Conservation groups submitted a letter in mid-July to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, concerned with livestock grazing on national forest lands during times of extreme drought.
The letter, signed by about three dozen conservation and horse advocacy groups, requests stocking rates to be substantially reduced on the lands.
“Without sufficient drought response mechanisms, the national forests continue to allow heavy consumption of drought-depleted vegetation by authorizing livestock numbers that are incorporated in permits, most of which were developed without consideration of increasing drought or heat,” the letter read.
The groups concluded the letter by asking for an emergency directive to be issued for reduced stocking rates on lands experiencing D3 or D4 drought conditions; and formal rulemaking processes to develop regulations for the Forest Service grazing program regarding climate and conservation.
