Grazing values and management of black grama and tobosa grasslands and associated shrub ranges of the Southwest

TitleGrazing values and management of black grama and tobosa grasslands and associated shrub ranges of the Southwest
Publication TypeReport
Year of Publication1962
AuthorsPaulsen, Jr. H.A., Ares F.N.
Series TitleU.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Technical Bulletin No. 1270
Pagination56
Date Published1962
Keywordsblack grama, forage production, government publication, grasslands, livestock production, shrub ranges, tobosa
AbstractOptimum production of livestock on black grama and tobosa grasslands and associated shrub ranges of the Southwest depends on proper management of the forage resource. In this region, periods of low precipitation are frequent and fluctuations in seasonal and annual amounts are extreme. Under these circumstances, range livestock operators are faced with perplexing problems of how to maintain stability and continuity of their enterprises. Too often ranchers and land managers are handicapped by not having long-term records of forage production to give them a better idea of range potential. Studies of management practices and effects of weather on black grama and tobosa grasslands and associated shrub ranges have been underway in southern New Mexico since 1912. The Jornada Experimental Range was established that year as a 193,394-acre tract 23 miles northeast of Las Cruces. Because its vegetation, soils, and climate are sufficiently comparable to that of more than 26 million acres of black grama, tobosa and associated shrub ranges in the Southwest, research results can be applied directly to much of this area. Many of the principles of management also are adaptable to other semidesert grass-shrub ranges in Arizona and Texas. The experimental work on the Jornada has been a combination of empirical studies on large range pastures and detailed studies of climate, soils and important forage plants and range types (Campbell, 1940). These studies have two main objectives: (1) to gain an understanding of the forage resource, and (2) to determine the methods of management best suited to the region.
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