This Land is Our Land: Tree Planting and Environmental Construction on the Nebraska Prairie

In 1895 the Nebraska Legislature passed a bill officially adopting the nickname the “Tree Planter’s State” on account of the founding of Arbor Day, the Timber Culture Act of 1873, and the “millions of trees planted by early settlers as windbreaks, woodlots, and orchards.” Since that time, Arbor Day and the Timber Culture Act have been the subject of countless historical studies, while the subject of settler tree planting remains largely unexplored. This thesis seeks to begin establishing a place for the stories, experiences, and legacy of settler tree planting within the regional narrative by examining the cultural, physical, and scientific landscapes in which tree planting occurred. Tree planting by early settlers went beyond the practical, economic purposes of supplementing timber resources that were lacking or acquiring land through the Timber Culture Act. Settlers brought with them ideas about what a landscape should look like and attempted to impose those ideas on the landscape at both local and regional levels. Trees were integral to that vision, and became a means by which settlers constructed homesteads, communities, and the region as a whole. This thesis argues that, through the process of local and regional tree planting, settlers not only constructed a physical and cultural landscape but participated in a process of knowledge construction, the legacy of which can be traced to the establishment of the scientific tree planting initiatives such as the Nebraska Forest Reserves and the federal Progressive era conservation initiatives such as the Shelterbelt project that would follow

Studies of Increment, Height-Weight, and Moisture Content of Important Western Kansas Grasses.

A logical approach to the question of how much forage is taken by livestock would be, it seems, to study first the growth habits of the important species of p:i.sture and range grasses in the areas where they are used. The purpose of this report, therefore, was to stud y the development of several species of perennial grasses in the mixed prairie of west-central Kamas from near the beginning of the grazing season until the grasses had reached maturity

Early pair housing increases solid feed intake and weight gains in dairy calves

Dairy calves have traditionally been kept in individual pens throughout the milk-feeding period. Social rearing is associated with increased solid feed intake and hence higher weight gains before and after weaning. Little is known about the effect of the age at which social housing begins. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of early versus late pairing on feeding behavior and weight gain before and after weaning. Holstein bull calves were reared individually (n=8 calves), or paired with another calf at 6 ± 3 d (n=8 pairs) or 43 ± 3 d of age (n=8 pairs). All calves were fed 8 L of milk/d for 4 wk, 6 L/d from 4 to 7 wk and then milk was reduced by 20%/d until calves were completely weaned at 8 wk of age. Calves were provided ad libitum access to calf starter and a total mixed ration (TMR). Body weight and feed intake were measured weekly from 3 to 10 wk of age. Intake of calf starter was significantly higher for the early-paired calves than for individually-reared and late-paired calves throughout the experimental period. At 10 wk of age, starter dry matter intake (DMI) averaged 2.20 ± 0.22 kg/d, 1.09 ± 0.25 kg/d and 1.26 ± 0.33 kg/d for early pair, late pair and individually housed calves, respectively. Intake of TMR did not differ among treatments, TMR dry matter intake (averaged 3.27 ± 0.72 kg/d, 3.08 ± 0.46 kg/d, and 2.89 ± 0.54 kg/d for the same three treatments). Calves in the early pair treatment also showed significantly higher average daily gain (ADG) over the experimental period (0.89 ± 0.04 kg/d versus 0.76 ± 0.04 kg/d and 0.73 ± 0.04 kg/d for the early paired, individual and late-paired calves, respectively). These results indicate that social housing soon after birth can increase weight gains and intake of solid feed

Repositioning Rangeland Education for a Changing World

Rangelands in North America and abroad are important ecosystems because of the vast areas they cover and the essential products and ecological services they provide. A strong workforce of well-trained professionals is needed to manage these ecosystems; however, undergraduate rangeland education faces several major challenges pertaining to curriculum content and resources, teaching approaches and faculty preparedness, and student awareness and recruitment. A collaborative project, developed in 2010 by members of the Range Science Education Council (RSEC) and funded by a USDA Higher Education Challenge Grant, addresses these challenges. The initial step is a needs assessment using focus groups with rangeland stakeholders and surveys with recent range student graduates to identify current and future issues and associated knowledge and skills on which to build a forward-looking rangeland education program. Assessment outcomes will provide a starting point for modernizing Society for Range Management accreditation and Office of Personnel Management hiring standards. Next, is the development of an interstate pool of curriculum resources that embrace new technology and a variety of instructional formats. An online clearinghouse of educational materials will include a catalog of online, intensive workshop-style, and traveling field courses, and open-source instructional materials, including Virtual Exploration of Rangeland Ecosystems modules developed by RSEC members. Ecosystem modules contain written and narrative instruction, video footage, GigaPan panoramic images, and management scenarios, which include interviews with progressive land managers. During 2011-2013, professional development workshops, webinars, symposia, and a mentorship program will provide opportunities to advance faculty teaching skills. Lastly, market research will be used to identify factors that influence educational choices of students and parents from traditional, non-traditional, and underrepresented groups. Market research will be coupled with the needs assessment to develop targeted recruitment and career materials. Project activities and products will be posted online (www.rangelandswest.org) and also disseminated through professional and popular publications and newsletters of universities, agencies, agricultural associations, professional organizations and NGOs

Synthesis Paper: Targeted Livestock Grazing: Prescription for Healthy Rangelands

Targeted livestock grazing is a proven tool for manipulating range land vegetation, and current knowledge about targeted livestock grazing is extensive and expanding rapidly. Targeted grazing prescriptions optimize the timing, frequency, intensity, and selectivity of grazing (or browsing) in combinations that purposely exert grazing/ browsing pressure on specific plant species or portions of the landscape. Targeted grazing differs from traditional grazing management in that the goal of targeted grazing is to apply defoliation or trampling to achieve specific vegetation management objectives,whereas the goal of traditional livestock grazing management is generally the production of livestock commodities. A shared aim of targeted livestock grazing and traditional grazing management is to sustain healthy soils, flora, fauna, and water resources that, in turn, can sustain natural ecological processes (e.g., nutrient cycle, water cycle, energy flow). Targeted grazing prescriptions integrate knowledge of plant ecology, livestock nutrition, and livestock foraging behavior. Livestock can be focused on target areas through fencing, herding, or supplement placement. Although practices can be developed to minimize the impact of toxins contained in target plants, the welfare of the animals used in targeted grazing must be a priority. Monitoring is needed to determine if targeted grazing is successful and to refine techniques to improve efficacy and efficiency. Examples of previous research studies and approaches are presented to highlight the ecological benefits that can be achieved when targeted grazing is applied properly. These cases include ways to suppress invasive plants and ways to enhance wildlife habitat and biodiversity. Future research should address the potential to select more adapted and effective livestock for targeted grazing and the associated animal welfare concerns with this practice. Targeted livestock grazing provides land managers a viable alternative to mechanical, chemical, and prescribed fire treatments to manipulate range land vegetation

Synthesis Paper: Targeted Livestock Grazing: Prescription for Healthy Rangelands

Targeted livestock grazing is a proven tool for manipulating rangeland vegetation, and current knowledge about targeted livestock grazing is extensive and expanding rapidly. Targeted grazing prescriptions optimize the timing, frequency, intensity, and selectivity of grazing (or browsing) in combinations that purposely exert grazing/browsing pressure on specific plant species or portions of the landscape. Targeted grazing differs from traditional grazing management in that the goal of targeted grazing is to apply defoliation or trampling to achieve specific vegetation management objectives, whereas the goal of traditional livestock grazing management is generally the production of livestock commodities. A shared aim of targeted livestock grazing and traditional grazing management is to sustain healthy soils, flora, fauna, and water resources that, in turn, can sustain natural ecological processes (e.g., nutrient cycle, water cycle, energy flow). Targeted grazing prescriptions integrate knowledge of plant ecology, livestock nutrition, and livestock foraging behavior. Livestock can be focused on target areas through fencing, herding, or supplement placement. Although practices can be developed to minimize the impact of toxins contained in target plants, the welfare of the animals used in targeted grazing must be a priority. Monitoring is needed to determine if targeted grazing is successful and to refine techniques to improve efficacy and efficiency. Examples of previous research studies and approaches are presented to highlight the ecological benefits that can be achieved when targeted grazing is applied properly. These cases include ways to suppress invasive plants and ways to enhance wildlife habitat and biodiversity. Future research should address the potential to select more adapted and effective livestock for targeted grazing and the associated animal welfare concerns with this practice. Targeted livestock grazing provides land managers a viable alternative to mechanical, chemical, and prescribed fire treatments to manipulate rangeland vegetation

Western Land Managers will Need all Available Tools for Adapting to Climate Change, Including Grazing: A Critique of Beschta et al.

In a previous article, Beschta et al. (Environ Manag 51(2):474–491, 2013) argue that grazing by large ungulates (both native and domestic) should be eliminated or greatly reduced on western public lands to reduce potential climate change impacts. The authors did not present a balanced synthesis of the scientific literature, and their publication is more of an opinion article. Their conclusions do not reflect the complexities associated with herbivore grazing. Because grazing is a complex ecological process, synthesis of the scientific literature can be a challenge. Legacy effects of uncontrolled grazing during the homestead era further complicate analysis of current grazing impacts. Interactions of climate change and grazing will depend on the specific situation. For example, increasing atmospheric CO₂ and temperatures may increase accumulation of fine fuels (primarily grasses) and thus increase wildfire risk. Prescribed grazing by livestock is one of the few management tools available for reducing fine fuel accumulation. While there are certainly points on the landscape where herbivore impacts can be identified, there are also vast grazed areas where impacts are minimal. Broad scale reduction of domestic and wild herbivores to help native plant communities cope with climate change will be unnecessary because over the past 20–50 years land managers have actively sought to bring populations of native and domestic herbivores in balance with the potential of vegetation and soils. To cope with a changing climate, land managers will need access to all available vegetation management tools, including grazing.Keywords: Grazing, Riparian areas, Public lands, Climate chang