Ca Cattle Gr e Grazing t to M o Manage Na e Native Pr e - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Ca Cattle Gr e Grazing t to M

• Manage Na

e Native Pr e Prairies es in the T in the Tuala ualatin B tin Basin asin

Ruby Buchholtz, Tualatin Riverkeepers Nicole Ruggiero, Ash Creek Forest Management

Ecological Context- Native Prairies

• Prairies are now a rare habitat
• Early successional habitat and are maintained

through disturbance (fire)

• Hotter, drier summers
• Without disturbance:
• Woody encroachment
• Invasive species
• Over-dominance by grass (decrease in diversity)

Geographic context

• Washington Co.

rapidly growing: rural-urban interface

• Loss of ag land
• Native prairie

conservation sites:

• Hutchinson WRP
• Tualatin River NWR
• Metro sites
• CWS sites
• Private mitigation

The Solution

• Climate adapted
• Low cost
• Multiple benefits
• Ecological
• Social
• Economic

Evidence of ecological benefits

• Increased plant vigor

and density

• Sustainable, diverse

plant communities

• Reduction in invasive

species

Objective

To improve plant diversity by using cattle grazing as a disturbance.

Methods

• 2 cattle operators
• Sites, agreements,

logistics

• Different timing and

stocking

• Monitoring

Attribute Butler 2016-2017 Hutchinson 2017 Dominant soil McBee silty clay loam/ Wapato silty clay loam/ Chehalis silty clay loam McBee silty clay loam Dominant grasses Tufted hairgrass/ California oatgrass Red fescue (non- native) Acres grazed 20 58 Grazing plan layout 1 pasture. Continuous grazing 8 pastures. Cows had access to one large pasture continuously with new pastures rotated weekly. Stocking rate 1.67 acres/cow 2.23 acres/pair Timing Late May- June (5 weeks) September (2 weeks) June-July (8 weeks) November (2 weeks) Herd composition 12, 2-year olds 26 cow/calf pairs

Percent cover Height

Results

Site Year % Native Grass % Non- native Grass % Native Forbs % Non- native Forbs % Bare Ground % Thatch/ Litter Butler 2016 Butler 2017 Hutchinson 2017

Change in Percent Cover During the Grazing Period

Hundreds of pounds of seed planted

Over 35 species of flowers, rushes, and sedges added to grazed prairies Species such as: Common camas Slender cinquefoil Meadow checkermallow Western buttercup Blue-eyed grass Willow dock Western yarrow Slender rush Oregon sunshine

Site Year % Native Grass % Non- native Grass % Native Forbs % Non- native Forbs % Bare Ground % Thatch/ Litter Butler

May 2016 81% 0% 13% 0% 3% 2%

Butler

May 2017 63% 0% 18% 5% 16% 2%

Change

Change in Percent Cover Between 2 Years (before grazing)

Lessons Learned

Timing- earlier Stocking rate- higher Planning

• Time
• Inclusion