Vegetation Management Practices: Past and Present

Peter F. Ffolliott is Professor, School of Renewable Natural Resources, 325 Biological Sciences East, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721; e-mail: [email protected]. Gerald J. Gottfried is Research Forester, Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Phoenix, AZ. William H. Kruse is Range Scientist, Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service (retired), Flagstaff, AZ. In: McClaran, Mitchel P.; Ffolliott, Peter F.; Edminster, Carleton B., tech. coords. Santa Rita Experimental Range: 100 years (1903 to 2003) of accomplishments and contributions; conference proceedings; 2003 October 30–November 1; Tucson, AZ. Proc. RMRS-P-30. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. Abstract: Improving management practices have been at the core of most research conducted in the semidesert grass-shrub vegetation on the Santa Rita Experimental Range. Much of this research has been directed to sustaining forage resources through proper livestock grazing and controlling the invasion of competing woody plants, primarily mesquite. Both research orientations require an understanding of the basic ecological requirements and dynamics of the plant species on the Experimental Range. Cattle grazing system based on seasonal grazing and periodic rest periods have been able to improve the production and diversity of native perennial grasses. Several methods have been successful in controlling the occurrence of mesquite and improving forage production, although there is a growing acknowledgment that mesquite has a place on the landscape. Research emphasis on the Santa Rita Experimental Range in the future is likely to be placed more on evaluating the effectiveness of ecosystem-based, multiple-use vegetation management practices that are ecologically sustainable and environmentally sound.