The Ministry of Forests Range Program seeks to protect, conserve and enhance forage and other vegetation, soil and water on Crown rangelands, thereby promoting a healthy and diverse range resource. Sound resource management practices are used to integrate a wide variety of uses and meet the needs of the ranching industry, wildlife and other users. Where appropriate, prescribed burning, grass seeding, water developments and other range improvement activities are carried out to increase rangeland productivity and utilization. Commercial use of Crown forage is administered through grazing and hay-cutting tenures.
In most of the province, the amount of forage available for grazing is determined by professional consideration of plant communities, range types, range developments, forage utilization and available forage production. The example below shows another approach that is being taken by some district staff. For a given range unit, range staff use maps and reports similar to those in Figure 4.9 and Table 4.2 as planning tools. District staff may generate these documents using the Forest Inventory Reporting system.
Figure 4.9 and Table 4.2 provide information about the Summit Lake range unit in the Cariboo Forest Region. The map indicates range administrative boundaries, range developments, natural features and selected general range types for the range unit. The report indicates the available AUMs (column 9), which may be used to plan an appropriate grazing schedule for the range unit.
The first step in developing the range inventory report is to define the attributes of the range unit’s GRTs, including:
the average production of available forage in kilograms per hectare (column 6, Table 4.2)
GRT attributes are site-specific and depend on site-specific edaphic and topographic factors. As the size of a reporting area increases, the variability within each GRT also increases. When district staff report on the attributes of a range unit there is a balance between minimizing the variability within a range type and the ease and economics of identifying and mapping individual plant communities.
Table 4.2 summarizes the attributes of each GRT in the range unit. Although the report calculates 373 available AUMs, the actual tenured use on the Summit Lake unit is 282 AUMs; utilization and distribution checks have shown this to be a safe use. Actual use often varies from net available AUMs. This is probably due to errors in estimating the GRT characteristics shown in the column headings in Table 4.2.
The colour-themed polygons on the map show areas of high livestock use and potential conflicts. The white (unthemed) polygons show areas of low potential conflicts. In the Summit Lake range unit, the report shows that 373 AUMs may be available and that most are in the lodgepole pine forest GRT. Range staff can identify areas of concern by comparing the map and report. Livestock grazing may significantly affect wetland ecosystems, therefore the map has been themed for wetland areas, which make up the third highest available AUMs. The Range Use Plan, which is required under the new Forest Practices Code, can then incorporate these types of concerns into the grazing schedule (timing of grazing and pasture rotations).
Currently, the reporting system relies on the forest cover inventory to estimate the available AUMs. The database now contains most of the administration boundaries, which are used to produce the range unit report. As new corporate inventories such as those being developed by the Resource Inventory Committee (RIC) take shape, separate plant communities on grasslands and wetlands will be mapped, and the reports will rely less on estimates and more on measurements. This process may bring the calculated totals closer to actual use.
Range tenures take the form of grazing permits, granted for periods of one to five years and grazing licences, which have terms of 10 years and require the licensee to produce a tenure management plan for the tenured area. The tenure management plan, which broadly outlines where and when cattle will be grazed, is typically produced by, or in cooperation with Ministry of Forests range staff. Most tenures are replaceable without competition prior to expiry. In 1992-93, the Range Program administered approximately 2 200 tenures.
In areas where forage exceeds the needs of wildlife and other resource users, new grazing permits and licences may be made available and awarded through a process of applicant evaluation.
A provincial summary of grazing permits and licences is shown in Figure 4.10. Figure 4.11 presents the AUMs authorized under grazing permits and licences and the level of use under both tenures. In 1991, for the first time, AUMs issued under licences (499 621) exceeded the number issued under permits (498 418). The significant increase in grazing licences reflects the government’s desire to offer longer-term tenures in response to the 1989 Range Program Review.
A regional summary of the numbers of provincial range tenures (including hay-cutting) is shown in Figure 4.12. Cariboo Forest Region consistently administers the largest number of grazing tenures (average 750 per year). Kamloops (average 510 per year) and Prince George (average 484 per year) rank second and third in number of tenures administered and Nelson (average 259 per year) and Prince Rupert (average 201 per year) are approximately equal in fourth and fifth place. Nelson Forest Region has significant wildlife–livestock conflicts which complicate their tenure administration.
The provincial summary of the number of tenures (including hay-cutting) is shown in Figure 4.13. The number of grazing licences almost doubled between 1987 (463 licences) and 1991 (786 licences), while the total number of tenures decreased from 2304 (1987) to 2185 (1991).
A regional summary of hay harvest is shown in Figure 4.14. Cariboo Forest Region produces approximately 75% of the provincial harvest, Prince George about 10% and Kamloops and Prince Rupert each approximately 5%. A provincial summary of harvested tonnes of hay under licence and permit is shown in Figure 4.15. Since 1984, most hay has been harvested under licence. The total annual hay harvest has remained fairly consistent at approximately 2300 tonnes per year since 1984.
The Range Program has encouraged tenure holders to convert short-term permits to longer-term licences wherever possible. This trend has escalated with the recent introduction of administrative fees for services related to tenure applications, issuance and transfers.
All tenures will require Range Use Plans under the new Forest Practices Code. Range Use Plans will specify goals related to integrated resource management, desired plant communities and the protection and conservation of species and habitats and describe the management practices required to achieve these goals. Differences between licences and permits are diminishing to the point where one form of tenure with varying lengths is being considered.
Short-term, non-replaceable permits were introduced in 1992 for use of temporarily available forage, for example where authorized, allocated AUMs are underused or where future authorized land uses are uncertain.
Non-replaceable permits and special use permits issued under the Forest Act have also been used to accommodate sheep grazing for silviculture purposes.
Forage seeding can dramatically enhance forage production on depleted grasslands. Success of forage seeding operations depends on the seed mixture, site, plant community structure and prevailing weather from the time of seeding to forage establishment. Approximately 45 000 hectares of grasslands in the Bunchgrass zone have been seeded to date, using specialized equipment that tills, seeds and packs the soil in one pass.
Fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter seeding of clearcuts to increase the supply of livestock forage has been a common practice in B.C. since the 1960s. Forage seeding on forest cutblocks serves several purposes:
Forage seeding has been successful in maintaining or increasing the forage available for livestock — especially in areas such as interior Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine forests where the forage supply has been reduced due to forest encroachment.
Grassland fertilization, especially with nitrogen, also appears promising for increasing grassland forage production. The effects of fertilization can remain for up to 10 years after initial nitrogen applications.
Table 4.3 summarizes range improvements since the 1984 FRRA. Disturbed forest land, mainly post-logging treatment areas, has reveived the most range improvements. Grassland rehabilitation is the second largest category, followed by weed control in third place. The number of fencing and water developments has been decreasing since 1990, as has the seeding of forest land.
The Range Program funds only those range developments required to mitigate conflict. For example, priority funding may be provided to range developments where wildlife and cattle use conflict or where sensitive riparian habitat must be maintained. Most developments on Crown range were authorized and built to ministry standards. Funding arrangements for these developments varied. Some were wholly funded by tenure holders, the ministry or other government agencies. Others were funded by cost-sharing agreements. Generally, the range or forest licensee benefiting from the range development is responsible for its construction and maintenance. The replacement value of development infrastructure on Crown lands is currently estimated at many tens of millions of dollars.
Between 1983 and 1993 range development funding by the Ministry of Forests fluctuated considerably due to changes in federal and provincial polices and program budgets. Emphasis in funding shifted from construction of fences to developments such as waterholes and seeded areas. Recent announcements associated with the Commission on Resources and Environment (CORE) have included range development components, such as the recently established Grazing Enhancement Fund. Complete details of these components are not available at this time.
