Effects of Grazing on Desert Vegetation

Current year's plant production on the grazed pastures of the Desert Experimental Range in 1973 ranged from 12.5 to 363 pounds per acre.These values are based on weight estimates taken in October.The Desert Experimental Range L<; an experiment station operated by the USDA Fores_t Service to study the impact of grazing on salt-desert shrub vegetation.The experimental p~tures are domma~ed ~y salt-desert shrubs such as Cerafoides lanata and A triplex confertifolia.Under conditions of severe grazing impact, annual forbs can contribute more than 50% of the current herbage crop.The effects of heavy grazing on Ceratoides lanata appear to be a reduction in average plant size, a decrease by about one-third in plant cover and a slight thinning in plant density.