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During 1976 a study of annual production and cover (litter + rock + vegetation) on various range improvement practices was conducted in Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. The range improvement practices studied included gully plugs, contour furrowing, pitting, pinyon-juniper chaining, and various sagebrush control treatments. Results from studies of annual production on treated vs untreated sites indicated that: (a) about 33% of the contour furrowed sites had significant increases in annual production. Best responses were found on loam and clay loam soils, while soils of sandy loam or clay texture indicated a poor response to treatment. Soils classified as typical ustifluvents and ustollic haplargids were most favorable in terms of increased production; (b) annual production on pinyon-juniper chainings was significantly increased across a variety of soil types (growth of trees excluded). The greatest increases in production were measured on sites with loam soils classified as typic haplustolls; (c) neither of the two pitting treatments on a clay and a sandy clay loam site indicated increased annual production; (d) less than 50% of the various sagebrush treatments indicated increased annual production. There appears to be a general trend for best responses on loam soils, though significant decreases in production were also indicated on this type of soil; (e) plowing was the least successful sagebrush treatment studied. Best cover responses on the various range improvement practices were found on contour furrowing treatments on sandy clay loam and loam textured soils and on typic torriorthent or ustic torriorthent soil types. Though significant cover increases due to chaining of pinyon and juniper were noted on 57% of the treatments, on a variety of soil textures and soil types, the The author\ are gr”duate research as\~bmnt and itssocme professor, Rangeland Hydrology, Wxershed Science Unit, College of Natural Resources, Utah State Unl\cr\lty. Logan 81372. rhc rexarch wa\ supported jointly by the Bureau of Land M;magement (Contract i2500-CTS-16) and the Utah Aprudtural Exrxrimrnt Starmn. Protect 412. ‘Ihe authors would like to thank Dr AI South&d. Depart”,& of Soil\ and B~>nxieorology, Utah State Un~wr\~ty, for hi\ assistzmw I” classification of soil\. Journal Paper X80, Utah Aprtcultural Experiment Station. ,Manu\crtpt rccelwd March 28, 1’>78. 134 increases were uniformly small (tree cover included) and no clear pattern emerged with either soil texture or soil type. Only about 20% of the various sagebrush treatments showed significant increases in cover; 10% indicated decreased cover, and there was no impact on cover on the remaining 70% of the treatments. Pitting treatments in this study had no impact on cover. Age of contour furrow treatments made little difference as to whether there was a significant increase or decrease in either production or cover. Cover data from pinyon-juniper chainings indicate either that significant increases in cover (if they occur) are slightly more dramatic on more recent treatments, or that treatments approximately 11 years old represent conditions most ideal for enhanced cover. The former interpretation is probably more nearly correct. Production data suggests that pinyon-juniper sites chained since 1964 are not as favorable in terms of increased production as those chained prior to 1964. Age of sagebrush treatment had no impact on significant changes in cover; however, a general trend indicated that production increases are slightly higher for more recent sagebrush ripping and sagebrush chaining treatments than for older ones. The upper and lower Colorado River basins, rapidly growing in population and size, face increasing problems concerning water quality. The concern is particularly noticeable in terms of the increasing dissolved solid content of the Colorado River itself. The growing awareness that chemical constituents are an integral part of the hydrologic system has led to a greater emphasis on determining sources and causes of dissolved solids and their relationship to physical system parameters. One particular aspect of current interest is the determination of the impacts of various rangeland manipulation treatments on salinity. If such impacts can be identified, then strategies may be developed for decreasing the salinity problem and improving water quality. The major emphasis of this study is directed to the practical application of range improvement practices for eventual formulation of land management programs that may JOURNAL OF RANGE MANAGEMENT32(2), March 1979 influence infiltration and surface run-off and help reduce the and Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) are the dominant species diffuse salt production from wildland watersheds. that are found mainly on mountain slopes, plateaus, and foothill The objective of this study was to determine the impact of terraces on shallow and stony areas where the climate is dry-subhumid existing land treatments on watershed cover and annual proDuring the period from 1945 to 1970, vegetation conversion duction. Reviews of the impact of various range improvements practices were attempted on the various study sites. The primary practices on selected watershed characteristics have recently purpose of the conversion practices was to improve range condition been given by Gifford (1975) and Wight (1975). through increasing soil moisture, grazing capacity, and nutritional value of forage. Crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum), tall wheatgrass (Agropyron elongatum), western wheatgrass (Agropyron General Description of Study Area smithii), Russian wildrye (Elymus juncus), side-oats grama (BouteThe 73 study sites are located primarily in Utah, Colorado, and New loua curtipendula), alkali sacaton (Sporobolus airoides), sand dropMexico, with one site in Arizona. The range improvement practices seed (Sporobolus cryptandrus), sweet clover (Mellilotous officinalis), studied included contour furrowing (11 sites), pitting (2 sites), and fourwing saltbush (Atriplex cunescens), are the main species pinyon-juniper chaining (14 sites), gully plugs (6 sites), and various which were seeded on the various sites. sagebrush control treatments (40 sites). The sites in Utah (32 sites) lie primarily in Grand, Emery, Carbon, and San Juan counties; in Methods and Procedure Colorado (12 sites) Montrose, Gunnison, Dolores, and San Miguel This study was initiated early in 1976. Job documentation reports counties; in New Mexico (28 sites), Valencia, Sandoval, Rio Arriba, and information from the appropriate Bureau of Land Management and San Juan counties; and Maricopa county in Arizona (1 site). districts on the age of various range improvement treatments, acreage The highest point among the sites is 2,438 m above sea level in San involved, geographic location, and methods of applying treatments Juan county in Utah, and the lowest is 396 m in Maricopa county in were used for determining the approximate number of sites to be Arizona. The Canyonlands country, located in the Colorado plateau sampled. Topographical maps were used to determine the general province, is characterized by many deep, rugged canyons through location of various sites, while field visits established the exact which flows the Colorado River. The major part of the area is location of sampling sites. Specific criteria such as the representativecomposed of tablelands, or mesas, and the topography is undulating to ness of the general area were considered in final site selections. gently rolling. In Colorado and New Mexico the terrain is gentle, and A “treated” and nearby similar “untreated” sampling site, each the sites are located mainly on recent alluvium and alluvial fans. with an area of approximately 23,409 m2 (2.3 ha), were selected for Generally, pinyon-juniper chaining practices are located at higher each treatment location. All on-site measurements and observations elevations in rougher terrains than are most of the other improvement were taken only once at each site. Statistical evaluations were made of practices. The mean annual temperature among the various sites treated vs untreated conditions within a given location for a single ranges from 9.4”C to 11.6”C. Most of the sites, except those at higher sampling date. elevations, have a mesic soil temperature regime. The higher elevation Soil at all sites was classified in the field according to procedures sites are considered frigid. outlined in U.S. Dep. Agr. Handbook No. 436 (1975). Precipitation varies markedly among the sites, with the average Current year’s production of all species present (green weight annual precipitation varying from 18 cm to almost 75 cm. The climate estimates were later converted to air-dry weight) in “treated” and is characterized by cold winters and relatively hot and dry summers, nearby “untreated” sites was measured using a double-sampling with the highest rainfall in August, September and October, and the technique modified after the weight estimate method (Pechanec and lowest during May and June. Much of the precipitation in summer falls Pickford 1937). Production was not determined on gully plug treatas showers and the resulting moisture is rapidly evaporated or merits. Samples were taken along transect lines using a circular transpired. 0.89-m” (9.6-ft’) hoop at intervals of 18 m between plots. TwentyParent material on the study sites varies. Most of the soils on the five random plots were selected and measured on each area and every gully plug sites, and also on a few contour furrow sites, were formed fifth plot (beginning with the first) was also clipped. Regression on parent materials derived from soft shale and sandstone of Cretacetechniques were used to adjust all estimated plots. Production ous and early Tertiary ages called the Mancos formation (Wilson measurements were taken only on ungrazed or lightly grazed portions 1975). Other sources of parent materials include a brown mant

Impact of Various Range Improvement Practices on Watershed Protective Cover and Annual Production within the Colorado River Basin