Natural Resources
Conservation Service
-
Search
Major Land Resource Area or ecological site by name and/or ID.
PreviousSectionsNextGeneral information
Draft. A draft ecological site description is either incomplete or has not undergone quality control and quality assurance review.
Associated sites
R022AY016NV WET MEADOW
R022AY017NV SEMI-WET MEADOW
R022AY018NV DRY MEADOW
Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree Not specified
Shrub (1) Salix
Herbaceous (1) Deschampsia caespitosa
Physiographic features
This site occurs along perennial stream channels of mountain valleys. Slopes Range from 0 to 15 percent, but slope gradients of 4 to 15 percent are most typical. Elevations are 6200 to about 10000 feet.
Table 2. Representative physiographic features
Landforms (1) Stream terrace
(2) Bar
Flooding duration Very brief (4 to 48 hours) to brief (2 to 7 days) Flooding frequency Rare to occasional Ponding frequency None Elevation 6200 – 10000 ft Slope 0 – 15 % Ponding depth 0 in Water table depth 5 – 72 in Aspect Aspect is not a significant factor Climatic features
The climate on this site is subhumid-continental, characterized by cold, moist winters, and cool dry summers. Average annual precipitation is over 20 inches. Mean annual air temperature is 35 to 50 degrees F. The average growing season is about 30 to 70 days.
Table 3 Representative climatic features
Frost-free period (average) 70 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 perennial and intermittent streams associated with this site.
Soil features
The soils that support this ecological site are typically deep and poor to moderately drained. They formed in alluvium and glacial till derived from granitic and volcanic rocks. Surface and subsurface layers are very gravelly textured. The soil families associated with this site are Aquic Haplocryolls and Typic Cryaquents.
Table 4. Representative soil features
Parent material (1) Alluvium – granite
Surface texture (1) Very gravelly sandy loam
(2) Extremely gravelly coarse sand
Family particle size (1) Loamy
Drainage class Poorly drained to somewhat poorly drained Permeability class Moderately rapid to very rapid Soil depth 60 – 0 in Surface fragment cover <=3" 45 – 60 % Surface fragment cover >3" 10 – 20 % Available water capacity
(0-40in)1.6 – 2.7 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 – 7.3 Subsurface fragment volume <=3"
(Depth not specified)35 – 70 % Subsurface fragment volume >3"
(Depth not specified)0 – 12 % Ecological dynamics
Fire Ecology:
Fire is relatively infrequent in the meadow and streamside habitats Geyer willow occupies. However, under dry conditions, riparian habitats can burn severely. Geyer's willow sprouts from the root crown following top-kill by fire. Its abundant wind-dispersed seed may be important in colonizing burned areas. In fact, riparian areas frequently act as fire breaks.
Kentucky bluegrass is a cool-season grass, active in the spring and fall, it is most susceptible to fire damage at those times. Late spring fires, after plants have been growing for about a month or more, are the most damaging to Kentucky bluegrass.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 characterized by an open canopy of woody shrubs and perennial grasses and forbs. The representative plant community is dominated by willows. Alder is a common plant and typically occurs intermingled within the willow overstory. Dominant plants of the willow understory are creeping wildrye and Kentucky bluegrass. Other important plants are rushes and sedges. Potential vegetative composition is about 30% grasses, 5% forbs and 65% shrubs. Approximate ground cover (basal and crown) is 70 to 85 percent.
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 650 975 1300 Grass/Grasslike 300 450 600 Forb 50 75 100 Total 1000 1500 2000 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/Grasslikes 300–450 tufted hairgrass DECE Deschampsia cespitosa 225–300 – Kentucky bluegrass POPR Poa pratensis 75–150 – 2 Secondary Perennial Grasses/Grasslikes 75–225 creeping bentgrass AGST2 Agrostis stolonifera 8–45 – golden sedge CAAU3 Carex aurea 8–45 – Nebraska sedge CANE2 Carex nebrascensis 8–45 – woolly sedge CAPE42 Carex pellita 8–45 – analogue sedge CASI2 Carex simulata 8–45 – fowl mannagrass GLST Glyceria striata 8–45 – meadow barley HOBR2 Hordeum brachyantherum 8–45 – mat muhly MURI Muhlenbergia richardsonis 8–45 – alpine timothy PHAL2 Phleum alpinum 8–45 – common yarrow ACMI2 Achillea millefolium 2–10 – fringed willowherb EPCI Epilobium ciliatum 2–10 – Rocky Mountain iris IRMI Iris missouriensis 2–10 – cows clover TRWO Trifolium wormskioldii 2–10 – Forb3 Perennial Forbs 30–150 Lemmon's willow SALE Salix lemmonii 150–600 – Geyer willow SAGE2 Salix geyeriana 15–150 – Booth's willow SABO2 Salix boothii 15–150 – mountain willow SAEA Salix eastwoodiae 15–75 – common yarrow ACMI2 Achillea millefolium 8–15 – Chamisso arnica ARCHF Arnica chamissonis ssp. foliosa 8–15 – fringed willowherb EPCI Epilobium ciliatum 8–15 – Rocky Mountain iris IRMI Iris missouriensis 8–15 – Pacific lupine LULE2 Lupinus lepidus 8–15 – sticky cinquefoil POGL9 Potentilla glandulosa 8–15 – Oregon checkerbloom SIOR Sidalcea oregana 8–15 – cows clover TRWO Trifolium wormskioldii 8–15 – mat muhly MURI Muhlenbergia richardsonis 1–8 – woolly sedge CAPE42 Carex pellita 1–8 – field horsetail EQAR Equisetum arvense 1–8 – fewflower spikerush ELQU2 Eleocharis quinqueflora 1–3 – Douglas' sedge CADO2 Carex douglasii 1–3 – Nebraska sedge CANE2 Carex nebrascensis 1–3 – slenderbeak sedge CAAT3 Carex athrostachya 0–1 – Shrub/Vine4 Primary Shrubs 750–1050 Lemmon's willow SALE Salix lemmonii 600–750 – mountain willow SAEA Salix eastwoodiae 75–150 – Geyer willow SAGE2 Salix geyeriana 75–150 – woolly sedge CAPE42 Carex pellita 20–40 – slenderbeak sedge CAAT3 Carex athrostachya 10–20 – Douglas' sedge CADO2 Carex douglasii 10–20 – Nebraska sedge CANE2 Carex nebrascensis 10–20 – 5 Secondary Shrubs 30–120 thinleaf alder ALINT Alnus incana ssp. tenuifolia 15–30 – whitestem gooseberry RIIN2 Ribes inerme 15–30 – Woods' rose ROWO Rosa woodsii 15–30 – Booth's willow SABO2 Salix boothii 15–30 – mat muhly MURI Muhlenbergia richardsonis 1–8 – field horsetail EQAR Equisetum arvense 1–8 – woolly sedge CAPE42 Carex pellita 1–8 – fewflower spikerush ELQU2 Eleocharis quinqueflora 1–3 – Douglas' sedge CADO2 Carex douglasii 1–3 – Nebraska sedge CANE2 Carex nebrascensis 1–3 – slenderbeak sedge CAAT3 Carex athrostachya 0–1 – Interpretations
Animal community
Livestock Interpretations:
This site is suited to livestock grazing. Grazing management should be keyed to Kentucky bluegrass. In the West, all classes of livestock eat willows, but cattle probably consume more than others because they tend to frequent riparian areas. Geyer's willow is palatable to livestock, but its importance in their diets has been infrequently reported.
Kentucky bluegrass is highly palatable in early growth stages and provides nutritious forage for all classes of livestock. Mountain meadows dominated by Kentucky bluegrass may be relatively limited in extent, but they are highly productive and thus contribute substantial amounts of summer forage.
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:
Willow communities provide excellent habitat for deer. Mule deer and Bighorn browse willow. Willows in general are preferred food and building material of beaver. Willow shoots; catkins, buds, and leaves are eaten by ducks and grouse, other birds, and small mammals.
Kentucky bluegrass can be an important part of the diets of mule deer and bighorn sheep.Hydrological functions
Runoff is high to very high and permeability is moderately rapid to very rapid.
Other products
All willows produce salicin, which chemically is closely related to acetylsalicylic acid, commonly known as 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. Lemmons willow has been used in landscape plantings for the past 30 years in the Tahoe Basin of California and Nevada.
Kentucky bluegrass is one of America's most popular lawn grasses. It withstands considerable abuse, and it is often used as a sod-grass at campgrounds, golf courses, and ski slopes.Other information
Geyer's willow is recommended for use in revegetating disturbed riparian areas. It is especially useful for streambank stabilization. It is usually planted as rooted or unrooted stem cuttings.
Kentucky bluegrass value in rehabilitation work is limited because it is slow to establish cover, is not drought tolerant, and has high soil fertility requirements.Supporting information
Type locality
Location 1: Alpine County, CA General legal description Toiyabe National Forest Other references
Fire Effects Information System (Online; http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/).
USDA-NRCS Plants Database (Online; http://plants.usda.gov/).
Contributors
ALM/GKB
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
-
Number and extent of rills:
-
Presence of water flow patterns:
-
Number and height of erosional pedestals or terracettes:
-
Bare ground from Ecological Site Description or other studies (rock, litter, lichen, moss, plant canopy are not bare ground):
-
Number of gullies and erosion associated with gullies:
-
Extent of wind scoured, blowouts and/or depositional areas:
-
Amount of litter movement (describe size and distance expected to travel):
-
Soil surface (top few mm) resistance to erosion (stability values are averages - most sites will show a range of values):
-
Soil surface structure and SOM content (include type of structure and A-horizon color and thickness):
-
Effect of community phase composition (relative proportion of different functional groups) and spatial distribution on infiltration and runoff:
-
Presence and thickness of compaction layer (usually none; describe soil profile features which may be mistaken for compaction on this site):
-
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:
-
Amount of plant mortality and decadence (include which functional groups are expected to show mortality or decadence):
-
Average percent litter cover (%) and depth ( in):
-
Expected annual annual-production (this is TOTAL above-ground annual-production, not just forage annual-production):
-
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 plant reproductive capability:
Print Options
Sections
Font
AAAAOther
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.
Accessibility statement
