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Cow days re-surface in Cleveland National Forest
$1.35 per animal unit month
Cattle have helped ward off the sprawl which has ravaged the ranches of Rancho Bernardo, Scripps, Otay, and Penasquitos.
Starting next summer, more cows may be foraging in an area of Cleveland National Forest where grazing has been sporadic and unpermitted since the 2003 Cedar Fire.
The proposed Sill Hill grazing allotment near the Cha’chaany Hamuk trailhead would combine portions of two historic allotments and grassland areas along Boulder Creek Road between the Inaja Reservation and Three Sisters trailhead.
The proposed Sill Hill grazing allotment would combine portions of grassland areas along Boulder Creek Road between the Inaja Reservation and Three Sisters trailhead.
To reduce wildfire intensity in the bone-dry area, managed grazing is proposed to prevent the takeover of annual grass thatch and other fine fuels. Figuring out the "cow days," a measure of how long a pasture can support a certain number of hungry ruminants, is part of the plan.
The project was proposed in December by the Palomar Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest, which is is divided into three districts (besides Palomar are Descanso — the mountain area south of Palomar Mountain and north of the Mexican border — and the Trabuco District which covers much of the Santa Ana Mountains in Orange County).
The new forage area will have a main unit of 323 acres, allowing up to 30 animals to be grazed no more than five months a year "unless conditions warrant a longer grazing season to meet fuels goals."
A northern unit of 133 acres will be a year-round on-off allotment using fewer animals because cattle get to the area from a much larger sweep of private lands, where most of the forage and water is found.
According to the proposal, grazing will be managed by leaving enough standing forage and dry matter to prevent erosion, and possibly reducing livestock numbers in dry years or if resources dwindle.
Duncan McFetridge: "If we lose our ranches to development we lose our forest..."
Grazing has long been considered a legitimate use of public forests. More recently, it's been used to control vegetation.
Studies have found fuel loads are reduced not only by targeted or "prescribed herbivory" (like using goat herds) but also by conventional grazing. Cattle grazing can reduce fuel between 174 and 1,020 pounds per grazed acre.
The current grazing fee for cattle on US Forest Service lands is $1.35 per "animal unit month" which is the use of public lands by one cow and calf. Nearly 6,250 permits were issued for this year by the Forest Service.
One downside to grazing on public lands is the trampling of native ecosystems, water pollution and erosion as plants are gobbled down. Conservation groups in central California have filed several lawsuits against the Forest Service over grazing in sensitive areas.
And one long battle over historic cattle ranching recently ended most grazing at Point Reyes National Seashore.
But cattle ranching in San Diego, which is almost all family-owned and -run, has helped ward off one of the biggest threats to the backcountry. Sprawl development has ravaged the county's historic ranches, such as Rancho Bernardo, Scripps, Otay, and Penasquitos, says Duncan McFetridge, a founder of the Cleveland National Forest Foundation.
"If we lose our ranches to development we lose our forest, and grazing allotments when properly managed are important for the survival of many ranches."
Here's something you might be interested in.
Cow days re-surface in Cleveland National Forest
$1.35 per animal unit month
Cow days re-surface in Cleveland National Forest
$1.35 per animal unit month
Cattle have helped ward off the sprawl which has ravaged the ranches of Rancho Bernardo, Scripps, Otay, and Penasquitos.
Starting next summer, more cows may be foraging in an area of Cleveland National Forest where grazing has been sporadic and unpermitted since the 2003 Cedar Fire.
The proposed Sill Hill grazing allotment near the Cha’chaany Hamuk trailhead would combine portions of two historic allotments and grassland areas along Boulder Creek Road between the Inaja Reservation and Three Sisters trailhead.
The proposed Sill Hill grazing allotment would combine portions of grassland areas along Boulder Creek Road between the Inaja Reservation and Three Sisters trailhead.
To reduce wildfire intensity in the bone-dry area, managed grazing is proposed to prevent the takeover of annual grass thatch and other fine fuels. Figuring out the "cow days," a measure of how long a pasture can support a certain number of hungry ruminants, is part of the plan.
The project was proposed in December by the Palomar Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest, which is is divided into three districts (besides Palomar are Descanso — the mountain area south of Palomar Mountain and north of the Mexican border — and the Trabuco District which covers much of the Santa Ana Mountains in Orange County).
The new forage area will have a main unit of 323 acres, allowing up to 30 animals to be grazed no more than five months a year "unless conditions warrant a longer grazing season to meet fuels goals."
A northern unit of 133 acres will be a year-round on-off allotment using fewer animals because cattle get to the area from a much larger sweep of private lands, where most of the forage and water is found.
According to the proposal, grazing will be managed by leaving enough standing forage and dry matter to prevent erosion, and possibly reducing livestock numbers in dry years or if resources dwindle.
Duncan McFetridge: "If we lose our ranches to development we lose our forest..."
Grazing has long been considered a legitimate use of public forests. More recently, it's been used to control vegetation.
Studies have found fuel loads are reduced not only by targeted or "prescribed herbivory" (like using goat herds) but also by conventional grazing. Cattle grazing can reduce fuel between 174 and 1,020 pounds per grazed acre.
The current grazing fee for cattle on US Forest Service lands is $1.35 per "animal unit month" which is the use of public lands by one cow and calf. Nearly 6,250 permits were issued for this year by the Forest Service.
One downside to grazing on public lands is the trampling of native ecosystems, water pollution and erosion as plants are gobbled down. Conservation groups in central California have filed several lawsuits against the Forest Service over grazing in sensitive areas.
And one long battle over historic cattle ranching recently ended most grazing at Point Reyes National Seashore.
But cattle ranching in San Diego, which is almost all family-owned and -run, has helped ward off one of the biggest threats to the backcountry. Sprawl development has ravaged the county's historic ranches, such as Rancho Bernardo, Scripps, Otay, and Penasquitos, says Duncan McFetridge, a founder of the Cleveland National Forest Foundation.
"If we lose our ranches to development we lose our forest, and grazing allotments when properly managed are important for the survival of many ranches."
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