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Publication Date

1977

Description

Efficient land utilization is essential to meet the growing requirements of an expanding population. The large low-producing pinyon­juniper woodland of the United States offers potential for increased production to meet additional livestock, wildlife, and watershed needs. Through a multiple-use planning pro­cess which determines areas suitable for in­creasing production by mechanical conversion of vegetative types and an environmental anal­ysis procedure which determines the benefits and adverse impacts of such actions, decisions can be made to undertake treatment in an environmentally acceptable manner. The Bureau of Land Management has me­chanically converted over 200,000 hectares of pinyon-juniper to a more diversified and pro­ductive shrub-grass type. Though environmen­tal impacts are substantial with regard to esthet­ic values, vegetation removal, and disrupted animal communities, the productivity of treated sites has increased significantly. Environmental and economic benefits reflect positive advan­tages in undertaking this type of conversion program as an aid to rangeland management production.

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Aid to rangeland management. Mechanical type conversion of woodland areas

Efficient land utilization is essential to meet the growing requirements of an expanding population. The large low-producing pinyon­juniper woodland of the United States offers potential for increased production to meet additional livestock, wildlife, and watershed needs. Through a multiple-use planning pro­cess which determines areas suitable for in­creasing production by mechanical conversion of vegetative types and an environmental anal­ysis procedure which determines the benefits and adverse impacts of such actions, decisions can be made to undertake treatment in an environmentally acceptable manner. The Bureau of Land Management has me­chanically converted over 200,000 hectares of pinyon-juniper to a more diversified and pro­ductive shrub-grass type. Though environmen­tal impacts are substantial with regard to esthet­ic values, vegetation removal, and disrupted animal communities, the productivity of treated sites has increased significantly. Environmental and economic benefits reflect positive advan­tages in undertaking this type of conversion program as an aid to rangeland management production.