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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 Not specified
Herbaceous Not specified
Physiographic features
This site occurs on rock benches, plateaus, and tablelands. Slopes range from 1 to 10%. Elevations typically range from 4700 to 5500 feet.
Table 2. Representative physiographic features
Landforms (1) Bench
(2) Plateau
Elevation 4700 – 5500 ft Slope 1 – 10 % Aspect Aspect is not a significant factor Climatic features
The average annual precipitation is typically 16-20 inches. It occurs mainly between the months of Novemeber and June as both rain and snow. The soil temperature regime is frigid. The average annual air temperature is 43-45 degrees F with extreme temperatures ranging from 85 to -30 degrees F. The frost free period is 20 to 50 days. The optimum period for plant growth is from May through July.
Table 3 Representative climatic features
Frost-free period (average) 110 days Freeze-free period (average) 130 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 shallow or moderately deep, well drained, have loam surface textures and clay subsoils. They are very cobbly on the surface. Soils are formed by weathering of residual parent materials including tuff, breccia or basalt. Permeability is slow and the available water holding capacity is 2 to 5 inches for the profile. The potential for water erosion is low.
Table 4. Representative soil features
Surface texture (1) Very cobbly loam
Family particle size (1) Clayey
Drainage class Well drained Permeability class Slow Soil depth Not specified Available water capacity
(0-40in)2 – 5 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)7 Ecological dynamics
Juniper is easily damaged or killed by high intensity fires, but because of low fuel loads and surface rock/stones, burning conditions on this site are poor. Most fires do not run or uniformly burn this site, generally burning only single trees or small areas. Sustained heavy, annual (or early) grazing pressure by livestock, or poor grazing management may reduce fescue, wheatgrass, oatgrass and bitterbrush, depending on season of use and growing conditions, causing buckwheat and/or squirreltail to increase in the stand. Cheatgrass and medusa-head wildrye invade after fires or major disturbance along with annual fescue, willoweed, bushy birdbeak, hemizonia and other weeds.
State and transition model
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Click on state and transition labels to scroll to the respective textEcosystem states
State 1 submodel, plant communities
State 1
HCPC, FEID-POSE/ARAR8/JUOCCommunity 1.1
HCPC, FEID-POSE/ARAR8/JUOCThe potential native plant community is dominated by a very open stand of western juniper. Juniper reproduction is sparse. Low sagebrush is prominent along with buckwheat and an occassional bitterbrush. Few other shrubs occur except as inclusions. Idaho fescue dominates the understory along with Sandberg bluegrass as a secondary species and onespike oatgrass, especially in low areas or slight swales. Small amounts of squirreltail, Junegrass and occassionally bluebunch wheatgrass are present. Some of the common forbs include scab balsamroot, fleabane, phlox, yarrow, lomatium, agoseris, lupine, onion, yampa and pussytoes.
Bluebunch wheatgrass is more abundant in droughty positions. Both bluebunch wheatgrass and bitterbrush are more common on the southern edge of this sites range. Juniper and shrub abundance will vary with fire history and increase slightly without fire for long periods. Onespike oatgrass is more abundant in moist positions and swales. Locations with extremely high surface stones/boulders have lower production and less plant cover.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 472 568 664 Shrub/Vine 104 152 200 Tree 40 60 80 Forb 8 44 80 Total 624 824 1024 Figure 4. Plant community growth curve (percent production by month). OR5621 , D21 Juniper Sites 8-16. D21 Juniper Sites 8-16 pz 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 10 30 40 20 0 0 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 360–400 Idaho fescue FEID Festuca idahoensis 360–400 – 2 Sub-dominant deep rooted perennial grasses 16–40 bluebunch wheatgrass PSSP6 Pseudoroegneria spicata 8–24 – squirreltail ELEL5 Elymus elymoides 8–16 – 3 Dominant shallow rooted perennial grasses 80–120 Sandberg bluegrass POSE Poa secunda 80–120 – 4 Sub-dominant shallow rooted perennial grasses 8–80 onespike danthonia DAUN Danthonia unispicata 8–80 – 5 Other perennial grasses 8–24 Thurber's needlegrass ACTH7 Achnatherum thurberianum 0–5 – prairie Junegrass KOMA Koeleria macrantha 0–5 – Forb9 Other perennial forbs 8–80 common yarrow ACMI2 Achillea millefolium 0–5 – agoseris AGOSE Agoseris 0–5 – onion ALLIU Allium 0–5 – pussytoes ANTEN Antennaria 0–5 – rockcress ARABI2 Arabis 0–5 – ballhead sandwort ARCO5 Arenaria congesta 0–5 – milkvetch ASTRA Astragalus 0–5 – serrate balsamroot BASE2 Balsamorhiza serrata 0–5 – fleabane ERIGE2 Erigeron 0–5 – buckwheat ERIOG Eriogonum 0–5 – common woolly sunflower ERLA6 Eriophyllum lanatum 0–5 – whitestem frasera FRAL2 Frasera albicaulis 0–5 – desertparsley LOMAT Lomatium 0–5 – lupine LUPIN Lupinus 0–5 – beardtongue PENST Penstemon 0–5 – yampah PERID Perideridia 0–5 – spreading phlox PHDI3 Phlox diffusa 0–5 – largehead clover TRMA3 Trifolium macrocephalum 0–5 – Shrub/Vine11 Dominant evergreen shrubs 80–160 little sagebrush ARAR8 Artemisia arbuscula 80–160 – 12 Sub-dominant evergreen shrubs 16–24 slender buckwheat ERMI4 Eriogonum microthecum 16–24 – 14 Sub-dominant deciduous (or 1/2 shrubs) shrubs 8–16 antelope bitterbrush PUTR2 Purshia tridentata 8–16 – Tree16 Dominant evergreen trees 40–80 western juniper JUOC Juniperus occidentalis 40–80 – Interpretations
Animal community
Livestock grazing- This site is normally suitable for grazing after soils dry enough to reduce mechanical damage in the late spring and summer. Key species for cattle use are fescue, oatgrass, wheatgrass and bitterbrush depending on the season of use. Excessive use for long periods or annual early use when the soils are wet is a primary factor in deterioration of this site, increasing weed encroachment and reducing forage production.
Wildlife- This site is important in late spring, summer and fall for deer where green grass and forbs are heavily used in the spring/early summer and bitterbrush in all seasons. Some birds are heavy users of juniper berries.Hydrological functions
The soils of this site have low infiltration rates and low runoff potential.
Recreational uses
Hunting and sight seeing.
Wood products
Juniper boughs though harvesting firewood is generally unfeasible.
Other information
Poorly suited for range seedings; choices include pubescent wheatgrass, intermediate wheatgrass, sheep fescue, smooth brome, and/or crested wheatgrass (all non-natives), or native bluebunch wheatgrass and other native grasses if available.
Supporting information
Type locality
Location 1: Klamath County, OR Township/Range/Section T39S R13E S24 General legal description Gerber Reservoir area south of dam 1-1/2 miles along main road. T39S, R13E, Sec 24 (NE, NW) Location 2: Klamath County, OR Township/Range/Section T40S R14 S21 General legal description About 5-6 miles east of southern end of Langell Valley along main road: T40S R14 1/2E, Sec 21 (NE, SE) Contributors
Hickman
Kennedy, ReppRangeland 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 09/05/2012 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 -
Presence of water flow patterns:
None -
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):
5-10% -
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 - limited movement -
Soil surface (top few mm) resistance to erosion (stability values are averages - most sites will show a range of values):
Moderately resistant to erosion: aggregate stability = 3-5 -
Soil surface structure and SOM content (include type of structure and A-horizon color and thickness):
Shallow to moderately deep, well drained cobbly loams: Low OM (1-2%) -
Effect of community phase composition (relative proportion of different functional groups) and spatial distribution on infiltration and runoff:
Moderate vegetative cover (50-70%) and gentle slopes (1-10%) effectively limit rainfall impact and overland flow; infiltration is slow -
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:
Idaho fescue > Low sagebrush > Sandberg bluegrass > Western juniper > Onespike oatgrass = forbs > Shrubby buckwheat > other grassesSub-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: 1000, Normal: 800, Unfavorable: 500 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 and weedy forb species will increase with deterioration of plant community. Western Juniper readily increases on 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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