Soil, Vegetation, and Hydrologic Responses to Grazing Management at Fort Stanton, New Mexico

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate vegetation, soils, infiltration rates, and sediment production as they relate to livestock exclusion, continuous heavy grazing, continuous moderate grazing, and rotation grazing on a homogeneous plant-soil complex. The exclusion of livestock resulted in infiltration rates significantly higher than when the pastures were grazed in any system. No differences were found between heavily and moderately stocked pastures. This was attributed to organic matter additions from forbs that replaced grasses when the area was heavily grazed. The rotation treatment had infiltration rates that were lower than the exclosures or continuous grazing treatments. Sediment production from interrill erosion was similar in all treatments except when the livestock were concentrated into a fourth of the rotation system's area, which resulted in higher sediment levels.