Regeneration of riparian communities: a comparison between grazed and burned plots
Caroline Janik and Dr. Robin Bingham
Riparian communities are easily damaged by disturbances such as grazing and burning, which disrupt the native plant communities. This study was established to examine the effects of burning and grazing on the riparian community along Los Pinos Creek on Gunnison National Forest land. This study was initiated to monitor the plant communities in three plots, a grazed plot, a burned plot, and an exclosure, in order to determine if differences between the plant communities occurred due to disturbance by fire and cattle grazing. Species diversity was greater in the grazed plot as compared to the burned plot and the exclosure. The percent cover of bare ground showed a significant difference between the three plots, displaying a greater percent cover in the grazed plot. Percent cover of shrub species was determined by using dominance calculations and was found to be greatest in the burned plot. The information from this study is relevant to the management of riparian ecosystems.