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Grazing
Riparian Areas - Determining Season(s)
of Use
Determination
of appropriate times of year for grazing riparian areas is one of
the first steps in developing a riparian grazing management approach.
Which season, or seasons, to use will depend on several factors.
Perhaps the three most significant are:
- the predicted
response of different plant species;
- the grazing
impact on plant communities; and
- the percent
of soil moisture on the site.
Not surprisingly,
there are potential advantages and possible drawbacks to grazing
during any season. Moreover, because of the fluctuation in natural
systems (for example, variations in temperature, timing and amount
of precipitation, and vegetation growth), the appropriateness of
using a particular pasture at any one specific time may vary somewhat
from year to year. A more detailed discussion of the rationale for
seasons of use is available in the report entitled Successful Strategies
for Grazing Cattle in Riparian Zones in the supplemental materials.
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Figure
3-4
Different types of riparian areas respond differently
to being grazed during various seasons. |
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