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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
ADA - animal days per acre
ADH - animal days per hectare
algal crust - biological soil crust
Allan Savory - The developer of Holistic Management and the concept of brittleness. A former wildlife ranger, farmer, rancher, and politician, he is founder of the Centers for Holistic Management and author of Holistic Management: A New Framework for Decision Making.
The Allan Savory Center for Holistic Management - See Center for Holistic Management
allotment - An area of land for which the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or Forest Service determines the season of use and the number of livestock permitted graziers are allowed to graze. Most allotments are federal rangelands (owned by the U.S. government), but some include intermingled parcels of private, state, or other federal lands.
animal day - (Also stock day) The amount of forage required to support one animal for one day. Pace out a typical section of pasture sufficient to feed one animal for one day. This area contains one animal day of forage. Use this area to estimate the total forage available, or to calculate animal days per acre or hectare. If your forage varies a lot, pace out several samples and average them.
animal days per acre (ADA) or hectare (ADH) - A measure of the forage taken from an area in a specified time, usually per year. The forage may be harvested in several grazings. The formula is:
animal numbers x days of grazing = ADA or ADH
area of land in acres or hectares
Related terms: animal day
animal impact - Everything large animals do physically to land except graze. Includes dunging, urinating, trampling, rubbing, wallowing, salivating, etc. Usually refers mainly to trampling and dunging, which have the most restorative effect on rangelands. High animal impact is generally achieved by herding animals at high stock densities to produce herd effect.
Related terms: disturbance, rest, overrest
Related pages: "Animal impact", "Landscape brittleness and productivity", "How can grazing heal land?"
animal unit - One mature, dry cow (1000 lb/450 kg) or equivalent, based on forage requirement for maintenance of 18-20 lb (8-9 kg) dry matter per day. Varies some with forage quality and stage of pregnancy. Compare Livestock Unit
Related terms: animal day
annual plant - A plant that lives only one year or one growing season. Most crop plants, such as corn and peas, are annuals.
While some annuals have very high biological productivity, annuals in general produce less than perennial plants.
Related terms: solar capture
arid - Having insufficient rainfall to support agriculture without irrigation.
Related terms: brittleness
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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Updated 1 November 2005
URL: managingwholes.com/glossary/a.htm