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Provisional. A provisional ecological site description has undergone quality control and quality assurance review. It contains a working state and transition model and enough information to identify the ecological site.
Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree Not specified
Shrub Not specified
Herbaceous Not specified
Physiographic features
Table 2. Representative physiographic features
Landforms (1) Alluvial fan
(2) Basin floor
(3) Depression
Ponding duration Very long (more than 30 days) Ponding frequency Frequent Elevation 4000 – 6000 ft Slope 0 – 1 % Ponding depth 0 – 36 in Water table depth 0 – 60 in Aspect Aspect is not a significant factor Climatic features
The site is characterized by relatively short, hot summers and cold, snowy winters. The site receives approximately 20 inches of precipitation per year, the bulk of which is snowfall. There are frequent thunderstorms in the summer months. There may be ground fogs in the mornings during the growing season which affect stomatal gas exchange and photosynthetic activity.
Table 3 Representative climatic features
Frost-free period (average) 20 days Freeze-free period (average) 50 days Precipitation total (average) 30 in BarLineFigure 1. Monthly precipitation range
BarLineFigure 2. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature
">Influencing water features
Soil features
Ecological dynamics
This site is ponded for much of the year. The site is usually located in swales, old channels, oxbows, and deeper depressions. An apparent water table appears at or near the surface in all but the driest portions of the year, when it only recedes to about 3 to 6 inches below the surface. The combination of an omnipresent water table, cryic soil temperatures, deep organic surface horizons, and short growing season has resulted in a aplant community with little diversity. ONly five species were identified for this site. In the same area there may be different plant communities on the same soils. This variablility may be due to slight differences in hydrology, position, and elevation (micro relief), or the mere fact that one of these plant communities pioneered and came to dominate the site. The interpretative plant community for this site is the Historic Climax Plant Community (HCPC).
State and transition model
Custom diagramStandard diagram
Figure 3. Wet Marsh State and Transition Model
More interactive model formats are also available. View Interactive Models
More interactive model formats are also available. View Interactive Models
Click on state and transition labels to scroll to the respective textEcosystem states
State 1 submodel, plant communities
State 2 submodel, plant communities
State 1
HCPC: SCVA-SCAC-CAVE6Community 1.1
HCPC: SCVA-SCAC-CAVE6This plant community is dominated with Soft-stemmed and Hard-stemmed bulrushes. There may also be one or two species of Carex with the bulrushes. The bulrushes grow tall and thick and effectively shade the entire soil surface. The two species of bulrushes and Carex may occur as a mixture or there may be almost pure stands of either bulrush species.
Figure 4. Annual production by plant type (representative values) or group (midpoint values)
Table 4. Annual production by plant type
Plant type Low
(lb/acre)Representative value
(lb/acre)High
(lb/acre)Grass/Grasslike 6000 7250 8500 Total 6000 7250 8500 Figure 5. Plant community growth curve (percent production by month). OR1911 , B6 Marsh RPC. (SCVA-SCAC-CAVE6) B6 Marsh RPC.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec J F M A M J J A S O N D 0 0 0 5 15 25 35 15 5 0 0 0 State 2
State B: CAVE6-SCVA-CAAT3Community 2.1
State B: CAVE6-SCVA-CAAT3This state has a plant community that has been influenced by the reduction of water (water table and duration of ponding) to the HCPC site. The site is dominated with Carex species at the expense of the bulrushes. Cattails may increase on the site in the deeper ponded areas.
Figure 6. Annual production by plant type (representative values) or group (midpoint values)
Table 5. Annual production by plant type
Plant type Low
(lb/acre)Representative value
(lb/acre)High
(lb/acre)Grass/Grasslike 9000 10000 11000 Forb 500 600 700 Total 9500 10600 11700 Figure 7. Plant community growth curve (percent production by month). OR1912 , B6 Wet Marsh B. Disturbance/Dry (CAVE6-SCVA-CAAT3).
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec J F M A M J J A S O N D 0 0 0 10 20 25 30 10 5 0 0 0 Additional community tables
Table 6. Community 1.1 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Grass/Grasslike1 5000–8000 softstem bulrush SCTA2 Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani 4000–6000 – hardstem bulrush SCAC3 Schoenoplectus acutus 1000–2000 – 2 850–1200 blister sedge CAVE6 Carex vesicaria 750–1000 – slenderbeak sedge CAAT3 Carex athrostachya 100–200 – Table 7. Community 2.1 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Grass/Grasslike1 5250–7900 blister sedge CAVE6 Carex vesicaria 5000–7500 – slenderbeak sedge CAAT3 Carex athrostachya 250–400 – 2 2000–3500 softstem bulrush SCTA2 Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani 1500–2500 – hardstem bulrush SCAC3 Schoenoplectus acutus 500–1000 – Forb3 500–700 broadleaf cattail TYLA Typha latifolia 500–700 – Interpretations
Animal community
The site is infrequently used by grazing animals. The sites usually have standing water well into the growing season and the limited diversity of this site does not provide forages important to large animals, rodents, or other mammals. Cover and shade from the tall Bulrushes may be important in the hottest parts of the year. Animals occasionally traverse the area to access other sites or for local migration. Several species of birds use the area during the growing season.
Supporting information
Contributors
Jeffrey P. Repp
Rangeland health reference sheet
Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health is a qualitative assessment protocol used to determine ecosystem condition based on benchmark characteristics described in the Reference Sheet. A suite of 17 (or more) indicators are typically considered in an assessment. The ecological site(s) representative of an assessment location must be known prior to applying the protocol and must be verified based on soils and climate. Current plant community cannot be used to identify the ecological site.
Author(s)/participant(s) Contact for lead author Date Approved by Approval date Composition (Indicators 10 and 12) based on Annual Production Indicators
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Number and extent of rills:
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Presence of water flow patterns:
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Number and height of erosional pedestals or terracettes:
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Bare ground from Ecological Site Description or other studies (rock, litter, lichen, moss, plant canopy are not bare ground):
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Number of gullies and erosion associated with gullies:
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Extent of wind scoured, blowouts and/or depositional areas:
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Amount of litter movement (describe size and distance expected to travel):
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Soil surface (top few mm) resistance to erosion (stability values are averages - most sites will show a range of values):
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Soil surface structure and SOM content (include type of structure and A-horizon color and thickness):
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Effect of community phase composition (relative proportion of different functional groups) and spatial distribution on infiltration and runoff:
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Presence and thickness of compaction layer (usually none; describe soil profile features which may be mistaken for compaction on this site):
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Functional/Structural Groups (list in order of descending dominance by above-ground annual-production or live foliar cover using symbols: >>, >, = to indicate much greater than, greater than, and equal to):
Dominant:
Sub-dominant:
Other:
Additional:
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Amount of plant mortality and decadence (include which functional groups are expected to show mortality or decadence):
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Average percent litter cover (%) and depth ( in):
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Expected annual annual-production (this is TOTAL above-ground annual-production, not just forage annual-production):
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Potential invasive (including noxious) species (native and non-native). List species which BOTH characterize degraded states and have the potential to become a dominant or co-dominant species on the ecological site if their future establishment and growth is not actively controlled by management interventions. Species that become dominant for only one to several years (e.g., short-term response to drought or wildfire) are not invasive plants. Note that unlike other indicators, we are describing what is NOT expected in the reference state for the ecological site:
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Perennial plant reproductive capability:
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