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Draft. A draft ecological site description is either incomplete or has not undergone quality control and quality assurance review.
Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree Not specified
Shrub (1) Ericameria greenei
Herbaceous (1) Poa cusickii ssp. epilis
Physiographic features
This site occurs on steep eroded slopes, often associated with rock outcrop. Slopes range from 4 to 75 percent but slopes of 3 to 75 are typical.
Table 2. Representative physiographic features
Landforms (1) Mountain
Slope 4 – 75 % 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 is 30 to 50 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) 60 days Freeze-free period (average) 0 days Precipitation total (average) 50 in BarLineFigure 1. Monthly precipitation range
BarLineFigure 2. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature
">Influencing water features
There are no influencing water features associated with this site.
Soil features
Soil family-Lithic Xerorthents.
Table 4. Representative soil features
Parent material (1) Residuum – pyroclastic rock
Surface texture (1) Very gravelly sandy loam
Family particle size (1) Loamy
Drainage class Well drained Permeability class Moderately rapid Soil depth 2 – 14 in Surface fragment cover <=3" 28 – 47 % Surface fragment cover >3" 0 – 4 % Available water capacity
(0-40in)0.3 – 0.4 in Calcium carbonate equivalent
(0-40in)Not specified Electrical conductivity
(0-40in)Not specified Sodium adsorption ratio
(0-40in)Not specified Soil reaction (1:1 water)
(0-40in)5.6 – 6.5 Subsurface fragment volume <=3"
(Depth not specified)28 – 47 % Subsurface fragment volume >3"
(Depth not specified)0 – 4 % Ecological dynamics
Plant community composition varies with difference is aspect, size and amount of rock fragments on the surface, and steepness of slope. Areas of snow accumulation, on north facing slopes, tend to be dominated by herbaceous plant species.
Fire effects:
Fire is infrequent on this site due to sparse vegetation and the presence of high amounts of rock fragments and outcrops. Cusick’s bluegrass is unharmed to slightly harmed by light-severity fall fire. Cusick’s bluegrass regenerates after fire from seed and by tillering.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 CommunityThe reference plant community is dominated by Green's goldenbush and Cusick's bluegrass. Nevada needlegrass is another important grass on this site. Potential vegetative composition is about 25% grasses, 35% forbs and 40% shrubs.
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)Shrub/Vine 40 80 120 Forb 35 70 105 Grass/Grasslike 25 50 75 Total 100 200 300 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 14–46 Cusick's bluegrass POCUE2 Poa cusickii ssp. epilis 10–30 – Columbia needlegrass ACNE9 Achnatherum nelsonii 4–16 – 2 Secondary Perennial Grasses/Grasslike 6–12 mountain brome BRMA4 Bromus marginatus 1–2 – chamisso sedge CAPA14 Carex pachystachya 1–2 – squirreltail ELEL5 Elymus elymoides 1–2 – pullup muhly MUFI2 Muhlenbergia filiformis 1–2 – alpine timothy PHAL2 Phleum alpinum 1–2 – spike trisetum TRSP2 Trisetum spicatum 1–2 – Forb3 Primary Perennial Forbs 20–60 rockfringe EPOB Epilobium obcordatum 20–60 – 4 Secondary Perennial Forbs 9–18 hairy arnica ARMO4 Arnica mollis 1–2 – Mt. Hood pussypaws CIUMU Cistanthe umbellata var. umbellata 1–2 – prickly hawkweed HIHO Hieracium horridum 1–2 – lupine LUPIN Lupinus 1–2 – Brown's peony PABR Paeonia brownii 1–2 – phlox PHLOX Phlox 1–2 – sticky cinquefoil POGL9 Potentilla glandulosa 1–2 – goosefoot violet VIPU4 Viola purpurea 1–2 – woolly mule-ears WYMO Wyethia mollis 1–2 – 5 Annual Forbs 2–10 Shrub/Vine6 Primary Shrubs 48–96 Greene's goldenbush ERGR16 Ericameria greenei 40–70 – Davidson's penstemon PEDAD Penstemon davidsonii var. davidsonii 4–16 – pale monardella MOGL Monardella glauca 4–10 – 7 Secondary Shrubs 4–20 oceanspray HODI Holodiscus discolor 2–10 – Interpretations
Animal community
Livestock Interpretations:
This site is suited to grazing by cattle and sheep in the late spring, summer and fall. Attentive grazing management is required due to steep slopes and erosive soil surface conditions. Grazing management should be keyed to Cusick's bluegrass 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:
Deer and elk use Cusick's bluegrass early in the season.Hydrological functions
Runoff is high to very high. Permeability is moderately rapid. Hydrologic group: D.
Supporting information
Type locality
Location 1: Modoc County, CA Latitude 41° 13′ 19″ Longitude 120° 7′ 57″ General legal description On the Modoc National Forest in the Warner Mountains Other references
Fire Effects Information System (Online; http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/).
USDA-NRCS Plants Database (Online; http://www.plants.usda.gov).
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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PrintThe Ecosystem Dynamics Interpretive Tool is an information system framework developed by the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and New Mexico State University.
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