Park Pasture Exposure

1957

1995

2002

Description:

Plate 7X. Park Pasture Exclosure 1957 – 1995 – 2002 Viewed north along the southeast corner of the Park Pasture Aspen Exclosure on the eastside of Boulder Mountain. When this exclosure was established by the Forest Service in 1957, it was part of a joint-use allotment that was heavily grazed by sheep and cattle, as well as mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), which limited aspen (Populus tremuloides) regeneration (Kay and Bartos 2000). With protection from livestock, however, aspen successfully regenerated inside the exclosure, without fire or any other disturbance - - aspen only regenerated outside the exclosure when mule deer numbers fell during the late 1970’s (Kay and Bartos 2000). By 1995, domestic sheep use had been eliminated, range conditions had improved, and soil erosion in the gully had ceased. In 2002, though, the area outside the exclosure had been heavily grazed by cattle, but grass production had also declined inside the exclosure, where livestock have been excluded. This was due to the extended drought that has gripped much of southern Utah for several years. In the distance, willows appear unchanged except where they have been overtopped by spruce (Picea engelmannii). Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and other conifers have also increased on the more distant hillsides. Aspen has not regenerated in recent years inside the exclosure due to repeated browsing by elk (Cervus elaphus) and mule deer (Kay and Bartos 2000).

Photo Information

U.S. Forest Service photograph (unnumbered) taken by H.L. Sorenson in 1957; retakes by Charles E. Kay on August 11, 1995 and July 6, 2002 - - Photo Nos. 3910-31 and 4953-20. Original photo held by the Teasdale Ranger District, Dixie National Forest, Teasdale, UT.

Vegetative Community:

Aspen, Conifer

Location:

South West: Section 22, Range 5 East, Township 31 South; UTM 470000E, 4215800N; elevation 8,720 ft.

January 2018