FPC Review - 2-14

14. LIVESTOCK/RANGE MANGEMENT

ALASKA

Livestock and range management are not covered under forest practice legislation.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Under the Forest Practices Code, Range Use Plans must be prepared by a tenure holder or District Manager for all tenures issued under the Range Act. They must be reviewed every 5 years, or at the expiry of the tenure, whichever comes first. Range Use Plans are subject to public review and comment for a minimum of 30 days, must be consistent with higher-level plans, and must be referred to appropriate resource agencies.

The principle guiding range management is the conservation and protection of healthy, diverse, and self-sustaining ecosystems,... and enhanced production should be achieved through the maintenance rather than manipulation of natural ecosystems. Grazing must be controlled to ensure healthy and productive plant communities. All soil exposed during construction must be revegetated with appropriate species within two years unless otherwise exempted by the District Manager, and harvesting impacts on natural range barriers must be mitigated.

Within riparian management areas and community watersheds, restrictions include: fuelling and servicing of hand-held equipment (e.g. chainsaws); exclusion of bulldozers, skidders and excavators within 5 m of a streambank other than at designated stream crossings or for habitat restoration work; locating developments which would encourage livestock use; building range cabins within riparian areas; and locating livestock corrals within 50m of a stream. Where water quality has been reduced beyond acceptable levels, livestock must be excluded from the watershed until corrective measures are taken, and dead livestock must be removed within 24 hours of discovery.

CALIFORNIA

Range and forage values are generally recognized in the Act, along with other values to be considered when meeting the objectives of maximum sustained production of high quality timber products. However, range and forage values are not covered in the Rules.

FINLAND

The range livestock of Finland are reindeer. They are regulated by the Reindeer Husbandry Act of 1990. Reindeer herding is one of the oldest surviving traditional livelihoods in Finland and is practised in Lapland and the northern part of Oulu province.

Under the Reindeer Husbandry Act, the reindeer area is divided into 57 associations. The reindeer husbandry associations work with local forestry associations during the forest planning process to ensure the protection of reindeer food supplies and travel routes.

Forestry operations in reindeer husbandry areas are subject to special regulations. Harvesting practises and regeneration methods are guided by nature-oriented forestry techniques, defined for forestry practised in restricted parts of wilderness areas (Finnish Forest and Park Service, 1994):

no clearcutting is permitted;
site preparation is avoided where possible;
natural regeneration is used, occasionally supplemented by sowing;
good lichen areas are protected from forest harvesting during the summer months;
tree stands containing beard moss, an important winter food, are left till late winter;
corral fences and reindeer herding routes are given special consideration.

The special regulations do not apply to private forest owners since reindeer husbandry only occurs in northern Finland where the majority of forests are state owned (J. Heino, pers. comm.).

GERMANY

Federal Republic of Germany

Livestock and range management are not considered in the Federal Forest Law. Cattle grazing is regulated in separate legislation. In general, fences are not allowed in the forest and cattle grazing on forest land is prohibited.

Traditional German Law allocated grazing, litter raking, or firewood collection rights, to a land holding, a house, or a community. The rights would stay with the property when ownership changed hands. These rights have not been granted for the last 150 years and changes to legislation are gradually eliminating this practice.

Baden-Wurttemberg

Section 26 of the Forest Law forbids the settlement of new rights for grazing, litter raking or firewood collection. Section 83 specifies a maximum fine of DM 5,000 (approx. $5,500 Canadian) for anyone grazing cattle in the forest without permission.

Bavaria

Range management is regulated by the Law on Forestry Rights, a state law that is separate from the Forest Law. The Law on Forestry Rights authorizes the state to reduce or remove rights granted for forest land. However, there is also a Bavarian Law that requires compensation be paid to farmers who lose the right to graze their cattle in the forest. However, farmers in the Alps still have the right to graze on forest land.

Article 46 of the Forest Law specifies a maximum fine of DM 5,000 (approx. $5,500 Canadian) for unauthorized grazing on forest land. The Forest Law can also prohibit cattle grazing in protection forests.

NOVA SCOTIA

There are no special forest management considerations regarding livestock and range management. However, 2 or 3 blocks of Crown land, included in Community Pasture Lands areas, are administered by the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture. These are old abandoned farms in the middle of forested areas that are managed for pasture. The DNR issues Letters of Authority to allow free ranging cattle, and monitors for any damage to seedlings or to the environment. Under the Letters of Authority, the number of cattle could be restricted should problems be noted (Eidt, pers. comm.).

ONTARIO

Range management provisions are not included in the Ontario forest practices legislation.

OREGON

Range resources and management are covered by legislation other than the Forest Practices Act.

SWEDEN

Range management is not practiced in Sweden. However, Section 31 of the Forestry Act regulates forest management measures that may affect essential reindeer areas. When planning and implementing forest management measures in the area of a traditional Sami peoples village the Act states it is desirable to give annual access to a sufficiently large and cohesive grazing area and to allow an ample amount of vegetation in those areas for reindeer corralling, migration and resting (Section 31, Forestry Act).

TASMANIA

Range Management is not addressed under the Forest Practices Code. However, under the Management Decision Classification System, a Special Management Zone for Agricultural Activity pertains to land on which the grazing of domestic stock occurs or which is cropped and in which this activity is the priority for management (Bird, 1993:5).

UNITED KINGDOM

Range management on forested lands is a very minimal issue in the U.K.. A few areas of hill grazing are leased to farmers. However, tenancy / licence agreements on stocking, fence maintenance etc., are dealt with on a case-by-case basis (Bell, pers. comm.).

U.S. FOREST SERVICE (REGION 6)

Information on range and livestock management was not available.

VICTORIA STATE

The Code of Forest Practices for Timber Production does not address range management issues.

WASHINGTON

Range management is important on some DNR lands and especially on some federal lands (administered by the Bureau of Land Management or U.S. Forest Service) in eastern Washington. However, it is not addressed under forest practices legislation.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Range management is not considered directly within the Code. However, the Conservation and Land Management Act 1984, the Agriculture and Related Resources Protection Act 1976-86, and the Country Areas Water Supply Act 1984-87 must be complied with (COLP, 1990:5).