Effects of cattle grazing on blue oak seedling damage and survival
Issue Date
1992-09-01Keywords
crop damagerecruitment
Quercus douglasii
seedlings
stocking rate
winter
spring
summer
grazing intensity
browsing damage
California
woodlands
cattle
range management
seasonal variation
grazing
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Hall, L. M., George, M. R., McCreary, D. D., & Adams, T. E. (1992). Effects of cattle grazing on blue oak seedling damage and survival. Journal of Range Management, 45(5), 503-506.Publisher
Society for Range ManagementJournal
Journal of Range ManagementDOI
10.2307/4002912Additional Links
https://rangelands.org/Abstract
Cattle grazing has been suggested as a principal cause for poor oak recruitment in California's hardwood rangelands. This study evaluated the effects of stock density and season of grazing on blue oak (Quercus douglasii H. & A.) establishment. In December 1989, seven hundred and twenty blue oak seedlings were planted on 3-m centers in 30 plots in 3 annual grassland pastures at the Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center east of Marysville, Calif. The treatments consisted of 3 seasons X 3 stock densities plus 1 nongrazed control. During January, April, and July of 1990, steers and heifers (mean = 318 kg) were allowed to graze 1 plot per week at low, medium, and high stock densities (2.5, 7.5, and 15.0 head/ha, respectively). Control plots were used to monitor wildlife browsing. One half of all seedling sites received an application of glyphosate prior to transplanting to eliminate grass competition. Browsing and trampling damage were estimated at the end of each treatment. Total damage (sum of browsing and trampling damage), browsing damage, trampling damage, and survival to April 1991 were significantly different for the 9 season and stock density treatments (P < 0.05). Spring and summer grazing tended to be most damaging and resulted in the lowest survival rates. Within each season total damage increased with stock density but survival did not change significantly. Weed control around oak seedlings had no apparent effect on total damage or survival. There were significant differences in browsing damage between seasons but not between control and grazed plots within seasons (P < 0.05). Survival in ungrazed plots was not significantly different (P < 0.05) from the spring and summer grazed plots. Consequently, the contribution of wildlife to reduced blue oak seedling survival in grazed oak woodlands should not be underestimated.Type
textArticle
Language
enISSN
0022-409Xae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.2307/4002912