The Effects of Grazing and Trampling upon Certain Soil Properties

Maximum livestock gains on native grasslands can be secured only if the range is maintained to provide optimum conditions for growth and reproduction. This necessarily involves a thorough knowledge of both vegetation and soils. Much research has been done on effects of grazing on vegetation but relatively little has included soil studies. Lodge (1954) reported the effects of heavy grazing on chemical and structural conditions in the soil and on the phosphorus and protein content of forage in the mixed prairie of Saskatchewan. Chandler (1940) studied the influence of grazing on soil and climatic conditions in farm woodlands in New York. He found decreases in soil moisture, organic matter, and relative humidity, and increases in bulk density and soil and air temperatures in grazed areas. The purpose of this study, carried out in 1954, was to obtain basic information about the effects of grazing and trampling on various physical properties of the soil. Included are data on soil texture, moisture, rate of infiltration, degree of compaction, aggregate stability, and yields of vegetation under three intensities of grazing. The sites studied were in two pastures. One, located 2 miles south and 2.5 miles west of Hays, Kansas, was composed of approximately 100