Water yield from snow as affected by consumptive water losses

Watershed management procedures are shown to be effective in conserving snowmelt water, producing forage corps, reducing sediment in streams, and controlling herbaceous plants on high watersheds of the inter-mountain western region. Deforestation was found to produce only temporary relief to gain a greater snowpack that produced more water with greater transpiration and increased the silting of streams, especially during heavy summer rain storms. A grass mixture of smooth brome, timothy, Kentucky bluegrass, dandelion and sweet-sage proved the most effective soil cover and forage producing vegetation. Advantages are cited on range land in the intermountain watershed studies.