The Influence of Livestock Trampling under Intensive Rotation Grazing on Soil Hydrologic Characteristics

Abstract

Infiltration rate decreased significantly and sediment production increased significantly on a site with a silty clay surface soil devoid of vegetation following periodic trampling typical of intensive rotation grazing systems. The deleterious impact of livestock trampling generally increased as stocking rate increased. Damage was augmented when the soil was moist at the time of trampling. Thirty days of rest were insufficient to allow hydrologic recovery. Soil bulk density, aggregate stability, aggregate size distribution and surface microrelief were related to the soil hydrologic response of the trampling treatments. Many of the world's rangelands evolved in the presence and under the influence of grazing ungulates. However, the introduction and maintenance of domestic livestock on continuously or rotationally grazed pastures has the potential for altering botanical composition and cover (Ellison 1960) and soil physical properties (Klemmedson 1956, Reed and Peterson 1961). Modification of those parameters, either singly or in concert, may accelerate the natural erosion process and result in decreased on-site productivity, increased sediment production, and increased susceptibility of downstream flooding. As stocking rates of domestic livestock are increased under continuous year-long or season-long grazing, rainfall infiltration generally decreases while runoff and sediment loss increase (Alderfer and Robinson 1947, Rauzi and Hanson 1966, Rhoades et al. 1964). Heavy continuous grazing is generally detrimental to soil hydrologic characteristics, while the effects of moderate or light continuous grazing are significantly less deleterious and frequently not significantly different from each other (Blackburn 1984, Gifford and Hawkins 1978). Supporters of intensive rotation grazing (IRG) systems such as the short-duration grazing method propose that heavy stocking rates under some forms of rotational grazing may be advantageous Authors are presently environmental research scientist, USA-CERL, Environmental Divison,

Seasonal grazing affects soil physical properties of a montane riparian community

“…Studies have been conducted to determine relationships between various soil moisture conditions and soil hydraulic properties after grazing (Edmond 1962, Warren et al 1986b. It is believed that there is a greater chance for compaction in wet soils than in dry soils.…”

“…led to degradation of soil physical characteristics (Clary 1995), which in turn can lead to altered hydrologic properties (Bryant et al 1972), increased sediment production (Warren et al 1986b), and a decline in vegetation productivity and vigor (Dadkhah and Gifford 1980, Leininger and Trlica 1986).…”

“…Although some literature is available on the effects of cattle trampling on soil compaction and infiltration for upland rangelands (Warren et al 1986a,1986b, Abdel-Magid et al 1987a, 1987b, riparian soils generally possess more organic matter than upland soils and may therefore react differently to grazing. Little quantitative information is available describing how soils and infiltration in riparian areas respond to activities in different seasons (Tierney 1992), or on how quickly soils recover from changes that result from grazing livestock (Bohn and Buckhouse 1985, Warren et al 1986b, Tierney 1992, Clary 1995.…”

“…Little quantitative information is available describing how soils and infiltration in riparian areas respond to activities in different seasons (Tierney 1992), or on how quickly soils recover from changes that result from grazing livestock (Bohn and Buckhouse 1985, Warren et al 1986b, Tierney 1992, Clary 1995. Specifically, timing of grazing and length of rest periods have been indicated as areas where further investigation is needed to help determine best management practices Hawkins 1978, Warren et al 1986a).…”

Stocking Rate and Riparian Vegetation Effects on Physical Characteristics of Riparian Zones of Midwestern Pastures

“…Research conducted on Western rangeland conditions has shown that overgrazing of forages or the increased space between bunchgrasses near surface waters decreases the effectiveness of the forage to reduce the velocity of overland water flow (Temple 1982;Masterman and Thorne 1992), thereby increasing the risk of sediment and nutrient loading of the streams (Alderfer and Robinson 1947;Warren et al 1986). Overgrazing may be caused by high stocking rates (Manley et al 1997), long grazing duration (Krueger et al 2002), or congregation of cattle near streams (Tate et al 2003), particularly during seasons with low vegetation productivity (Miner et al 1992).…”