Effect of Grazing on Soil Compaction as Measured by Bulk Density on A High Elevation Cattle Range

Bulk density of the soil in grazed plots was similar to that in ungrazed exclosures both in early summer before grazing and in late summer after grazing. Increases in bulk density during the summer both in grazed and ungrazed areas were attributed to changes in soil moisture. Soils in early summer were moist and swollen and thus weighed less per unit volume than did the dry soils in late summer.