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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.
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Figure 1. Mapped extent
Areas shown in blue indicate the maximum mapped extent of this ecological site. Other ecological sites likely occur within the highlighted areas. It is also possible for this ecological site to occur outside of highlighted areas if detailed soil survey has not been completed or recently updated.
Associated sites
R021XY200OR LOAMY 10-14 PZ
Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree Not specified
Shrub Not specified
Herbaceous Not specified
Physiographic features
This site occurs on floodplains.
Table 2. Representative physiographic features
Landforms (1) Flood plain
Elevation 400 – 5200 ft Slope 0 – 2 % Aspect Aspect is not a significant factor Climatic features
The annual precipitation ranges from 10 to 14 inches, most of which occurs in the form of snow during the months of October through April. The soil temperature regime is mesic with the mean annual air temperature of about 47 degrees F. Temperature extremes range from 110 to -30 degrees F. The frost free period ranges from 70 to 110 days. The optimum period for plant growth is from early May through June.
Table 3 Representative climatic features
Frost-free period (average) 110 days Freeze-free period (average) 0 days Precipitation total (average) 10 in BarLineFigure 2. Monthly precipitation range
BarLineFigure 3. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature
">Influencing water features
Soil features
The soils of this site are very deep and moderately well drained. The soils are subject to occasional flooding for brief periods during the spring snow melt period. A water table is present below 30 inches throught the summer. Typically the surface layer is loam or silty clay loam about 15 inches thick. The subsoil and subtratum is loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam. Permeability is moderatley slow. The available water holding capacity is about 9 to 12 inches. Runoff is very slow. Erosion hazard by water is slight except along streambanks during periods of flooding.
Table 4. Representative soil features
Surface texture (1) Loam
(2) Silt loam
Family particle size (1) Loamy
Drainage class Moderately well drained Permeability class Moderately slow Soil depth 60 in Available water capacity
(0-40in)9 – 12 in Ecological dynamics
If the condition of the site deteriorates as a result of overgrazing, grasses will decrease and big sagebrush, green rabbitbrush and other shrubs will increase. Continual spring use will drastically reduce the basin wildrye. Long term degradation and lack of fire will encourage invasion of the site by western juniper.
This site is occasionally flooded and receives supplemental moisture from fluctuations in groundwater levels. Differeneces in productivity and plant composition may occur in cases where gravel stringers evidence that recent meanders of the steam channel. Where stream entrenchment has occurred, site production decreases and plant composition changes to more drought tolerant, upland species. As precipitation exceeds 14 inches or more, or where there is cold air drainage in the bottomland, currant and snowberry will increase.State and transition model
Custom diagramStandard diagram
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 1
HCPC, LECI4/ARTRT-PUTR2Community 1.1
HCPC, LECI4/ARTRT-PUTR2The potential native plant community is strongly dominated by basin wildrye with lesser amounts of Nevada and Canby bluegrasses. Big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush and snowberry are common. Vegetative composition of the community is approximately 85% grasses, 5% forbs, and 10% shrubs.
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)Grass/Grasslike 1680 1896 2112 Shrub/Vine 120 216 312 Forb 96 180 264 Total 1896 2292 2688 Figure 5. Plant community growth curve (percent production by month). OR5501 , D21 Low Elev., NA, Meadow/Lakebed/Irr.. 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 0 5 15 30 35 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 Dominant deep rooted perennial grasses 1560–1800 basin wildrye LECI4 Leymus cinereus 1560–1800 – 3 Dominant shallow rooted perennial grasses 72–192 Sandberg bluegrass POSE Poa secunda 72–192 – 5 Other perennial grasses 48–120 slender wheatgrass ELTR7 Elymus trachycaulus 0–5 – Idaho fescue FEID Festuca idahoensis 0–5 – prairie Junegrass KOMA Koeleria macrantha 0–5 – Forb7 Dominant perennial forbs 48–144 common yarrow ACMI2 Achillea millefolium 24–72 – lupine LUPIN Lupinus 24–72 – common yarrow ACMI2 Achillea millefolium 24–72 – lupine LUPIN Lupinus 24–72 – 9 Other perennial forbs 48–120 Brown's peony PABR Paeonia brownii 0–5 – phacelia PHACE Phacelia 0–5 – woolly plantain PLPA2 Plantago patagonica 0–5 – mullein VERBA Verbascum 0–5 – Shrub/Vine11 Dominant evergreen shrubs 96–192 basin big sagebrush ARTRT Artemisia tridentata ssp. tridentata 48–120 – antelope bitterbrush PUTR2 Purshia tridentata 48–72 – 15 Other shrubs 24–120 green rabbitbrush ERTE18 Ericameria teretifolia 0–5 – golden currant RIAU Ribes aureum 0–5 – wax currant RICE Ribes cereum 0–5 – rose ROSA5 Rosa 0–5 – common snowberry SYAL Symphoricarpos albus 0–5 – Interpretations
Animal community
This site provides excellent food and cover for deer and quail.
Hydrological functions
The soils are in hydrologic group C.
Recreational uses
This site offers great potential for deer and upland game bird observation and hunting.
Other products
This site is suited to cattle and sheep grazing in all seasons under a planned grazing system. The position of this site in the landscape and its productivity encourages livestock concentaration, making it subject to heavy grazing pressure. Use should be postponed until soils are firm enough to prevent trampling damage and soil compaction.
Other information
In fair conditions this site rapidly responds to good management. Fire is an exellent tool for the control of big sagebrush. In poor condition, this site has potential for reseeding.
Supporting information
Contributors
Carlson, Barrett
E Ersch (OSU)
K.KennedyRangeland 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) Jeff Repp Contact for lead author Oregon NRCS State Rangeland Management Specialist Date 08/21/2012 Approved by Approval date Composition (Indicators 10 and 12) based on Annual Production Indicators
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Number and extent of rills:
None, slight sheet & rill erosion hazard except along streambanks during periods of flooding -
Presence of water flow patterns:
None, except for natural overflow areas -
Number and height of erosional pedestals or terracettes:
None -
Bare ground from Ecological Site Description or other studies (rock, litter, lichen, moss, plant canopy are not bare ground):
<5% -
Number of gullies and erosion associated with gullies:
None -
Extent of wind scoured, blowouts and/or depositional areas:
None, slight wind erosion hazard -
Amount of litter movement (describe size and distance expected to travel):
Fine to coarse - limited movement except during flooding -
Soil surface (top few mm) resistance to erosion (stability values are averages - most sites will show a range of values):
Significantly resistant to erosion: aggregate stability = 4-6 -
Soil surface structure and SOM content (include type of structure and A-horizon color and thickness):
Very deep, moderately well drained loams and silty clay loams: Moderate OM (1-5%) -
Effect of community phase composition (relative proportion of different functional groups) and spatial distribution on infiltration and runoff:
High ground cover (80-90%) and gentle slopes (0-2%) effectively limits rainfall impact and overland flow, infiltration can be limited by excess thatch -
Presence and thickness of compaction layer (usually none; describe soil profile features which may be mistaken for compaction on this site):
None -
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:
Basin wildrye > Sandberg bluegrass = other forbs = dominant shrubs > dominant forbs > other shrubsSub-dominant:
Other:
Additional:
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Amount of plant mortality and decadence (include which functional groups are expected to show mortality or decadence):
Normal decadence and mortality expected -
Average percent litter cover (%) and depth ( in):
-
Expected annual annual-production (this is TOTAL above-ground annual-production, not just forage annual-production):
Favorable: 3000, Normal: 2400, Unfavorable: 1800 lbs/acre/year at high RSI (HCPC) -
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:
Perennial brush species will increase with deterioration of plant community. Western Juniper readily invades the site. Cheatgrass and Medusahead invade sites that have lost deep rooted perennial grass functional groups. -
Perennial plant reproductive capability:
All species should be capable of reproducing annually
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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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