity should include stocking rate, grazing method, targeted animal
performance and nongrazed nutrient resources.
•Grazing Pressure An animal to forage relationship measured in terms of animal units per
unit weight of forage at any instant, i.e., AU/kg or ton.

12. Terminology in Range Management
FORESTER’S
By Javed Iqbal PhD Scholar
Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sc, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague
•Grazing Season The time period during which grazing can normally be practiced each year
or portion of each year.
•Grazing System A specialization of grazing management which defines the periods of
grazing and non-grazing. Descriptive common names may be used; however, the
first usage of a grazing system name in a publication should be followed by a
description using a standard format. This format should consist of at least the
following: the number of pastures (or units); number of herds; length of grazing
periods; length of non-grazing periods for any given unit in the system followed by
an abbreviation of the unit of time used. cf. deferred grazing, deferred-rotation,
rotation, rest-rotation, and short duration grazing
•Herb Any flowering plant except those developing persistent woody stems above
ground.
•Herd An assemblage of animals usually of the same species.
•Herding The handling or tending of a herd. cf. close, open and trail herding
•Increaser For a given plant community, those species that increase in amount as a result of
a specific abiotic/biotic influence or management practice.
•Indicator Species (1) Species that indicate the presence of certain environmental
conditions, seral stages, or previous treatment. (2) One or more plant species
selected to indicate a certain level of grazing use. cf. key species

13. Terminology in Range Management
FORESTER’S
By Javed Iqbal PhD Scholar
Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sc, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague
•Intensive Grazing Management Grazing management that attempts to increase
production or utilization per unit area or production per animal through a
relative increase in stocking rates, forage utilization, labor, resources, or capital.
Intensive grazing management is not synonymous with rotation grazing. Grazing
management can be intensified by using any one or more of a number of grazing
methods that use relatively more labor or capital resources.
•Invader Plant species that were absent in undisturbed portions of the original vegetation
of a specific range site and will invade or increase following disturbance or
continued heavy grazing. cf. increaser
•Key Area A relatively small portion of a range selected because of its location, use or
grazing value as a monitoring point for grazing use. It is assumed that key areas, if
properly selected, will reflect the overall acceptability of current grazing
management over the range.
•Key Species (1) Forage species whose use serves as an indicator to the degree of use of
associated species. (2) Those species which must, because of their importance, be
considered in the management program.
•Meadow A tract of grassland where productivity of indigenous or introduced forage is
modified due to characteristics of the landscape position or hydrology. May be
characterized as: hay meadow, native meadow, mountain meadow, wet meadow, or
other designations. cf. grassland, pasture, pastureland, rangeland

14. Terminology in Range Management
FORESTER’S
By Javed Iqbal PhD Scholar
Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sc, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague
•Nomadic Pertaining to the habit of wandering from place to place, usually within a well-
defined territory. Syn. Migrant
•Overgrazing Continued heavy grazing which exceeds the recovery capacity of the
community and creates a deteriorated range. cf. overuse
•Palatability The relish with which a particular species or plant part is consumed by an
animal.
•Pasture (1) A grazing area enclosed and separated from other areas by fencing or other
barriers; the management unit for grazing land. (2) Forage plants used as food for
grazing animals. (3) Any area devoted to the production of forage, native or
introduced, and harvested by grazing. (4) A group of subunits grazed within a
rotational grazing system. (5) v. To feed on pasture; to use as pasture.
•Perennial Plant A plant that has a life span of 3 or more years.
•Proper Use Factor An index to the grazing use that may be made of a specific forage
species, based on a system of range management that will maintain the
economically important forage species, or achieve other management objectives
such as maintenance of watersheds, recreation values, etc.
• Ranch An establishment or firm with specific boundaries together with its lands and
improvements, used for the grazing and production of domestic livestock and/or
wildlife.

15. Terminology in Range Management
FORESTER’S
By Javed Iqbal PhD Scholar
Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sc, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague
•Salting (1) Providing salt as a mineral supplement for animals. (2) Placing salt on the
range in such a manner as to improve distribution of livestock grazing.
•Savanna Grassland with scattered trees or shrubs; often a transitional type between true
grassland and forestland, and accompanied by a climate with alternating wet and
dry seasons.
•Semiarid A term applied to regions or climates where moisture is normally greater than
under arid conditions, but still definitely limits the production of vegetation. The
upper limit of average annual precipitation in the cold, semiarid regions is as low
as 15 inches (380 mm), whereas in warm tropical regions it is as high as 45-50
inches (1,100-1,300mm).
•Shrub A plant that has persistent, woody stems and a relatively low growth habit, and that
generally produces several basal shoots instead of a single bole. It differs from a
tree by its low stature (generally less than 5 meters, or 16 feet) and non-
arborescent form.
•Sod Vegetation which grows so as to form a mat of soil and vegetation. Syn. Turf
•Tundra Land areas in arctic and alpine regions devoid of large trees, varying from bare
ground to various types of vegetation consisting of grasses, sedges, forbs, dwarf
shrubs and trees, mosses, and lichens.

16. Terminology in Range Management
FORESTER’S
By Javed Iqbal PhD Scholar
Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sc, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague
•Terracing Mechanical movement of soil along the horizontal contour of a slope to produce
an earthen dike to retain water and diminish the potential of soil erosion.
•Tiller The asexual development of a new plant from a meristematic region of the parent
plant.
•Trail A well-defined path created by repeated passage of animals.
•Trampling Treading underfoot; the damage to plants or soil brought about by movements
or congestion of animals.
•Trend The direction of change in an attribute as observed over time.
•Underuse A degree of use less than proper use.
•Ungulate A hoofed animal, including ruminants but also horses, tapirs, elephants,
rhinoceroses, and swine.
•Weed (1) Any plant growing where unwanted. (2) A plant having a negative value within
a given management system.

17. Principles of Range Management
FORESTER’S
By Javed Iqbal PhD Scholar
Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sc, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague
The manipulation of the soil-plant-animal complex of the grazing land in pursuit of a
desired result. The definition may be applied to specific kinds of grazing land by
substituting the appropriate term, such as grassland in place of grazingland.
1. Correct Kind of Animals 2. Correct Number of Animals
3. Proper Distribution 4. Grazing System

18. Range Improvement Practices
FORESTER’S
By Javed Iqbal PhD Scholar
Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sc, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague
Range Improvement — Any activity or program on or relating to rangelands which is
designed to improve production of forage, change vegetation composition, control patterns
of use, provide water, stabilize soil and water conditions, or provide habitat for wildlife and
livestock.
1.Re-seeding
2.Water Spreading
3.Mulching
4.Fertilization
5.Trails
6.Water storage point
7.Fencing
8.Salting point
9. Water conservation
10. Burning

19. Range Vegetation Analysis
FORESTER’S
By Javed Iqbal PhD Scholar
Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sc, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague
The calculation of the range vegetation for the better utilization of range resources. Or
Range Vegetation is the relative degree to which the kinds, proportions, and amounts of
vegetation in the present plant community resemble the desired plant community chosen
for an ecological site.
1.Range Cover
2.Range Frequency
3.Range Density
4.Relative Cover
5.Relative frequency
6.Relative Density
7.Importance Value
8.Biomass
9.Carrying Capacity