Economic Impacts of Removing Federal Grazing Used by Cattle Ranches in Idaho, Oregon, and Wyoming

Lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) are an important source of livestock grazing for many ranching operations in the Western United States. There are currently more than 22,000 authorized federal grazing permits representing 15.7 million animal unit months (AUMs) of grazing. Idaho, Oregon and Wyoming are examples of western states where many ranches are dependent on federal grazing. The combined total for the three states is 5,389 federal grazing permits, representing 5.6 million AUMs of grazing. In recent years, the use of federal lands for livestock grazing has become increasingly controversial with some organizations calling for the complete removal of all livestock grazing from public lands. The purpose of this analysis is to estimate the economic impact of removal of federal grazing by cattle on the combined Idaho, Oregon and Wyoming economy. The net effect of removal of federal cattle grazing in the three-state area is estimated to be a loss of $186.2 million in direct economic impact, and a reduction of$560.5 million in total economic impact. These impacts equate to a loss of more than 4,000 jobs and decreased labor income of $205.4 million annually. Due to the cumulative nature of the impact, these negative effects are expected to continue for many years into the future if federal grazing is removed. The analysis indicates that removing federal cattle grazing would have significant negative economic impact on the three-state area, particularly on many rural counties that have sensitive economies due to their dependency on agricultural production and limited alternative employment opportunities

Setting the Land Ablaze: Rancher Perceptions and Experience with Wildfire May Not be a Deterrent to Prescribed Burning on U.S. Central Rocky Mountain Rangelands

Fire is an inherent disturbance in western North American ecosystems, but wildfire mitigation and prescribed fire application is complicated by human social perspectives and behaviors. Given the variability of rancher use of fire within and across regions of the United States, we interviewed thirty-three ranchers in U.S. Central Rocky Mountain (CRM; Montana, Wyoming, Colorado) rangelands to understand how wildfire experiences and perceptions are related with rancher willingness to utilize prescribed fire. Results indicate rancher willingness to utilize prescribed fire in rangeland ecosystems may not be explained by rancher perceptions and experience with wildfire. Specifically, CRM rancher willingness to utilize prescribed fire may not be constrained by wildfire experiences [which was statistically similar between burner (n = 12) and non-burner (n = 21) orientations; all p-values > 0.05] regardless of wildfire proximity (on the ranch or nearby) and may be enhanced by their perceived benefits of wildfires

Setting the Land Ablaze: Rancher Perceptions and Experience with Wildfire May Not be a Deterrent to Prescribed Burning on U.S. Central Rocky Mountain Rangelands

Fire is an inherent disturbance in western North American ecosystems, but wildfire mitigation and prescribed fire application is complicated by human social perspectives and behaviors. Given the variability of rancher use of fire within and across regions of the United States, we interviewed thirty-three ranchers in U.S. Central Rocky Mountain (CRM; Montana, Wyoming, Colorado) rangelands to understand how wildfire experiences and perceptions are related with rancher willingness to utilize prescribed fire. Results indicate rancher willingness to utilize prescribed fire in rangeland ecosystems may not be explained by rancher perceptions and experience with wildfire. Specifically, CRM rancher willingness to utilize prescribed fire may not be constrained by wildfire experiences [which was statistically similar between burner (n = 12) and non-burner (n = 21) orientations; all p-values > 0.05] regardless of wildfire proximity (on the ranch or nearby) and may be enhanced by their perceived benefits of wildfires

Setting the Land Ablaze: Rancher Perceptions and Experience with Wildfire May Not be a Deterrent to Prescribed Burning on U.S. Central Rocky Mountain Rangelands

Fire is an inherent disturbance in western North American ecosystems, but wildfire mitigation and prescribed fire application is complicated by human social perspectives and behaviors. Given the variability of rancher use of fire within and across regions of the United States, we interviewed thirty-three ranchers in U.S. Central Rocky Mountain (CRM; Montana, Wyoming, Colorado) rangelands to understand how wildfire experiences and perceptions are related with rancher willingness to utilize prescribed fire. Results indicate rancher willingness to utilize prescribed fire in rangeland ecosystems may not be explained by rancher perceptions and experience with wildfire. Specifically, CRM rancher willingness to utilize prescribed fire may not be constrained by wildfire experiences [which was statistically similar between burner (n = 12) and non-burner (n = 21) orientations; all p-values > 0.05] regardless of wildfire proximity (on the ranch or nearby) and may be enhanced by their perceived benefits of wildfires

Perceptions of NRCS Assistance with Prescribed Fires on U.S. Private Lands: A Regionally Stratified Case Study

The benefits of prescribed fires are recognized throughout the United States, but the ability to assist with prescribed fire application on private land by government agencies has many possible constraints and challenges. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), a federal agency, is mandated to assist private landowners with meeting land management objectives, but the ability of employees to utilize prescribed fire as a management tool is complex. We conducted a regionally stratified online survey of NRCS employees across the United States to determine the barriers inhibiting their ability to assist private landowners with prescribed fire application. In January of 2020, we recruited 101 NRCS rangeland and grazing land specialists to participate in the survey with 50 completing the survey (regional sample size: Central n = 14, Northeast n = 5, Southeast n = 12, West n = 19). A majority (82%) of respondents thought prescribed fires were staying the same or increasing in number. Regional differences in assistance types were significant for conducting burns and providing technical education, but not for other assistance types. Regional differences for perceived constraints were also significant for how the public understands the risks of prescribed fire and the ecological constraints but not for state policy, federal policy, liability, or public understanding of prescribed fire benefits. Overall and across regions, the NRCS survey participants perceived federal policies, liability, and private landowners’ lack knowledge of prescribed fire limits their ability to assist in the utilization of prescribed fire. Creating a national policy that allows a streamlined process for NRCS employees to assist with prescribed fire implementation and collaborative initiatives to improve private landowner knowledge gaps has the potential to improve prescribed fire application across the United States

Usable Science for Sustainable Rangelands: Conclusions

On the Ground • Producers and users of scientific knowledge working together can identify future research directions that will produce usable science to address the challenges of managing for sustainable rangelands. • Matching the scale of science to the scale of management and ecological and physical processes was a prominent theme identified. • Similar activities in other regions with participants from the energy sector, wildlife organizations, and recreation enthusiasts can provide additional research directions for sustainable rangelands.The Rangelands archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform March 202

Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable

The Rangelands archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform March 202

Putting the Pieces Together: Assessing Social, Ecological, and Economic Rangeland Sustainability

The Rangelands archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform March 202