The relationofsomephysiallandchemicalsoilcharncteristicsto cryptogamic crust development was determined from sites in semidesert regions of southern Utah. The effects of grazing on eryptogamic crust development also wasexamined. Electrical conductivity, percentage silt, and soil phosphorus were found to he correlated with well-developed cryptogamic crusts. Both total cryptognmic cover and the number of cryptogamic species decreased under grazing pressure. Themsnagement ofmngelands, especially in arid regions, would bestrengthened by understanding the role of cryptogamic crusts and considering them in range management decisions.

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PREFACE Managers and users of salt-desert shrub rangelands will find this publication to be a reference summary to aid in planning and decisionmaking. This is not a comprehensive literature review, but rather a distillation of some of the most useful information for on-the-ground management. Two manuals-Hutchings and Stewart (1953) and Hutchings (1954)-were based on the early years of grazing research at the USDA Forest Service's Desert Experimental Range (DER). They have been valuable guides for managers for three decades and, although out of print, are still useful. More recent experience at the DER, as well as much research information from other sources, warrants the broader updated summary in this publication. Because much of the content herein derives from work at one location in the eastern part of the Great Basin-the DER-specific results may not all be directly appl icable to other salt-desert shrub areas. Although general concepts, principles, and recommendations can be extended to distant salt-desert shrub lands, caution and professional judgment should be exercised in extrapolating the particulars. RESEARCH SUMMARY Salt-desert shrub rangelands cover some 40 million acres (16 million ha) of the Intermountain West. Much of this land was misused and damaged by unsound grazing practices in pioneer times and well into the 20th century. Although productivity of the desert is low, the high quality of the range forage produced and the vastness of the area make the desert an important part of the regional resource base. Its principal value is in the annual harvest of feed by livestock. The ecosystem is fragile and easily disrupted by improper use, but under good management, deterioration can be reversed, condition can improve, and areas still in good condition can remain so under grazing use. A grazing system compatible with other values of salt-desert shrub lands is one where grazing allotments are used as winter and early spring range, with each allotment grazed as several small units, each unit to be fully and properly harvested during one short period before the animals move on to the next one. With annual rotation of season of use of units and frequent years of rest from grazing on some of them, the harvest can be taken without detriment to soil stability, wildlife and game can thrive in their natural habitat, and the esthetic quality of the desert's vast emptiness can be enjoyed. THE AUTHORS JAMES P. BLAISDELL has retired from the position of Assistant Station Director for Research at the Inter-mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, Utah. He earned a B.S. degree in range management from Utah State University in 1939, an M.S. degree in range management from the University of Idaho in 1942, and a Ph.D. degree in plant ecology from the University of Minnesota in 1956. During his 35-year career in Forest Service research, he participated in and supervised range research programs, mostly in the Intermountain West.

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