The Mesquite Problem on Southern Arizona Ranges (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

Kenneth William Parker

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0331427621 ISBN 13: 9780331427622

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

This book reports on an investigation into the negative impact of mesquite trees (Prosopis spp.) on the growth of perennial grasses in the grasslands of southern Arizona. Its findings are based on over 10 years of research on the Santa Rita Experimental Range, a south-eastern Arizona ranch. The author provides compelling evidence of mesquite's encroaching invasion of these grasslands over the past century and the subsequent dramatic decline in native grass forage. The book further establishes a causal link between the increase in mesquite and accelerated sheet and shoe string erosion. The authors suggest grazing by domestic livestock is a contributing factor to the encroachment, as is the cessation of range fires, due to human activity. The book concludes by reporting on the results of an experiment conducted on the Santa Rita Experimental Range where mesquite was eliminated from the landscape and grass cover was subsequently doubled in density. The author suggests the elimination of mesquite on grasslands can lead to the restoration of productive forage for livestock grazing and reduce soil erosion, therefore improving the overall health of the local ecosystem.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0331427621
• ISBN 13: 9780331427622
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 80