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Draft. A draft ecological site description is either incomplete or has not undergone quality control and quality assurance review.
Associated sites
R021XY214OR CLAYPAN 14-18 PZ
R021XY216OR STONY CLAYPAN 14-20 PZ
Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree Not specified
Shrub (1) Eriogonum douglasii
(2) Artemisia rigidaHerbaceous (1) Poa secunda
(2) Festuca idahoensisPhysiographic features
This site occurs on deflation basins of tablelands and lava plateaus. Slopes range from 0 to 10 percent. Elevations range from 4000 to 5700 feet.
Table 2. Representative physiographic features
Landforms (1) Deflation basin
(2) Lava plateau
Flooding duration Extremely brief (0.1 to 4 hours) Flooding frequency Rare to occasional Ponding duration Very brief (4 to 48 hours) Ponding frequency None to rare Elevation 4000 – 5700 ft Slope 0 – 10 % Ponding depth 0 – 2 in Aspect Aspect is not a significant factor Climatic features
The annual precipitation ranges from 16 to 20 inches, most of which occurs in the form of snow during the months of November through March. Localized, occasionally severe, convectional storms occur during the summer. The soil temperature regime is frigid with a mean annual air temperature of about 43 degrees F. Temperature extremes range from 90 to -30 degrees F. The frost-free period ranges from 30 to 70 days. The optimum period for plant growth is from May through July.
Table 3 Representative climatic features
Frost-free period (average) 70 days Freeze-free period (average) 0 days Precipitation total (average) 20 in BarLineFigure 1. Monthly precipitation range
BarLineFigure 2. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature
">Influencing water features
Soil features
The soils of this site are typically very shallow and well-drained. Typically the surface layer is a very stony loam over a gravelly loam about 2 inches thick. The subsoil is a clay loam about 2 inches thick. Depth to bedrock is less than 10 inches. Permeability is slow. The available water holding capacity is about 0.8 inches for the profile. The potential for erosion is moderate to severe.
The typical soil is Knotmer, loamy mixed superactive frigid lithic ruptic-inceptic haploxeralfs.Table 4. Representative soil features
Surface texture (1) Very stony sandy loam
(2) Very stony loam
Family particle size (1) Clayey
Drainage class Well drained Permeability class Slow Soil depth 6 – 10 in Surface fragment cover <=3" 20 – 50 % Surface fragment cover >3" 20 – 35 % Available water capacity
(0-40in)0.7 – 0.9 in Soil reaction (1:1 water)
(0-40in)6.5 – 7 Subsurface fragment volume <=3"
(Depth not specified)5 – 25 % Ecological dynamics
Response to Disturbance:
If the condition of the site deteriorates as a result of overgrazing, Idaho fescue and bluebunch wheatgrass decrease while Sandberg bluebrass and stiff sagebrush increase. Under deteriorated conditions, excessive erosion in the bare soil interspaces markedly reduces the site potential and contributes to downstream sedimentation.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 Plant CommunityCommunity 1.1
Reference Plant CommunityThe potential native plant community is dominated by stiff sagebrush, Sandberg bluegrass, and lomatium. Idaho fescue, one-spike oatgrass, and bluebunch wheatgrass are present in the stand. Vegetative composition of the community is approximately 20 percent grasses, 70 percent forbs, and 10 percent 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)Forb 50 135 185 Grass/Grasslike 30 40 50 Shrub/Vine 15 25 35 Total 95 200 270 Table 6. Ground cover
Tree foliar cover 0% Shrub/vine/liana foliar cover 0-0% Grass/grasslike foliar cover 0-10% Forb foliar cover 0-0% Non-vascular plants 10-10% Biological crusts 0% Litter 10-20% Surface fragments >0.25" and <=3" 0% Surface fragments >3" 50-60% Bedrock 0% Water 0% Bare ground 10-20% Table 7. Canopy structure (% cover)
Height Above Ground (ft) Tree Shrub/Vine Grass/
GrasslikeForb <0.5 – – 10-12% 5-10% >0.5 <= 1 – – 1-5% 2-5% >1 <= 2 – – – 5-10% >2 <= 4.5 – 1-5% – – >4.5 <= 13 – – – – >13 <= 40 – – – – >40 <= 80 – – – – >80 <= 120 – – – – >120 – – – – Figure 4. Plant community growth curve (percent production by month). OR5511 , D21 Low Elev., NA, Good Condition. RPC Growth Curve.
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 15 30 50 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 Additional community tables
Table 8. Community 1.1 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Grass/Grasslike1 Perennial, shallow-rooted, cool-season, bunchgrass 20–30 Sandberg bluegrass POSE Poa secunda 20–30 – 2 Perennial, deep-rooted, cool-season, bunchgrass 20–40 bluebunch wheatgrass PSSP6 Pseudoroegneria spicata 30–90 – squirreltail ELEL5 Elymus elymoides 10–20 – Idaho fescue FEID Festuca idahoensis 10–20 – bluebunch wheatgrass PSSP6 Pseudoroegneria spicata 0–10 – 4 Perennial, shallow-rooted, cool-season, bunchgrass 5–10 onespike danthonia DAUN Danthonia unispicata 5–10 – Forb7 Perennial 60–80 fernleaf biscuitroot LODI Lomatium dissectum 60–80 – 8 Perennial 20–40 silver pussytoes ANAR5 Antennaria argentea 10–20 – rough eyelashweed BLSC Blepharipappus scaber 5–15 – ballhead sandwort ARCOC4 Arenaria congesta var. congesta 5–10 – 9 Other perennial forbs, all 10–20 common yarrow ACMI2 Achillea millefolium 0–8 – tapertip onion ALAC4 Allium acuminatum 0–8 – low pussytoes ANDI2 Antennaria dimorpha 0–8 – draba DRABA Draba 0–8 – leafy willowherb EPFO Epilobium foliosum 0–8 – rayless shaggy fleabane ERAP Erigeron aphanactis 0–8 – desert yellow fleabane ERLI Erigeron linearis 0–8 – wallflower phoenicaulis PHCH Phoenicaulis cheiranthoides 0–8 – spiny phlox PHHO Phlox hoodii 0–8 – Shrub/Vine11 Deciduous 20–40 Douglas' buckwheat ERDO Eriogonum douglasii 20–40 – 12 Evergreen 10–20 scabland sagebrush ARRI2 Artemisia rigida 10–20 – Interpretations
Animal community
Livestock Grazing:
This site may provide limited summer forage for livestock. This site is easily damaged by early grazing and trampling when soils are saturated.
Native Wildlife Associated with the Potential Climax Community:
Mule deer
Elk
Rodents
Songbirds
This site is an important spring use area for deer and elk. Nearby forested areas provide escape, hiding, and thermal cover.Hydrological functions
The soils are in hydrologic group D. The soils of this site have high runoff potential.
Other information
This site is not suited to range seeding or brush control. The major limitation is the very shallow soils. Special designs are needed for fence construction.
Supporting information
Contributors
J. Repp, B. Gillaspy
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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