Range plant community types and carrying capacity for the upper foothills subregion of Alberta: fifth approximation /

Abstract

The Upper Foothills subregion is found elevationally below the Subalpine and above the Lower Foothills subregions. It is dominated by closed canopied lodgepole pine forests. In the valley bottoms the shrub and grassland community types are a classic example of multiple use land, providing summer range for livestock, prime habitat for many species of wildlife, productive watersheds, and recreational areas. Despite the importance of these vegetation types for livestock grazing, there is little information available on how grazing affects their production. There is little information on forage productivity, carrying capacity and the associated community types with grazing. The lack of information makes it very difficult to development management prescriptions for multiple use. As a result a "Carrying capacity guide" was developed for the Upper Foothills subregion to provide a framework that would easily group the vegetative community types. It is hoped this classification system can be used by field staff to assess carrying capacity and evaluate range condition on lands within the region.