The photo above shows what was once a lush aspen grove. Aspens, willows and cottonwoods regenerate from suckers coming up from the roots. Decades of grazing removes the young shoots each and every spring. Over time the parent trees die from old age. With no young trees to replace them the root systems that holds the soil together rots.
Rapid erosion begins, the stream down cuts lowering the water table.
You see the results. Domestic livestock grazing the young shoots destroyed this stand of trees, lowered the water table and forever reduced the forage available for livestock and wildlife. The long term effects of grazing is clear. In New Mexico, West Texas, Arizona and Colorado, where domestic livestock have been grazing for 300 years, you can see the end game. This process is called desertification .