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Draft. A draft ecological site description is either incomplete or has not undergone quality control and quality assurance review.
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R015XI108CA Clayey, valley flats 17-19" p.z.
Clayey, valley flats - is currently distinguished from this site by MLRA distinction, although after review, this will need to change. Site actually belongs in MLRA 14. Other distinctions include, soil type, drainage potential and production averages are greater in this site. Kendra Moseley
Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree Not specified
Shrub Not specified
Herbaceous (1) Leymus triticoides
(2) Juncus balticusPhysiographic features
This site occurs on alluvial plains and in basins. Elevation ranges from 50 to 1500 feet. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent.
Table 2. Representative physiographic features
Landforms (1) Alluvial fan
Elevation 50 – 1500 ft Slope 0 – 2 % Water table depth 27 – 72 in Aspect Aspect is not a significant factor Climatic features
Precipitation ranges from 32 to 44 inches per year. The average annual air temperature is 55 F to 59 F. The frost-free period is 175 to 250 days.
Table 3 Representative climatic features
Frost-free period (average) 250 days Freeze-free period (average) 0 days Precipitation total (average) 40 in BarLineFigure 1. Monthly precipitation range
BarLineFigure 2. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature
">Influencing water features
Soil features
This site is characterized by very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils with a high water table. They also have a thick, dark surface high in organic matter and formed in mixed alluvium. Typically they have a clay loam, loam or gravelly sandy loam surface 8 inches thick. The upper 19 inches of the subsoil is clay loam over clay but this does not stop root penetration. The lower 14 inches of the subsoil is clay loam, usually with mottles. The high water table ranges from 18 to 36 inches all year, but in many places has been lowered by artificial drainage or stream entrenchment. Permeability is slow, and the available water capacity is high to very high.
This ecological site is associated with the map units and soil components in the following soil surveys. Future updates to the soil survey(s) may affect these associations.
CA687 115 Cole clay loam, 0-2% slopesTable 4. Representative soil features
Surface texture (1) Gravelly clay loam
(2) Gravelly silty clay
(3) Silty clay loam
Family particle size (1) Loamy
Drainage class Somewhat poorly drained Permeability class Slow Soil depth 80 – 0 in Available water capacity
(0-40in)6.1 in Soil reaction (1:1 water)
(0-40in)6.1 – 8.4 Subsurface fragment volume <=3"
(Depth not specified)7 % Ecological dynamics
This list of plants and their relative proportions are based on near normal years. Fluctuations in species composition and relative production may change from year to year dependent upon abnormal precipitation or other climatic factors.
State and transition model
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 1
Plant Community 1.1Community 1.1
Plant Community 1.1This list of plants and their relative proportions are based on near normal years. Fluctuations in species composition and relative production may change from year to year dependent upon abnormal precipitation or other climatic factors.
The historic climax plant community will produce approximately the following amounts of air-dry vegetation per acre:
Favorable year: 3000 pounds/acre
Normal year: 2500 pounds/acre
Unfavorable year: 1500 pounds/acre
Ecological dynamics and major plant community types
The potential for perennial grass dominance on this site has not been determined, but California oatgrass may have been dominant with patches of creeping wildrye.
Fire and grazing by wildlife herds have probably helped to maintain the herbaceous dominance on this site.
Figure 3. 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 1237 2062 2475 Forb 263 438 525 Total 1500 2500 3000 Additional community tables
Table 6. Community 1.1 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Grass/Grasslike1 75–90 Forb2 10–25 Interpretations
Animal community
Recommended stocking rate is 0.7 AUM/ac for an average year (for comparison purposes only). An on-site visit is needed to determine initial stocking rates.
Supporting information
Inventory data references
This data is from the ESD developed for MLRA 14, Eastern Mendocino soil survey by RLW in 08/1990. Developed from the Ukiah FO.
Contributors
RLW
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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