Range

Range research, or rangeland ecology studies relationships between plants, animals and their environment to achieve desired management objectives like maintaining or improving current plant communities, sustaining livestock production and economic value and providing wildlife habitat.

Spotted Knapweed Biological Control in Lundbom Commonage, British Columbia - TR143

Spotted knapweed (Centaurea biebersteinii) exists in dense patches despite the presence of biological control (biocontrol) agents that have been released and have spread into the area for potentially 35 years at the Lundbom Commonage grasslands near Merritt, B.C. Biocontrol agents will not eradicate the target invasive plant population but are intended to decrease the quantity to below a deleterious threshold. Spotted knapweed and its biocontrol agents were counted in 2015 and 2016 at three sites in the Lundbom grasslands to identify and quantify the biocontrol agent species present. The population of biocontrol agents should be reducing the spotted knapweed seed bank and thus reducing the plant numbers in the long term. 

Forage Seeding and Cattle Grazing Long-term Effects on Conifer Regeneration and the Understorey Plant Community in the Montane Spruce Zone - TR139

The main objective of this study was to examine the long-term effects of cattle grazing and forage seeding on the growth and survival of planted lodgepole pine. The treatments examined were no seeding versus forage seeding at 3 kg/ha, and no cattle grazing versus cattle grazing at 50% forage use. Sampling started in 1988, the same year that trees were planted. The final sampling was completed during July–August 2012 and provided information at stand age 25 years. Despite some early damage and mortality of planted lodgepole pine seedlings, target tree densities were achieved on all grazed and seeded areas at the free-growing stage, and there was no loss of lodgepole pine growth compared to control stands after 24 years. Lodgepole pine showed greater tree diameter growth on seeded areas than on unseeded areas at stand age 25.

Long-term Effects of Cattle and Wildlife Grazing on Grassland Plant Community Recovery in the East Kootenay Region of British Columbia - TR72

In 990, the East Kootenay Trench Agriculture Wildlife Committee was formed to mitigate long-standing conflicts concerning forage allocation among cattle, elk, and deer in the Rocky Mountain Trench in southeastern British Columbia. A habitat monitoring program was initiated in 1991 at Skookumchuck Prairie, Premier Ridge, and Pickering Hills, and a report summarizing 4 years of results was completed in 1997. The original sites were re-sampled in 2009 to evaluate 18 years of wildlife and cattle grazing. An ungulate exclosure was constructed at the Skookumchuck Prairie Historical Exclosure Site in 95 and was sampled at about 10-year intervals between 1960 and 2009. In 1951, plant communities on both the grazed and ungrazed areas were dominated by early seral species. Over the 60 years of protection inside the exclosure, the plant community advanced to a stand dominated by rough fescue (Festuca scabrella) and Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis), whereas the plant community on the grazed area remained at an early seral stage. Bluebunch wheatgrass (Agropyron spicatum), which was virtually absent inside the exclosure in 1951, peaked in cover by 1970 and then declined from about 50% cover to less than 5% by 2009.

Linking Range Health Assessment Methodology with Science Rough Fescue Grasslands of British Columbia - TR62

Two range health assessment methods were tested against quantitative field measures of soil and vegetation in rough fescue grasslands: the British Columbia Ministry of Forests and Range Uplands Function Checklist (ufc) and the Grassland Monitoring Manual (gmm) produced by the Grasslands Conservation Council of British Columbia. The range health assessment scores were related to most of the quantitative measures taken. Only saturated hydraulic conductivity (ks), colour and thickness of the soil ah horizon, microbiotic crust, and bunchgrass seed heads were found to be completely unrelated. Both methods were found to be equally repeatable by samplers and were correlated to most selected quantitative measures of range health. The methods did not agree completely in their assessments of range health of the 28 treatment units examined. 

The Influence of Range Practices on Waterborne Disease Organisms in Surface Water of British Columbia A Problem Analysis - TR8

This problem analysis summarizes the influence of range practices on waterborne disease organisms in surface water within watersheds. The summary is based on literature reviews, case histories, and interviews. Information for the literature review was obtained primarily from scientific journals, and includes reviews and original studies. The disease-causing organisms Giardia lamblia (causing giardiasis) and Cryptosporidium parvum (causing cryptosporidiosis) are emphasized because of their importance in British Columbia.

The Decline of Diffuse Knapweed in British Columbia - TR65

There are literature reports of a decline in diffuse knapweed population beginning in the early 2000s at several locations on western North American rangeland. To document changes in certain diffuse knapweed populations in British Columbia, we selected five previously monitored diffuse knapweed–invaded sites located on low-elevation grasslands in the Bunchgrass and Ponderosa Pine BEC zones in the southern interior and sampled these for plant species cover, and abundance of biological control insects. Diffuse knapweed populations and soil seed reserves were shown to decline by an average of 74% and 78%, respectively, at five sites in British Columbia from the 1990s to 2009. Three factors were discussed as possible causes for the decline of diffuse knapweed at the five sites.

Brushing and Grazing Effects on Lodgepole Pine, Vascular Plants, and Range Forage in Three Plant Communities in the Southern Interior of British Columbia - LMH45

From a range perspective, brushing treatments may severely reduce forage production and grazing capacity. For example, herbicides may injure both forbs and grasses (Conard and Emmingham), resulting in shifts in species composition and the relative proportions of different forage types. Forb and grass species grazed by cattle vary in nutritive value, palatability, digestibility, and how highly they are preferred by stock (McLean and Tisdale). A series of research trials was established in 1986–1987 in the Kamloops Forest Region to study the effectiveness of chemical and manual treatment methods for controlling competing vegetation, and to study the impact these brushing treatments have on the range resource. The three trials discussed herein are concerned with the release of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) growing in competition with the Dry Alder, Willow, and Pinegrass plant communities, as well as with the effects of chemical and manual brushing treatments on forage production and livestock use. It is hoped that the collection of both silviculture and range data will contribute to the development of guidelines to help managers integrate the use of these resources.

Forest Grazing: Effects of Cattle Trampling and Browsing on Lodgepole Pine Plantations - EN13

This project was established to determine the effects of cattle grazing on regenerating lodgepole pine. A second objective was to examine how the seeding of domestic forage species would influence tree growth and interact with the effects of grazing. The study was repeated on three sites so that results could be applied over a wide area. Two sites are located on the Guichon Creek Road above Tunkwa Lake in the Kamloops Forest District. The third site is near Helmer Lake off the Coquihalla Highway in the Merritt Forest District. The Tunkwa Lake sites were harvested in November 1986 and were windrowed, burned and dragscarified during November 1987. The majority of the Helmer Lake site was harvested in 1985 with an additional 10 ha harvested in October 1987. The Helmer site was rough-piled and track-and-blade-scarified, and the piles were burnt after the first snowfall.

Sheep Grazing Guidelines for Managing Vegetation on Forest Plantations in British Columbia - LMH34

All sheep grazing projects should consist of three components: planning, implementation, and evaluation. Adequate planning of a sheep grazing project is essential to ensure that grazing treatments are properly applied and that silvicultural objectives are accomplished. Prepare a flexible written plan several months before the projects will begin. Try to anticipate problems and develop contingency actions to address them. Ensure that the plan follows the British Columbia Ministry of Forests protocols for Pre-Harvest Silvicultural Prescriptions. Also make sure that the plan is referred to all appropriate agencies and interest groups. They should either be involved in the planning process or have an opportunity to review the plan. The British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks must have an opportunity to view the site at least 1 year before the project begins. See Section 11 for a detailed summary of scheduling activities.