Ecological benefits of strategically applied livestock grazing in sagebrush communities

Authors: Davies, Kirk; Boyd, Chad; Bates, Jonathan - Jon; Svejcar, Lauren; Porensky, Lauren

Submitted to: Ecosphere
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/8/2024
Publication Date: 5/22/2024
Citation: Davies, K.W., Boyd, C.S., Bates, J.D., Svejcar, L.N., Porensky, L.M. 2024. Ecological benefits of strategically applied livestock grazing in sagebrush communities. Ecosphere. 15(5). Article e4859. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4859.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4859

Interpretive Summary: Grazing by livestock is the most common land use of sagebrush communities in western North America. There is concern about the negative impacts of mismanaged livestock grazing. However, the potential for ecological benefits from livestock grazing is often overlooked, which limits management options that may achieved desired outcomes. To improve management, we synthesized the literature to investigate and identify potential ecological benefits of strategically applied livestock grazing in sagebrush communities. We found that strategic grazing can modify fuels in ways that decrease fire probability and severity. Strategic grazing can also reduce invasive annual grasses, favor native species in introduced grasslands, and promote shrub recovery post-fire. This research is of interest to policy makers, scientists, natural resource and fire managers, and the general public.

Technical Abstract: There are concerns about the negative consequences of non-native livestock grazing of sagebrush communities, especially since these communities are experiencing unpreceded threats from invasive annual grasses, altered fire regimes, and climate change. The narrative around grazing often focuses on the effects of heavy, repeated growing season use that were common historically but now are rare or localized (e.g., near water sources). At the same time, the potential for ecological benefits of strategically applied grazing is often overlooked, limiting management options that may promote desired outcomes. To improve management in the face of unprecedented threats, we synthesized the literature to investigate and identify potential ecological benefits of strategically applied livestock grazing in sagebrush communities. We found that grazing can be used to modify fine fuel characteristics in ways that decrease fire probability and severity in sagebrush communities. Pre-fire moderate grazing may be especially important because it decreases fire severity and, thereby, promotes biodiversity and reduces postfire annual grass invasion, fire-induced mortality of native bunchgrasses, and fire damage to soil biocrusts. Grazing can create and maintain fine fuel breaks to improve firefighter safety and fire suppression efficiency. Strategic grazing can also be used to promote desirable plant community composition. Grazing can be a valuable tool, that is currently underutilized, for achieving desired management outcomes in the sagebrush and likely other ecosystems. Improper grazing can generate severe negative consequences; therefore, successful application of grazing to achieve desired outcomes will require careful attention to plant community response and balancing management objectives with community constraints.