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Ecological site F024XY050NV

Juniperus osteosperma-Pinus monophylla/Artemisia tridentata subsp. wyomingensis

Accessed: 04/30/2026

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General information

Draft. A draft ecological site description is either incomplete or has not undergone quality control and quality assurance review.

Ecological site concept

Field check. It is not likely this is a valid forest ESC. All series will be field checked and correlated to an appropriate ES.

Table 1. Dominant plant species

Tree	(1) Juniperus osteosperma (2) Pinus monophylla
Shrub	(1) Artemisia tridentata subsp. wyomingensis
Herbaceous	(1) Achnatherum thurberianum

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Physiographic features

This forestland site occurs on mountain sideslopes on all aspects. Slopes range from 15 to over 75 percent, but are typically 30 to 50 percent. Elevations are 5700 to 6800 feet.

Table 2. Representative physiographic features

Landforms	(1) Mountain slope

Climatic features

The climate associated with this site is semiarid and characterized by cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. Average annual precipitation is 10 to 14 inches. Mean annual air temperature is 44 to 47 degrees F. The average growing season is 85 to 100 days.

Table 3 Representative climatic features

Frost-free period (average)	100 days
Freeze-free period (average)	0 days
Precipitation total (average)	10 in

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Figure 1. Monthly precipitation range

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Figure 2. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature

Soil features

Soils associated with this forestland site are shallow to moderately deep from mixed sources. These soils are typically skeletal with 35 to over 75 percent gravels, cobbles or stones, by volume, distributed through the profile. Available water holding capacity is moderate to low, but plants extend their roots into fractures in the bedrock allowing them to utilize deep moisture. High amounts of rock fragments occur at the soil surface, occupying plant growing space, yet helping to reduce evaporation and conserve soil moisture. Coarse fragments on the surface provide a stabilizing affect on surface erosion conditions. Runoff is medium to rapid and potential for sheet and rill erosion is moderate to severe depending on slope.

Ecological dynamics

Major Successional Stages of Forestland Development:

HERBACEOUS: Vegetation is dominated by grasses and forbs under full sunlight. This stage is experienced after a major disturbance such as crown fire. Skeleton forest (dead trees) remaining after fire or residual trees left following harvest have little or no affect on the composition and production of the herbaceous vegetation.

SHRUB-HERBACEOUS: Herbaceous vegetation and woody shrubs dominate the site. Various amounts of tree seedlings (less than 20 inches in height) may be present up to the point where they are obviously a major component of the vegetal structure.

SAPLING: In the absence of disturbance the tree seedlings develop into saplings (20 inches to 4.5 feet in height) with a range in canopy cover of about 5 to 10 percent. Vegetation consists of grasses, forbs and shrubs in association with tree saplings.

IMMATURE FORESTLAND: The visual aspect and vegetal structure are dominated by Utah juniper trees greater than 4.5 feet in height. The upper crown of dominant and co-dominant trees are cone or pyramidal shaped. Seedlings and saplings of pinyon and Utah juniper are present in the understory. Dominants are the tallest trees on the site; co-dominants are 65 to 85 percent of the highest of dominant trees. Understory vegetation is moderately influenced by a tree overstory canopy of about 10 to 20 percent.

MATURE FORESTLAND: The visual aspect and vegetal structure are dominated by singleleaf pinyon and Utah juniper that have reached or are near maximal heights for the site. Dominant trees average greater than five inches in diameter at one-foot stump height. Upper crowns of singleleaf pinyon and Utah juniper are typically either irregularly or smoothly flat-topped or rounded. Tree canopy cover ranges from 20 to 35 percent. Understory vegetation is strongly influenced by tree competition, overstory shading, duff accumulation, etc. Few tree seedlings and/or saplings occur in the understory. Infrequent, yet periodic, wildfire is presumed to be a natural factor influencing the understory of mature pinyon-juniper forestlands. This stage of community development is assumed to be representative of this forestland site in the pristine environment.

OVER-MATURE FORESTLAND: In the absence of wildfire or other naturally occurring disturbances, the tree canopy on this site can become very dense. This stage is dominated by singleleaf pinyon and Utah juniper that have reached maximal heights for the site. Dominant and co-dominant trees average greater than five inches in diameter at one-foot stump height. Upper crowns are typically irregularly flat-topped or rounded. Understory vegetation is sparse or absent due to tree competition, overstory shading, duff accumulation, etc. Tree canopy cover is commonly greater than 50 percent.

The pinyon-juniper forestland is generally a climax vegetation type throughout its range, reaching climax about 300 years after disturbance, with an ongoing trend toward increased tree density and canopy cover and a decline in understory species over time. Singleleaf pinyon seedling establishment is episodic. Population age structure is affected by drought, which reduces seedling and sapling recruitment more than other age classes. The ecotones between singleleaf pinyon woodlands and adjacent shrublands and grasslands provide favorable microhabitats for singleleaf pinyon seedling establishment since they are active zones for seed dispersal, nurse plants are available, and singleleaf pinyon seedlings are only affected by competition from grass and other herbaceous vegetation for a couple of years.

Several natural and anthropogenic processes can lead to changes in the spatial distribution of pinyon-juniper forestlands over time. These include 1) tree seedling establishment during favorable climatic periods, 2) tree mortality (especially seedlings and saplings) during periods of drought, 3) expansion of trees into adjacent grassland in response to overgrazing and/or fire suppression, and 4) removal of trees by humans, fire, or other disturbance episodes. Specific successional pathways after disturbance in singleleaf pinyon stands are dependent on a number of variables such as plant species present at the time of disturbance and their individual responses to disturbance, past management, type and size of disturbance, available seed sources in the soil or adjacent areas, and site and climatic conditions throughout the successional process.

Fire Ecology:
On high-productivity sites where sufficient fine fuels existed, singleleaf pinyon communities burn every 15 to 20 years, and on less productive sites with patchy fuels, fire return intervals may be in the range of 50 to 100 years or longer. Thin bark and lack of self pruning make singleleaf pinyon very susceptible to intense fire. Mature singleleaf pinyon can survive low-severity surface fires but is killed by more severe fires. Most tree seedlings are killed by fire, but cached seeds may survive. The fire return intervals for Utah juniper communities range from 10 to 30 years. Utah juniper is usually killed by fire, especially when trees are small. Wyoming big sagebrush is killed by fire and establishes after fire from a seedbank; from seed produced by remnant plants that escaped fire; and from plants adjacent to the burn that seed in. Thurber’s needlegrass is classified as moderately resistant, but depending on season of burn, phenology, and fire severity, this perennial bunchgrass is moderately to severely damaged by fire. Early season burning is more damaging to this needlegrass than late season burning. Indian ricegrass can be killed by fire, depending on severity and season of burn. Indian ricegrass reestablishes on burned sites through seed dispersed from adjacent unburned areas. Burning bluebunch wheatgrass may remove most of the aboveground biomass but does not usually result in plant mortality. Bluebunch wheatgrass is generally favored by burning. Burning stimulates flowering and seed production. However, season of burning affects mortality. Basin wildrye is top-killed by fire. Older basin wildrye plants with large proportions of dead material within the perennial crown can be expected to show higher mortality due to fire than younger plants having little debris. Basin wildrye is generally tolerant of fire but may be damaged by early season fire combined with dry soil conditions.

State and transition model

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Ecosystem states

1. Reference State

State 1 submodel, plant communities

1.1. Reference Plant Community

State 1
Reference State

Community 1.1
Reference Plant Community

The reference plant community is dominated by Utah juniper and singleleaf pinyon. Wyoming big sagebrush is the principal understory shrub. Thurber needlegrass, bluenunch wheatgrass, and bluegrasses are the most prevalent understory grasses. An overstory canopy of 20 to 35 percent is assumed to be representative of tree dominance on this site in the pristine environment. Overstory tree canopy composition is about 60 to 80 percent Utah juniper and about 20 to 40 percent singleleaf pinyon.

Forest overstory.MATURE FORESTLAND: The visual aspect and vegetal structure are dominated by singleleaf pinyon and Utah juniper that have reached or are near maximal heights for the site. Dominant trees average greater than five inches in diameter at one-foot stump height. Upper crowns of singleleaf pinyon and Utah juniper are typically either irregularly or smoothly flat-topped or rounded. Tree canopy cover ranges from 20 to 35 percent. Understory vegetation is strongly influenced by tree competition, overstory shading, duff accumulation, etc. Few tree seedlings and/or saplings occur in the understory. Infrequent, yet periodic, wildfire is presumed to be a natural factor influencing the understory of mature pinyon-juniper forestlands. This stage of community development is assumed to be representative of this forestland site in the pristine environment.

Forest understory. Understory vegetative composition is about 50 percent grasses, 10 percent forbs and 40 percent shrubs and young trees when the average overstory canopy is medium (20 to 35 percent). Average understory production ranges from 200 to 500 pounds per acre with a medium canopy cover. Understory production includes the total annual production of all species within 4.5 feet of the ground surface.

Figure 3. Annual production by plant type (representative values) or group (midpoint values)

Table 4. Annual production by plant type

Plant type	Low (lb/acre)	Representative value (lb/acre)	High (lb/acre)
Grass/Grasslike	90	135	225
Shrub/Vine	70	105	175
Forb	20	30	50
Tree	20	30	50
Total	200	300	500

Additional community tables

Table 5. Community 1.1 plant community composition

Group	Common name	Symbol	Scientific name	Annual production ()	Foliar cover (%)
Grass/Grasslike
1	Primary Perennial Grasses			90–198
	Thurber's needlegrass	ACTH7	Achnatherum thurberianum	30–72	–
	bluebunch wheatgrass	PSSPS	Pseudoroegneria spicata ssp. spicata	30–72	–
	basin wildrye	LECI4	Leymus cinereus	15–27	–
	Indian ricegrass	ACHY	Achnatherum hymenoides	15–27	–
2	Secondary Perennial Grasses			6–10
	squirreltail	ELEL5	Elymus elymoides	3–5	–
	Sandberg bluegrass	POSE	Poa secunda	3–5	–
Forb
3	Perennial			6–10
	arrowleaf balsamroot	BASA3	Balsamorhiza sagittata	3–5	–
	tapertip hawksbeard	CRAC2	Crepis acuminata	3–5	–
Shrub/Vine
4	Primary Shrubs			75–150
	Wyoming big sagebrush	ARTRW8	Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis	75–150	–
5	Secondary Shrubs			5–8
	Utah serviceberry	AMUT	Amelanchier utahensis	3–5	–
	jointfir	EPHED	Ephedra	2–3	–
Tree
6	Evergreen			18–32
	singleleaf pinyon	PIMO	Pinus monophylla	15–27	–
	Utah juniper	JUOS	Juniperus osteosperma	3–5	–

Table 6. Community 1.1 forest overstory composition

Common name	Symbol	Scientific name	Nativity	Height ft	Canopy cover (%)	Diameter in	Basal area (square ft/acre)
Tree
Utah juniper	JUOS	Juniperus osteosperma	Native	–	60-80	–	0
singleleaf pinyon	PIMO	Pinus monophylla	Native	–	20-40	–	0

Interpretations

Animal community

Livestock Interpretations:
This site is suited to cattle and sheep grazing during the spring, summer and fall. Grazing management should be keyed to Thurber's needlegrass production. Thurber's needlegrass provides palatable, nutritious feed during the late spring and summer. New plants of this grass are established entirely from seed and grazing practices should allow for ample seed production and seedling establishment.

Livestock will often concentrate on this site taking advantage of the shade and shelter offered by the tree overstory. Many areas are not used because of steep slopes or lack of adequate water. Attentive grazing management is required due to steep slopes and erosion hazards. Harvesting trees under a sound management program for fuelwood, posts or other products can open up the tree canopy to allow increased production of understory species desirable for grazing.

Stocking rates vary with such factors as kind and class of grazing animal, season of use and fluctuations in climate. Actual use records for individual sites, a determination of the degree to which the sites have been grazed, and an evaluation of trend in site condition offer the most reliable basis for developing initial stocking rates.

Selection of initial stocking rates for given grazing units is a planning decision. This decision should be made ONLY after careful consideration of the total resources available, evaluation of alternatives for use and treatment, and establishment of objectives by the decisionmaker.

The forage value rating is not an ecological evaluation of the understory as is the range condition rating for rangeland. The forage value rating is a utilitarian rating of the existing understory plants for use by specific kinds of grazing animals.

Wildlife Interpretations:
This site has high value for mule deer during the winter. Juniper trees provide shelter from winter storms and juniper foliage is also browsed during the winter. Sites where water is available offer good quail habitat and are visited seasonally by mourning dove. It is also used by various song birds, rodents, reptiles and associated predators natural to the area.

Hydrological functions

The hydrologic cover condition of this site is poor in a representative stand. The average runoff curve is about 85 for group C soils and about 90 for group D soils.

Recreational uses

The trees on this site provide a welcome break in an otherwise open landscape. It has potential for hiking, cross-country skiing, camping, and deer and upland game hunting.

Wood products

Pinyon wood is rather soft, brittle, heavy with pitch, and yellowish brown in color. Singleleaf pinyon has played an important role as a source of fuelwood and mine props. It has been a source of wood for charcoal used in ore smelting. It still has a promising potential for charcoal production. Other important uses for this tree are for Christmas trees and as a source of nuts for wildlife and human food. Utah juniper wood is very durable. Its primary uses have been for posts and fuelwood. It probably has considerable potential in the charcoal industry and in wood fiber products.

PRODUCTIVE CAPACITY

This woodland community is of low site quality for tree production. Site index ranges from 35 to 55 (Howell, 1940).

Productivity Class: 0.2 to 0.4
CMAI*: 3.3 to 5.2 ft3/ac/yr;
0.23 to 0.36 m3/ha/yr.
Culmination is estimated to be at 100 years.
*CMAI: is the culmination of mean annual increment or highest average growth rate of the stand in the units specified.

Fuelwood Production: 4 to 7 cords per acre for stands averaging 5 inches in diameter at 1 foot height with a medium canopy cover. There are about 289,000 gross British Thermal Units (BTUs) heat content per cubic foot of pinyon pine wood and about 274,000 gross BTUs heat content per cubic foot of Utah juniper. Solid wood volume in a cord varies but usually ranges from 65 to 90 cubic feet. Assuming an average of 75 cubic feet of solid wood per cord, there are about 21 million BTUs of heat value in a cord of mixed pinyon pine and Utah juniper.

Posts (7 foot): About 20 to 35 posts per acre in stands of medium canopy.

Christmas trees: 10 trees per acre per year in stands of medium canopy.

Pinyon nuts: Production varies year to year, but mature forestland stage can yield 150 to 200 pounds per acre in favorable years.

MANAGEMENT GUIDES AND INTERPRETATIONS

1. LIMITATIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS
a. Potential for sheet and rill erosion is moderate to severe depending on slope.
b. Moderate equipment limitations on steeper slopes and moderate to severe equipment limitations on sites having extreme surface stoniness.
c. Proper spacing is the key to a well managed, multiple use and multi-product pinyon-juniper forestland.

2. ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS
a. Adequately protect from wildfire.
b. Protect soils from accelerated erosion.
c. Apply proper grazing management.

3. SILVICULTURAL PRACTICES
a. Harvest cut selectively or in small patches size dependent upon site conditions) to enhance forage production.
1) Thinning and improvement cutting - Removal of poorly formed, diseased and low vigor trees for fuelwood.
2) Harvest cutting - Selectively harvest surplus trees to achieve desired spacing. Save large, healthy, full-crowned singleleaf pinyon trees for nut producers. Do not select only "high grade" trees during harvest.
3) Slash Disposal - broadcasting slash improves reestablishment of native understory herbaceous species and establishment of seeded grasses and forbs after tree harvest.
4) Spacing Guide - D+10 to D+12
b. Prescription burning program to maintain desired canopy cover and manage site reproduction.
c. Mechanical tree removal (i.e. chaining) is not recommended on this site.
d. Pest control - Porcupines can cause
extensive damage and populations should be controlled.
e. Fire hazard - Fire usually not a problem in well-managed, mature stands.

Other products

The pitch of singleleaf pinyon was used by Native Americans as an adhesive, caulking material, and a paint binder. It may also be used medicinally and chewed like gum. Pinyon seeds are a valuable food source for humans, and a valuable commercial crop. Native Americans made tea from big sagebrush leaves. They used the tea as a tonic, an antiseptic, for treating colds, diarrhea, and sore eyes and as a rinse to ward off ticks. Big sagebrush seeds were eaten raw or made into meal. Indian ricegrass was traditionally eaten by some Native Americans. The Paiutes used the seed as a reserve food source. Basin wildrye was used as bedding for various Native American ceremonies, providing a cool place for dancers to stand.

Other information

Wyoming big sagebrush is used for stabilizing slopes and gullies and for restoring degraded wildlife habitat, rangelands, mine spoils and other disturbed sites. It is particularly recommended on dry upland sites where other shrubs are difficult to establish. Basin wildrye is useful in mine reclamation, fire rehabilitation and stabilizing disturbed areas. Its usefulness in range seeding, however, may be limited by initially weak stand establishment.

Table 7. Representative site productivity

Common name	Symbol	Site index low	Site index high	CMAI low	CMAI high	Age of CMAI	Site index curve code	Site index curve basis	Citation
singleleaf pinyon	PIMO	35	55	3	5	100	200	N/A	Howell, Joseph Jr. 1940. Pinon [sic] and juniper, a preliminary study of volume, growth and yield. USDA, Soil Conservation Service. Region 8 Regional Bulletin 71, Forest Series 12.
singleleaf pinyon	PIMO	35	55	3	5	–	–	–

Supporting information

Other references

Fire Effects Information System (Online; http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/).

Howell, J., 1940. Pinyon and juniper: a preliminary study of volume, growth, and yield. Regional Bulletin 71. Albuquerque, NM: USDA, SCS; 90p.

Jordan, M., 1974. An Inventory of Two Selected Woodland Sites in the Pine Nut Hills of Western Nevada.

USDA-NRCS. 1980. National Forestry Manual - Part 537. Washington, D.C.

USDA-NRCS Plants Database (Online; http://www.plants.usda.gov).

Contributors

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:

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