LUBBOCK, TX – Interior is expanding the role of livestock grazing in federal rangeland management, directing agencies to use grazing where appropriate to reduce fuel loads, control invasive grasses and lower wildfire risk.
The new Secretarial Order sets a policy goal of maintaining or increasing grazing capacity on Interior-managed lands with no net loss of Animal Unit Months. Agencies are also instructed to improve rangeland resilience and forage availability.
BLM must inventory suspended Animal Unit Months, including older suspensions, and develop a process for possible reinstatement where forage and rangeland conditions support additional use. Priority areas may include locations with high wildfire risk or strong local grazing demand.
The order also calls for closer coordination before and after wildfires, including fuel treatments, targeted grazing, reseeding and plans for returning livestock to burned allotments once recovery standards are met.
Interior will develop a broader Rangeland Health Initiative over the next six months, with recommendations on grazing capacity, invasive species, restoration and wildfire mitigation.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Interior’s policy could increase grazing capacity while giving livestock a larger role in wildfire prevention and rangeland restoration.