Rangeland and Grazing

This land was privately cleared and grazed prior to acquisition by the US Forest Service. In 2001 the Forest Service designated 4 open pastures, totaling 125 acres, as a permitted cattle grazing allotment called “Mark Twain Allotment,” for its proximity to the Mark Twain School in Taney County. The pastures are composed of a mix of tall fescue and native warm season grasses and forbs. It was grazed annually by cattle with oversight from the Forest Service until 2016. From the winter of 2017 to mid-summer of 2018 no grazing or active vegetation management took place, resulting in expansion of present Sericea lespedeza infestations, and dense woody encroachment in several pastures.

In 2001, the Tumbling Creek Cavesnail (Antrobia culveri) was listed as a Federally Endangered Species. This snail species is found only in the cave stream of Tumbling Creek Cave in Taney County, Missouri, less than 5 air miles from the Mark Twain Allotment. When the hydrological recharge area for the cave stream was mapped, it was determined that 25% of the recharge area is on Forest Service land, including the Mark Twain Allotment. The 2005 Forest Plan authorizes the use of herbicide in the recharge area unless precipitation is predicted within 72 hours, in order to mitigate effects on the snail. Due to the critical condition of the cavesnail population, Forest Service managers have not implemented herbicide treatments for invasives in this allotment since 2014.

On February 15, 2018, the 1,900 acre Rozell Wildfire burned across approximately 85% of the allotment, resulting in top-kill of the encroaching woody species, which averaged 6 feet tall at 1 inch diameter. Following the wildfire, in May of 2018, Forest Service brush hogged the standing dead woody species in the pastures to facilitate access for future vegetation management actions.

In 2018, Mark Twain National Forest added a new tool to it's integrated pest management toolbox by implementing a service contract for prescriptive goat grazing. Two Missouri ranchers were contracted to supply goats for small area targeted grazing, large area prescriptive grazing, and woody shrub understory grazing projects. The Mark Twain Allotment, with its proximity to the endangered cave snail, was a perfect opportunity to utilize this new chemical-free invasive management method.

Goats, contracted through Loren Steele of Living Lands, LLC, were put on the allotment in August, 2018. Portable electric net fencing was used to sequester the goat herd to several acres of pasture at a time, until target species were reduced by at least 80%. The foragers were rotated through all sections of the allotment once from August through early October. The contractor began with around 200 nannies and kids, and increased the herd size to over 800 goats in order to maximize the grazing pressure and ensure two grazing cycles would be completed before the dormant season.

The first prescriptive grazing project on this district of the forest was successful from both logistical and management objective standpoints. Loren Steele worked closely with the Forest Service to adaptively meet the expectations of the project. More than 80 percent of the invasive populations were successfully defoliated and were prevented from producing seed before the dormant season. Beefsteak (Perilla frutescens), which is toxic to livestock, was the only invasive not consumed by the goats. The post-fire resprouts of woody species in the pastures were also heavily grazed which constrained or killed the majority of the respouting stems. Following defoliation, a flush of annual ragweed emerged in a high percent of several of the pastures.

The Forest Service will continue prescriptive goat grazing here in 2019, monitoring the response of invasive species populations and native warm season grass and forbs. During the summer of 2019, contracted goats will be rotated twice through this allotment, with 3-5 weeks between grazing. A soil seedbank study will be conducted to monitor the effect on the Sericea lespedeza seedbank over time.

In response to this work, Loren Steele, Living Lands, LLC. Rancher, commented,

“The goats loved this project. Goats are a natural match for decreasing seed set of sericea lespedeza and defoliating, which stresses, small woody plants. Additionally, the goats were able to control invasive and woody species in some hard-to-get-to locations such as draws and field edges where mechanical and chemical treatment is difficult. We were glad to be able to provide control of invasive plant and brush species in a natural and herbicide-free manner in an ecologically sensitive area.”

The land adjacent to the north of this allotment is dolomite glade habitat that has been under prescribed fire management by Forest Service for many years. It has a rich diversity of native grasses and forbs, including Purple Beardtongue (Penstemon cobaea var. purpureus). Control of invasive species in the allotment should help prevent invasive populations from spreading into the glade.