The Role of Wet Meadows as Wildlife Habitat in the Southwest

Abstract

There are approximately 43,700 acres of wet meadows on National Forests in the Southwest. Three sites (meadow, transition, and dry forest) influence herbage production and plant composition. Average per acre production for a 3-year period was 2,690 lb, 1,330 lb, and 170 lb in the meadow, transition and surrounding dry forest sites, respectively, for two areas studied. Deer and elk spent more time in the adjacent forest edge than in the meadow, but time spent in the meadow may be more important for quantity and quality of forage.