APPENDIX B

GUIDELINES FOR GRAZING

 
 
September 2012 Lower Sonoran Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan B-1 

APPENDIX B

GUIDELINES FOR GRAZING ADMINISTRATION

The Arizona Standards for Rangeland Health and Guidelines for Grazing Administration (referred to as 

Standards and Guidelines or S&Gs) (BLM 1997) are a series of management practices used to ensure 

that grazing meets the standards for rangeland health, which are referred to in this plan as Land Health 

Standards (see Section 2.7.2, Arizona Land Health Standards). Upland sites, riparian-wetland areas and 

desired resource conditions are each addressed by a standard along with associated guidelines. The 

guidelines are management approaches, methods, and practices that are intended to achieve a standard. 

Guidelines:

1. Typically identify and prescribe methods of influencing or controlling specific public land

uses;

2. Are developed and applied consistent with the desired condition and within site capability;

and

3. May be adjusted over time.

The following guidelines from the S&G are hereby adopted and apply to all areas where grazing occurs.

GUIDELINES FOR STANDARD 1: UPLANDS SITES

1-1. Management activities will maintain or promote ground cover that will provide for infiltration, 

permeability, soil moisture storage, and soil stability appropriate for the ecological sites within 

management units. The ground cover should maintain soil organisms and plants and animals to support 

the hydrologic and nutrient cycles, and energy flow. Ground cover and signs of erosion are surrogate 

measures for hydrologic and nutrient cycles and energy flow.

1-2. When grazing practices alone are not likely to restore areas of low infiltration or permeability, land 

management treatments may be designed and implemented to attain improvement.

GUIDELINES FOR STANDARD 2: RIPARIAN-WETLAND AREAS

2-1. Management practices maintain or promote sufficient vegetation to maintain, improve or restore 

riparian-wetland functions of energy dissipation, sediment capture, groundwater recharge and stream 

bank stability, thus promoting stream channel morphology (e.g., gradient, width/depth ratio, channel 

roughness and sinuosity) and functions appropriate to climate and landform.

2-2. New facilities are located away from riparian-wetland areas if they conflict with achieving or 

maintaining riparian-wetland function. Existing facilities are used in a way that does not conflict with 

riparian-wetland functions or are relocated or modified when incompatible with riparian-wetland 

functions. 
Appendix B. Guidelines for Grazing Administration

B-2 Lower Sonoran Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan September 2012

2-3. The development of springs and seeps or other projects affecting water and associated resources 

shall be designed to protect ecological functions and processes.

GUIDELINES FOR STANDARD 3: DESIRED RESOURCE CONDITIONS

3-1. The use and perpetuation of native species will be emphasized. However, when restoring or 

rehabilitating disturbed or degraded rangelands, non-intrusive, non-native plant species are appropriate 

for use where native species (a) are not available, (b) are not economically feasible, (c) cannot achieve 

ecological objectives as well as non-native species, and/or (d) cannot compete with already established 

non-native species.

3-2. Conservation of Federal threatened or endangered, proposed, candidate, and other special status 

species is promoted by the maintenance or restoration of their habitats.

3-3. Management practices maintain, restore, or enhance water quality in conformance with State or 

Federal standards.

3-4. Intensity, season and frequency of use, and distribution of grazing use should provide for growth 

and reproduction of those plant species needed to reach desired plant community objectives (DPCs).

3-5. Grazing on designated ephemeral (annual and perennial) rangeland may be authorized if the 

following conditions are met:

• Ephemeral vegetation is present in draws, washes, and under shrubs and has grown to 

useable levels at the time grazing begins;

• Sufficient surface and subsurface soil moisture exists for continued plant growth;

• Serviceable waters are capable of providing for proper grazing distribution;

• Sufficient annual vegetation will remain on site to satisfy other resource concerns, (i.e.,

watershed, wildlife, wild horses and burros); and

• Monitoring is conducted during grazing to determine if objectives are being met.

3-6. Management practices will target those populations of noxious weeds which can be controlled or 

eliminated by approved methods.

3-7. Management practices to achieve DPCs will consider protection and conservation of known

cultural resources, including historical sites, and prehistoric sites and plants of significance to Native 

American peoples.

DPC objectives would be quantified for each allotment through the rangeland monitoring and evaluation 

process. Ecological site descriptions available through the Natural Resources Conservation Service 

(NRCS) and other available data will be used as a guide for addressing site capabilities and potentials for 

change over time. These objectives are vegetation values the BLM manages over the long term. Once 

established, DPC objectives would be updated and monitored by the use of indicators for Land Health 

Standard 3.
Appendix B. Guidelines for Grazing Administration

September 2012 Lower Sonoran Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan B-3 

IMPLEMENTING STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES

The authorized officer will review existing permitted livestock use, allotment management plans, or 

other activity plans which identify terms and conditions for management on public land. Existing 

management practices and levels of use on grazing allotments will be reviewed and evaluated on a 

priority basis to determine if they meet, or are making significant progress toward meeting, the 

standards and are in conformance with the guidelines. The review will be interdisciplinary and 

conducted under existing rules which provide for cooperation, coordination, and consultation with 

affected individuals, federal, state, and local agencies, tribal governments, private landowners, and 

interested publics.

This review will use a variety of data, including monitoring records, assessments, and knowledge of the 

locale to assist in making the significant progress determination. Significance will be determined on a 

case by case basis, considering site potential, site condition, weather and financial commitment. It is 

anticipated there will be cases where numerous years will be needed to determine direction and 

magnitude of trend.

Upon completion of review, the authorized officer shall take appropriate action as soon as practicable 

but no later than the start of the next grazing year upon determining that the existing grazing 

management practices or level of use on public land are significant factors contributing to failure to 

achieve the standards and conform with the guidelines that are made effective under 43 CFR 4180.2. 

Appropriate action means implementing actions that will result in significant progress toward fulfillment 

of the standards and significant progress toward conformance with guidelines.

Livestock grazing will continue where significant progress toward meeting standards is being made. 

Additional activities and practices would not be needed on such allotments. Where new activities or 

practices are required to assure significant progress toward meeting standards, livestock grazing use can 

continue contingent upon determinations from monitoring data that the implemented actions are 

effective in making significant progress toward meeting the standards. In some cases, additional action 

may be needed as determined by monitoring data over time.

New plans will incorporate an interdisciplinary team approach (Arizona BLM Interdisciplinary Resource 

Management Handbook, April 1995). The terms and conditions for permitted grazing in these areas will

be developed to comply with the goals and objectives of these plans which will be consistent with the 

standards and guidelines.
Appendix B. Guidelines for Grazing Administration

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