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Draft. A draft ecological site description is either incomplete or has not undergone quality control and quality assurance review.
Classification relationships
Holland, R.F. 1986. Preliminary descriptions of the terrestrial natural communities of California. Unpublished report. State of California, The Resources Agency, Department of Fish and Game, Natural Heritage Division, Sacramento, CA. (Updated September 2003). Element Code: Lemmon's Willow Riparian Scrub 63.113.00.
Sawyer, J.O. and T. Keeler-Wolf. 1995. A Manual of California Vegetation. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento, CA. Montane Wetland Shrub Habitat.
Associated sites
R021XE207CA Wet Meadow 16+ P.Z.
R021XE208CA Semi-Wet Meadow 16+ P.Z.
Similar sites
R021XE225CA Willow Thicket
More productive site. Associated with springs and seeps. Arroyo willow and Booth's willow dominant shrubs.
Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree Not specified
Shrub (1) Salix lemmonii
Herbaceous (1) Carex nebrascensis
Physiographic features
This site occurs on drainageways and mountain slopes associated with spring-fed perennial mountain streams. Slopes range from 0 to 8 percent. Elevations range from 6600 to 8200 feet.
Table 2. Representative physiographic features
Landforms (1) Mountain slope
(2) Drainageway
Flooding duration Brief (2 to 7 days) Flooding frequency Rare Ponding frequency None Elevation 6600 – 8200 ft Slope 0 – 8 % Water table depth 30 – 84 in Aspect Aspect is not a significant factor Climatic features
The climate of this site is temperate, characterized by warm, dry summers and cold, moist winters. The area's precipitation comes mostly from winter Pacific cyclonic storms, with a very slight summer monsoonal season that is erratic but can be locally significant. Average annual precipitation ranges from 16 to 30 inches with most occurring during the winter months. Approximately half the precipitation falls as snow; half as rain.
Table 3 Representative climatic features
Frost-free period (average) 80 days Freeze-free period (average) 0 days Precipitation total (average) 30 in BarLineFigure 1. Monthly precipitation range
BarLineFigure 2. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature
">Influencing water features
This site is associated with spring fed perennial mountain streams.
Soil features
The soils associated with this site are very deep and poorly drained. Flooding and a seasonally high water table within 10 to 20 inches of the surface during the early part of the growing season, supply additional moisture for plant growth. During the summer and fall months, the water table is at depths below 40 inches. These soils are susceptible to gullying which intercepts normal overflow patterns causing site degradation. Soil family-Vitrandic haplocryolls.
Table 4. Representative soil features
Parent material (1) Residuum – volcanic breccia
Surface texture (1) Extremely cobbly loam
(2) Ashy
Family particle size (1) Loamy
Drainage class Somewhat poorly drained Permeability class Moderate Soil depth 72 – 84 in Surface fragment cover <=3" 0 – 22 % Surface fragment cover >3" 0 – 52 % Available water capacity
(0-40in)4.7 – 4.8 in Calcium carbonate equivalent
(0-40in)Not specified Electrical conductivity
(0-40in)0 – 2 mmhos/cm Sodium adsorption ratio
(0-40in)Not specified Soil reaction (1:1 water)
(0-40in)6.1 – 7.3 Subsurface fragment volume <=3"
(Depth not specified)0 – 22 % Subsurface fragment volume >3"
(Depth not specified)0 – 52 % Ecological dynamics
Where management results in abusive livestock use, sagebrush and rabbitbrush become prevalent. Redtop, Kentucky bluegrass, curly dock and foxtail barley are species likely to invade the site.
Fire effects:
Most fires kill only aboveground plant parts on Lemmon’s willow. Severe fires can completely remove organic soil layers, leaving willow roots exposed and charred and thus eliminating basal sprouting. Lemmon’s willow will generally sprout from its root crown or stem base following fire.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
Reference StateCommunity 1.1
Reference Plant Community
Figure 3. Streambank
The reference plant community is dominated by yellow willow. Willows dominate the visual aspect of this site. Pacific willow and Booth’s willow are other willows associated with this site. Dominant plants of the willow understory are sedges and tufted hairgrass. Other important plants are slender wheatgrass, rushes, and Kentucky bluegrass and several perennial forbs. Potential vegetative composition is approximately 35 percent grasses, 15 percent forbs and 50 percent shrubs and tree-like shrubs and trees. Approximate ground cover (basal and canopy) is 70 to 85 percent.
Figure 4. 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)Shrub/Vine 2500 3000 3900 Grass/Grasslike 1750 2100 2730 Forb 750 900 1170 Total 5000 6000 7800 Additional community tables
Table 6. Community 1.1 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Grass/Grasslike1 Primary Perennial Grasses 1500–2100 Nebraska sedge CANE2 Carex nebrascensis 900–1200 – 2 Secondary Perennial Grasses 210–420 creeping bentgrass AGST2 Agrostis stolonifera 30–60 – bluejoint CACAC10 Calamagrostis canadensis var. canadensis 30–60 – slender wheatgrass ELTR7 Elymus trachycaulus 30–60 – rush JUNCU Juncus 30–60 – pullup muhly MUFI2 Muhlenbergia filiformis 30–60 – alpine timothy PHAL2 Phleum alpinum 30–60 – bluegrass POA Poa 30–60 – Forb3 Perennial Forbs 330–660 common yarrow ACMI2 Achillea millefolium 30–60 – white sagebrush ARLU Artemisia ludoviciana 30–60 – aster ASTER Aster 30–60 – willowherb EPILO Epilobium 30–60 – lupine LUPIN Lupinus 30–60 – slender cinquefoil POGR9 Potentilla gracilis 30–60 – Oregon checkerbloom SIOR Sidalcea oregana 30–60 – goldenrod SOLID Solidago 30–60 – woollyhead parsnip SPCA5 Sphenosciadium capitellatum 30–60 – clover TRIFO Trifolium 30–60 – California false hellebore VECA2 Veratrum californicum 30–60 – Shrub/Vine4 Primary Shrubs 2220–3300 Lemmon's willow SALE Salix lemmonii 2220–3300 – 5 Secondary Shrubs 360–720 silver sagebrush ARCAB3 Artemisia cana ssp. bolanderi 60–120 – mountain big sagebrush ARTRV Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana 60–120 – currant RIBES Ribes 60–120 – Booth's willow SABO2 Salix boothii 60–120 – Pacific willow SALUL Salix lucida ssp. lasiandra 60–120 – roundleaf snowberry SYRO Symphoricarpos rotundifolius 60–120 – Interpretations
Animal community
Livestock Interpretations:
This site is suited for livestock grazing. Grazing management should be keyed to sedge production.
Stocking rates vary over time depending upon season of use, climate variations, site, and previous and current management goals. A safe starting stocking rate is an estimated stocking rate that is fine tuned by the client by adaptive management through the year and from year to year.
Wildlife Interpretations:
Hydrological functions
Frequent flooding and a seasonally high water table within 10 to 20 inches of the surface during the early part of the growing season. Runoff is low to medium. Permeability is moderate. Hydrologic soil group: B.
Other products
All willows produce salicin, which chemically is closely related to aspirin. This is probably why Native Americans used various preparations from willows to treat toothache, stomach ache, diarrhea, dysentery and dandruff. Native Americans also used the stems for basketry and bow making, and the bark for tea and fabric making.
Other information
Willows are used to revegetate disturbed riparian areas. They quickly stabilize disturbed alluvium, allowing other plants to become established. Beaked sedge and Nebraska sedge have a high potential for biomass production and long-term revegetation, and medium potential for erosion control and short-term revegetation.
Supporting information
Type locality
Location 1: Modoc County, CA Township/Range/Section T38N R16E S9 Latitude 41° 10′ 58″ Longitude 120° 9′ 51″ General legal description South fork of Mosquito Creek, on the Modoc National Forest in the Warner Mountains, Modoc County, CA Other references
Fire Effects Information System [Online]. http://www.fs.fed.us/feis
Miles, S.R. and C.B. Goudey. 1997. Ecological Subregions of California Section and Subsection Descriptions. United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region R5-EM-TP-005. Subsection M261Gf-Warner Mountains.Contributors
P.NOVAK-ECHENIQUE
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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