Effects of targeted cattle grazing on fire behavior of cheatgrass-dominated rangeland in the northern Great Basin, USA

Diamond, Joel M.; Call, Christopher A.; Devoe, Nora

doi:10.1071/wf08075

Cited by 106 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Within the first decade of the twenty-first century, livestock production strategies have increased emphasis on livestock in conservation-oriented approaches to include (1) efforts to "engineer ecosystems" by altering vegetation structure for increased habitat and species diversity, and structural heterogeneity to achieve desired contemporary outcomes (Derner et al 2009(Derner et al , 2013; (2) use of targeted grazing involving application of a specific kind of livestock at a determined season, duration, and intensity to accomplish defined vegetation or landscape goals (Launchbaugh and Walker 2006), to reduce invasive annual grasses (Diamond et al 2010) and invasive weeds (Goehring et al 2010), as well as fuel reduction efforts (Davison 1996;Clark et al 2013); and (3) improvement of the distribution of livestock grazing across the landscape through the use of low-stress stockmanship methods using herding, strategic location of low-moisture supplement blocks (Bailey et al 2008), patch burn grazing in mesic (Fuhlendorf and Engle 2004) and semiarid (Augustine and Derner 2014) ecosystems, and foraging and learning through past experiences that increase the likelihood of animals learning to eat different plants (e.g., Provenza et al 2003). These ecological benefits from conservation-management applications have been attained without negatively impacting livestock production (Limb et al 2011;Augustine and Derner 2014).…”

Section: Shifts In Production Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Livestock Production Systems

Derner¹,

Hunt

Filho

et al. 2017

Springer Series on Environmental Management

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Rangelands, 50 % of the earth's land surface, produce a renewable resource of cellulose in plant biomass that is uniquely converted by ruminant livestock into animal protein for human consumption. Sustainably increasing global animal production for human consumption by 2050 is needed while reducing the environmental footprint of livestock production. To accomplish this, livestock producers can interseed legumes and use bioenergy protein byproducts for increased dietary protein, develop forage "hot spots" on the landscape, use adaptive grazing management in response to a changing climate, incorporate integrated livestock-crop production systems, improve fertility to increase birth rates, and reduce livestock losses due to disease and pest pressure. Conceptual advances in livestock production systems have expanded the utility of livestock in conservation-oriented approaches that include (1) efforts to "engineer ecosystems" by altering vegetation structure for increased habitat and species diversity, and structural heterogeneity; (2) use of targeted grazing to reduce invasive annual grasses and invasive weeds, and fuel reduction to decrease wildfires; and (3) improvement of the distribution of livestock grazing across the landscape. Livestock production systems need to increase output of animal protein by implementation of knowledge and technology, but this production must

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Section: Shifts In Production Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Livestock Production Systems

Derner¹,

Hunt

Filho

et al. 2017

Springer Series on Environmental Management

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“…avoiding consumption of poisonous plants due to abrupt weather changes (Ralphs et al 1994), excluding foraging in the habitat of an endangered plant species (Warshauer and Jacobi 1982), protecting nesting bird habitat (Schultz 2010), designing fuel accumulation protocols for later burning (Diamond et al 2009), or controlling mating within a multi-sire herd (Lee et al 2008). These and other management issues could be addressed using VF to positively benefit vegetation (Stahlheber and D'Antonio 2013) as well as livestock.…”

Section: An Example Using Virtual Fencingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Virtual herding for flexible livestock management – a review

et al. 2014

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Abstract. Free-ranging livestock play a pivotal role globally in the conversion of plant tissue into products and services that support man's many and changing lifestyles. With domestication came the task of providing livestock with an adequate plane of nutrition while simultaneously managing vegetation for sustainable production. Attempting to meld these two seemingly opposing management goals continues to be a major focus of rangeland research. Demand for multiple goods and services from rangelands today requires that livestock production make the smallest possible 'negative hoof-print'. Advancements in global navigation satellite system, geographic information systems, and electronic/computing technologies, coupled with improved understanding of animal behaviour, positions virtual fencing (VF) as an increasingly attractive option for managing free-ranging livestock. VF offers an alternative to conventional fencing by replacing physical barriers with sensory cues to control an animal's forward movement. Currently, audio and electrical stimulation are the cues employed. When VF becomes a commercial reality, manual labour will be replaced in large part with cognitive labour for real-time prescription-based livestock distribution management that is robust, accurate, precise and flexible. The goal is to manage rangeland ecosystems optimally for soils, plants, herbivores in addition to the plant and animal's microflora. However, maximising the benefits of VF will require a paradigm shift in management by using VF as a 'virtual herder' rather than simply as a tool to manage livestock within static physical barriers.

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“…The economically sustainable use of prescribed herbivory could be used for (Taylor 2006, Diamond et al 2009, Hudak et al 2011):…”

Section: Strengthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Goat grazing as a wildfire prevention tool: a basic review

Lovreglio¹,

Meddour-Sahar²,

Leone³

2014

iForest

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© iForest -Biogeosciences and Forestry IntroductionThe general response of most countries to the problem of an increasing number of fires and burned areas has generally been to strengthen fire suppression capacity (Costa Alcubierre et al. 2011). France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal spend a total of 2500 million Euros annually in the fight against forest fires, 60% of which allocated to cover costs related to suppressing fires, while only 40% is invested in activities targeted to prevention (EFIMED 2012).Despite the high investment to improve fire suppression resources, mainly through expenditure on important aerial fleets, such as in Spain, Greece or Italy, the phenomenon continues to be characterized by an aggressive trend, with a progressively reduced interval between dramatic years.Wildfires occurring during prolonged and severe heat waves (such as in 2003 for Portugal, 2006 for Spain, 2007 for Algeria, Italy, Spain and Portugal, 2010 for Russia, 2012 for all the Mediterranean countries including Algeria) demonstrate that a different approach must be considered for tackling the problem of forest fires. This means a shift from the short term policy, which is mainly based on huge investments for suppression measures, to a long term preventive policy (Birot 2009, Montiel & Herrero 2010.The key purpose of fire prevention measures is to reduce the number of fires through hazard reduction, education, and law enforcement. Improving prevention strategies seems mandatory if a further reduction in the mean yearly burnt area is to be pursued (Ruiz-Mirazo 2011). Fuel treatment and wildfire minimizationAn appropriate approach to wildfire prevention must be aimed at both lessening the possibility of a fire occurring and minimizing its spread should one occur. This can be achieved through fuel treatments for biomass reduction, which are paramount to wildfire abatement (Omi & Martinson 2002). To reduce fire damages, an infrastructure of roads and water supply should be constructed, firebreaks and fire detection systems established, an immediate and efficient intervention of ground crews ensured, but above all, fuel treatments should be timely executed (Leone et al. 2000).Fuel treatments are a key factor to decreasing wildfire risk (Omi & Joyce 2003): they target different fuel components in order to achieve both forest structures and fuel characteristics which are able to reduce the likelihood of fire spread.Fuel treatments are mainly aimed at eliminating the vertical and horizontal continuity of fuels, in order to disrupt the vertical progression of fire (passage from surface fuels to ladder fuels to canopy fuels), and its horizontal progression, especially from crown to crown (Scott & Reinhardt 2001, Graham et al. 2004.Activities aimed at reducing surface fuels (low vegetation, woody fuel, shrub layer) decrease the chances of surface fires igniting ladder fuels and canopy fuels (Pollet & Omi 2002, Fernandes & Botelho 2003.The range of possible treatments to modify forest fuels is rather wide, varying from pruning (Le...

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Effects of targeted cattle grazing on fire behavior of cheatgrass-dominated rangeland in the northern Great Basin, USA

Cited by 106 publications

References 9 publications

Livestock Production Systems

Livestock Production Systems

Virtual herding for flexible livestock management – a review

Goat grazing as a wildfire prevention tool: a basic review

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