Cattle grazing for brush
control. Guggenmoos, S.,
Karpovich, K.G.
Maintenance of a power line compatible plant community on right of ways
requires periodic interventions. The intervention normally consists of
mechanical clearing followed by herbicide applications. A distribution
line right of way southwest of Camrose, Alberta was recleared in 1986.
Cattle were used to graze .58 ha of right of way in 1988 and 1989.
Grazing area for the cattle was restricted by the placement of electric
fences. The landowner decided when feed remaining on the right of way was
limiting to his cattle and released them to other pasture. Regrowth
height of poplar spp averaged 77cm before initiation of grazing. On
November 14, 1989 six randomly selected 40 square metre plots were evaluated
for the number of poplar stems and the average height. The same
observations were made in an adjacent ungrazed check.
Impact of 2 seasons grazing
Sprouts/
%
of
Average
% of
Plot
40 sq. m1
Check
Height(cm)1
Check
Check
176
-
140
-
1
110
62.5
90
64.3
2
95
54.0
65
46.4
3
89
50.6
60
42.9
4
151
85.8
50
35.7
5
103
58.5
60
42.9
6
234
132.9
99
70.7
Treatment
130
74.1
70.7
50.5
Mean
1
Student T-test t.05 indicates check and treated sample values should not be
considered different
The grazing appeared to decrease the density of the regrowth and halve the
height. A Student
T-test (t.05) for small sample size however, does not support a conclusion of
differences in
density nor average height between the grazed areas and the check plot.
This result does not
justify the additional costs in labour and fencing involved in forcing the
cattle to graze the
right of way. (TransAlta Utilities, Sherwood Park, Alberta)