What are rangelands?
Range is an extensive area of level, rolling, broken or mountainous land, usually not suitable for cultivation. Rangelands in good, relatively undisturbed, condition typically support native grasses, forbs and sparse woody brush such as sagebrush or juniper. In the Pacific Northwest rangelands can include savannahs, grasslands, steppe, wetlands and forested areas. Rangelands may be publicly or privately owned, fenced or unfenced, and supporting a wide variety of plant communities depending upon their evolutionary histories and past use patterns.

Does rangeland concern me?
Rangeland is highly important as a source of water, wildlife, and many forms of recreation as well as providing forage for livestock. The promotion of conservation and maintenance of rangelands for future use is just as important for the person not directly involved in rangeland use as it is for the person operating and living on the range. Our rangeland resources are some of our most valuable natural resources.

A history…
The vegetation in the rangelands of the Pacific Northwest coevolved with small herds of large herbivores such as deer and elk and sparse bison but not with large herds of bison, as in the Midwest. Annual precipitation west of the Rockies occurs primarily in the autumn/winter rather than in the early summer, as is the case east of the Rockies. Due, in part, to this, the Intermountain region is dominated by C3 grasses rather than a mixture of C3 and C4 grasses that benefited the large number of bison in the Midwest. The Intermountain region did not experience large herds of large grazers prior to Euro-American settlement. There are fewer decomposers of herbivore dung in the Intermountain region than in the Midwest. The introduction of cattle did not greatly alter the Midwest since the impacts on the land created by cattle are similar to those created by large numbers of bison. In the Intermountain region cattle did have a great effect, helping non-native plants invade both seral and climax communities. Heavy grazing caused native plants to grow more prostrate. Intermountain caespitose plant species had not evolved extensive defenses to heavy grazing as had Midwest species, which included a large number of rhizomatous species and extravaginal tillering structure in many species. Cryptograms, which are highly susceptible to grazing, are very common in the Intermountain region but not in the Midwest. (Mack and Thompson, 1982)

Rangeland has played a major role in the history of the western United States since European-American settlement. The Spaniard, Coronado, brought the first cattle, sheep and horses into what is now the United States in 1540. Horses soon escaped captivity or were left behind by the conquistadors, and their numbers increased. The Native Americans learned how to use the horse from the Spaniards and Mexicans. Wild horses became common on our western ranges during the 1800’s. In fact, in some areas horses were largely responsible for destruction of the original range vegetation.

Cattle and sheep herding became major components of the Euro-American settlement of the western U.S. Livestock raising provided a way for early white settlers to make a living from land not particularly amenable to farming. Running cattle and/or sheep came to be a major component of a distinctly western U.S. culture, providing a part of the foundation of a whole set of values that remains with us today. Cattle drives, from areas where the cattle were raised to areas where they were needed for food or for breeding stock, became part of our western tradition. Cattle on the trail drives averaged 15 to 20 miles per day and gained weight from eating the abundant grasses along the trail. Some of the most famous trails were the Chisholm, Shawnee, Dodge City, Sedalia, Goodnight, California and National. The discovery of gold and extension of railroads into the West led to more livestock ranching. Originally, most of the big cattle drives were to the railroads. Eventually, transportation provided by the railroad put an end to these cattle drives.

Thousands of cattle died on the Great Plains range during the severe cold winter of 1885 and 1886. The next year, the Great Plains had a severe drought, cutting cattle numbers further. Falling prices reduced rancher income and cattle numbers still more. Following the temporary decline of cattle numbers, the numbers of sheep increased rapidly. Depletion of range occurred as cattle numbers again increased. “Range Wars” were fought between cattle and sheep producers.

Grazing was the primary use made of public lands in the west for many years. As “America moved west” large portions of the western range were homesteaded, plowed, and planted to crops. The barbed wire fence did much to change the open range from free use to controlled access. Rangelands have decreased in area, as well as in forage production. Military reservations, cities, towns, airports, mining operations, recreational areas, protected areas and highways are replacing rangeland or influencing its management. As the number of people living in our country increases, so also does the use of our rangelands increase. People now have more leisure time for hunting, fishing, and other forms of recreation. The demand for meat and other animal products in decreasing, affecting the way the public views the use of public rangelands for livestock foraging. The availability of water for irrigation, home use, industry, and power is becoming more critical each year. These things have brought about the need for a closer look at the entire rangeland resource. Stock producers, federal and state agencies, and the public at large, have a real responsibility to plan cooperatively for proper rangeland management.

The poor condition of some of our rangelands has contributed to widespread floods, which have resulted in a loss of life and property. Much valuable water and soil has been lost due to flooding and erosion of degraded land. Many important reservoirs and hydroelectric developments have been silted in unnecessarily and their useful life shortened. Degradation to riparian areas is of special concern. Riparian areas are highly productive and highly sensitive areas. They are essential to healthy fisheries, stable watersheds – producing a reliable source of water for various human and ecological uses, wildlife habitat and healthy rangelands. Livestock, especially cattle, if improperly managed, tend to congregate in riparian areas and to cause extensive damage such as making the stream channel wider and shallower, causing siltation and decreasing vegetative cover.

While these factors are serious, there is much to be optimistic about. Many ranchers know how to take care of their range – and have been or are so doing. Government land-managing agencies have kept much of the public rangeland in good, healthy condition. Range managers have been and continue to employ range improvement practices such as fire control, prescribed burning, seeding and grazing systems. As more research is done and more experience and knowledge gained these practices have been and continue to be modified. For example, early extensive fire control practices, attempting to preserve forage for stock, led to a build up of plant fuel and uncontrollable wildfires; today we know that some rangelands evolved with and require occasional fire so some natural fires are allowed to burn and sometimes prescribed burns are employed. Each of these range improvement practices is only appropriate in certain situations under certain conditions. They can assist greatly in range management when used properly but success depends upon a good understanding of the conditions, process and expected results of each of these practices.

Most rangelands in the United States are grazed by wildlife, such as deer and elk, as well as by livestock. To make wildlife management successful, it is necessary that our ranges be managed in a way that directly targets wildlife species and their needs. Rangeland management for wildlife and livestock is possible but good management for one is not necessarily good management for the other. If the forage resources or feed supplies are managed carefully, wildlife and livestock can use the same range successfully. Since they all eat forage, there may be some competition between these animals. However, in many cases, proper use by each type of animal may help the range from the standpoint of the others.

The fact that we all have a stake in our range resource is becoming nationally recognized. The livestock growers, the land managers, hunters, recreationists and conservationists are becoming aware of the importance of a healthy rangeland. Generally, where desire to do something about the range resource exists, technical information is available to make it possible. The general public is recognizing the value of our rangelands; this is especially evident in politically and emotionally charged issues such as the effects of range and watershed management on salmon in the Pacific Northwest. The multiple uses of much of our rangeland are bringing the value of the range into focus for many people who had not previously given it much consideration.

How much range do we have?
There are approximately 399 million acres of rangeland, of which 259 million acres are federally owned, in the United States. Most of it is in the 17 western states. The rangeland of the westernmost 8 states is approximately 130 million acres. Many of the federal forestlands are also grazed by either domestic livestock or wildlife. Rangelands are important due, in part, to their tremendous size. Though the rangeland is far removed in most instances from the centers of population, the condition and productivity of the range influences every American citizen. What is the nature and extent of our rangeland resource? What is required for the maintenance of ecological services and how may each of us take part in proper rangeland management. (To view maps of land cover and land use see the National Biological Information Infrastructure Pacific Northwest Node and click on "Visit our forest and fire interactive mapping application")