VEGETAL CHANGE ON A NORTHERN UTAH FOOTHILL RANGE IN THE ABSENCE OF LIVESTOCK GRAZING BETWEEN 1948 AND 1982

Reexamination of a semiarid foothill rangeland, first evaluated in 194 8, indicated that secondary succession continues to shift toward a per ennial grass-forb community formerly dominated by xeric shrubs, partic ularly big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata spp. vaseyana). The direct role of livestock grazing in establishment and maintenance of shrub-do minant plant communities appears confirmed in the decline of shrubs up on cessation of livestock grazing in summer and continued browsing by mule deer in winter. The reduction of shrub forages on mule deer winte r ranges is a major factor in population declines.