SYLLABUS

FNR 411 RANGE MANAGEMENT

Fall 1999

Professor William L. (Bill) Hoover

Course Objective:

Students will gain an understanding of the importance of range management in major regions of U.S. and World, the basic ecological characteristics of the major range types in the U.S., and the management techniques used for these range types.

Prerequisites: BIOL 110 and 111, or BTNY 210

Instructional Material:

1. Range Management: Principles and Practices, 3^rd Ed., 1998, Jerry L. Holechek, Rex D. Pieper, and Carlton H. Herbel, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

2. Rangeland Wildlife, Paul R. Krausman, Ed., 1996, Society for Range Management, Denver, CO

3. Powerpoint presentations

4. Various videos

Course Outline:

Period 1:

Introduction

Importance of rangeland worldwide

Major food source

Cultural aspects of rangeland economies

Environmental importance

Rangeland management issues

Period 2:

Case study of rangeland decision making

Periods 3-4:

Rangeland Types, Holechek, et.al., Ch. 4

Major types

Grasslands

Desert shrublands

Savanna woodlands

Forests

Tundra

U.S. types

Tallgrass prairie

Southern mixed prairie

Northern mixed prairie

Shortgrass prairie

California annual grassland

Palouse prairie

Hot desert

Cold desert

Pinion-Juniper woodland

Mountain browse

Western coniferous forest

Southern pine forest

Eastern deciduous forest

Oak woodland

Alpine tundra

Periods 5-6

Range Ecology, Holechek, et.al., Ch. 6, Powerpoint presentation and video

Succession and retrogression

Primary

Clementsian

Climax – stability

Initial floristic composition theory

Relay floristic

Linear

Management complications

Dyksterhuis range condition model

Succession and grazing

Period 7:

Range Plant Physiology, Holechek, et.al., Ch. 5, Powerpoint presentation

Basic concepts

Uses of products of photosynthesis

Food cycle and growth

Factors regulated by range managers

Carbohydrate reserves

Plant morphology and growth

Resistance to grazing

Grazing optimization theory

Range management principles

Period 8:

Range Inventory and Monitoring, Holechek et.al., Ch. 7, Powerpoint presentation

Vegetation mapping – weight or biomass

Area or cover

Grazing surveys

Determining grazing capacity

Determine grazing utilization

Range condition – National Research Council procedure

Periods 9-10:

Stocking Rate (SR), , Holechek, et.al., Ch. 8, Powerpoint presentation

Definition of animal unit

Carrying or grazing capacity

SR determined by forage production

SR determines livestock productivity

SR determines economic return

Flexible versus fixed SR

Grazing intensity

Importance of minimum residual biomass

Range readiness and timing

Calculation of RS

Adjustments for distance to water and slope

Examples

Key-plant and key area indicators

Range management principles

Period 11

Grazing Methods and Livestock Distribution, Holechek, et.al., Ch. 9 and 10

Continuous

Deferred-rotation

Merrill three-herd.four-pasture system

Seasonal-suitability

Best pasture

Rest rotation

High intensity-low frequency

Short-duration

Periods 11 – 12:

Range Wildlife Management, Holechek, et. Al. Ch. 13, Powerpoint presentation)

Wildlife habitat

Monocultures – crested wheat grass, big sagebrush

Impact of grazing on wildlife

Direct

Indirect

Wildlife-livestock interactions

Grazing systems to enhance wildlife

Game birds

Big game

Brush control

Game ranching

Wild horses and burros

Small mammal problems

Rangeland management principles

Period 13:

Pronghorn Antelope (Krausman Ch. 13, Powerpoint presentation)

Uniqueness

Range

Habitat

Description

Behavior

Life cycle

Management problems

Subspecies

Relationship with other rangeland wildlife and livestock

Responses to

Vegetation manipulation

Water developments

Grazing systems

Management recommendations

Period 14:

Elk (Krausman Ch. 10, Powerpoint presentation)

Range

Population changes

Description

Subspecies

Ecological status

Elk ranching

Relationship with other rangeland wildlife species and livestock

Grazing systems for cattle and elk

Stocking allocation

Distribution

Nutrition

Responses to

Prescribed burning

Seeding and planting

Fertilization

Water development

Roads

Policy issues

Period 15: Examination

Grading:

Grades will be determined by the final examination, quizzes given once a week for the first five weeks, and a paper you write.