Range Facts

The B.C. Forest Service Manages range
_ activities on Crown land to promote stewardship

,

management and the sustained development of
rangeland resources.

Rangelands are lands suitable for p Brazing and
browsing by livestack and wildlife. They include
natural grasslands, savannah, shrublands, wet
meadows and forests. Clients include the beed-
ranching industry, commercial horse operators,
sheep producers, hunters, guide/outfitters, First
Nations, wildlife enthusiasts, recreationists,
limber companies and trappers.

‘Managing Range Uses ©

More than two-thirds of the province's forests
support forage used by wildlife and livestock.
‘Variations in climate, soils, elevation, latitude
and topography throughout the province combine
to praduce a wide diversity of plant communities
available for grazing. In B.C., the range resource
is used by livestock (mostly cattle) and wildlile
for food and cover.

Each year the Forest Service issues about 2,000
grazing permits and licences, and about 100 hay:
cutting licences and permits. Approximately $2
million in annual revenue is generated from fees
for forage and administrative services.

People wanting to praze their livestock an
Crown land receive permission via prazing
licences and permits. Grazing licences are valid
for 10 years and permits are available for five
years or less. Grazing permil and licence holders
must haye an approved range-use plan before
allowing their livestock on Crown range. These

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plans outline the number and lype of livestock

season ‘and duration of use, proposed

improvements and other management i use
information.

People watiting hay from Cr own land receive
permission through hay cutting licences or
permits. A hay cutting licence is valid for 10
years and a hay cutting permit is valid for one
year, The permit or licence specifics the location
and quantity of hay that may be harvested, as well
as other conditions the holder must meet. Hay —
cutting licence and permit holders also require
approved range-usc plans before cutling any hay.

Forage consumption is measured in the animal

unit month (AUM). This represents the amount of

forage consumed by an average cow, grazing for
one month. The Forest Service authorizes
approximately one million AUMs of forage lor
use on Crown range each year.

‘The Cariboo and Kamloops forest regions
support about 40 per cent of the province's usable
range and approxiniately 75 per cent of the cattle
grazed under agreement.

Range Resources

Major forage plants include grasses, grass-like
plants, herbs and shrubs.

Grasses used as forage in B.C. include
wheatgrasses, needlegrasses, redlop, bluegrass,
lescues, reedgrass and pinegrass. Grass-like
plants such as sedges and rushes are also used,

Herbs used as forage include fireweed,
peavine, veteh and dandelion.

Shrubs used as forage include big sagebrush,

rabbitbrush, antelopebrush, serviceberry, red-
osier dogwood, aspen, willows and bog birch,
Protecting Range Resources

Forest encroachment is a major threat to the

“sustained availability of forage. Management
~ methods used to offset forage reduction from. .

forest encroachment include prescribed burning,
grass seeding of cutblocks and selective ininning .
of dense forest stands.

Noxious weeds are a major threat to the extent
and candition of the forage base. Noxious weeds
include knapweed, hounds-tongue, toadflax, lealy
spurge and various thistle species.

Control measures for weeds include both
chemical and biological control. Chemical
control is limited to spot application to kill
individual plants. Biocontrol includes the
introduction of insects to reduce weed population
levels. Success in controlling the spread of
knapweed has been achicved with the
introduction of various moths, weevils and .
beetles that feed on different parts of the plant.

Forest Service staff directly invalved in the
Management of the range resource are usually
trained in the agricultural sciences. They are
located throughout the province in 39 of the 43
forest districts, six regions and in Victoria.

Legislation in B.C. governing range
management includes the Range Act, the Forest
Act, the Ministry of Forests Act and the Forest
Practices Code of British Columbia Act.

Standards and practices for rangelands have
been developed to meet the requirements of the
Forest Practices Code. For example, the Farest
Practices Code protects soil {rom inappropriate
range usage,

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