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<br />~. <br /> <br />\ <br />I <br />" <br /> <br />WATERSHED MANAGEMENT - MANITOU EXPERIMENTAL FOREST <br /> <br />'\ <br /> <br />Research results obtained by the Rocky Mountain Forest and Range <br />Exxperiment Station at its Manitou Experimental Forest offer sorne clues to <br />the solution of flood problellS. The Manitou Experimental Forest is located <br />west of the Rampart Range on Trout Creek. This is a typical area of the Front <br />Range in the Fonderosa pine zone. Since the vegetative type, soils and topo- <br />graphy are almost identical to those of the Black Forest. the research re- <br />sults at this station should apply equally well to the area in question. <br /> <br />"The following data are taken from the 1948 annual report of the Rtllcky <br />Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station I <br /> <br />I' <br />, <br />\ <br />'t <br />t <br /> <br />"Permanent bunchgrass plots show increased run-off <br />and erosion as a result of cattle grazing <br /> <br />"'Since 1938 run-off and erosion have been measured from a series of six <br />permanently established plots in the bunchgrass type at Manitou Experimental <br />Forest. Each plot is 1/100 acre in area and equipped with catchment tanks to <br />provide a measure of run-off and soil movement produced by natural precipita- <br />tion. <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />"In August 1941 treatment was applied by hand-clipping to simulate grazing, <br />but in succeeding years cattle were used and were controlled with an electric <br />fence. Each year two plots have been grazed heavily, two mOderately, and two <br />have been left untouched. Since treatment began there have been a total of <br />59 storms during late spring, summer, and early-fall months, causing measurable <br />run-off, and 10 storms sufficient to produce erosion (see Table 2). <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />I <br />I. <br /> <br /> ~Table 2. -- Run-off and erosion from bunchgrass plots since grazing <br /> treatment began in 1941 <br /> A. Run-off in-inches depth <br /> : Grazing intensity <br /> Year :Number of storms: Hear,f . Moderate I None <br /> . <br /> 1941 3 .02 .02- .01 <br /> 1942 3 .04 .03 .03 <br />^ 1943 6 .16 .16 .12 <br /> 1944 7 .66 .43 .25 <br /> 1945 J,3 1,96 1.05 .83 <br /> 1946 4 .11 .09 .01 <br /> 1947 14 .53 .25 .08 <br /> 1948 ...2 .19 A .06 <br /> - <br /> Total 59 3.67 2.20 1.39 <br /> - - - - ------ ------ - - - - ----- - - - - <br /> <br /> <br />