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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
R029XY029NV LOAMY 10-12 P.Z.
R029XY165NV ERODED NORTH SLOPE 12-14 P.Z.
R029XY172NV NORTH SLOPE 12-14
Similar sites
R029XY165NV ERODED NORTH SLOPE 12-14 P.Z.
More productive site; AMUT, POFE dominant species.
R029XY172NV NORTH SLOPE 12-14
More productive site.
Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree Not specified
Shrub (1) Purshia mexicana var. stansburiana
(2) Ceanothus greggiiHerbaceous (1) Pleuraphis jamesii
Physiographic features
This site occurs on southerly exposures of mountain backslopes. Slopes range from 30 to 75 percent, but slopes gradients of 35 to 55 percent are most typical. Elevations range from 5000 to approximately 5800 feet.
Table 2. Representative physiographic features
Landforms (1) Mountain slope
Elevation 5000 – 5800 ft Slope 30 – 75 % Aspect Aspect is not a significant factor Climatic features
The climate associated with this site is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches, most falling as rain during the winter months. Additional moisture occurs from July through September in the form of intense, convective storms. Mean annual temperature is 45 to 53 degrees. The average growing season is 100 to 130 days.
Table 3 Representative climatic features
Frost-free period (average) 130 days Freeze-free period (average) 0 days Precipitation total (average) 10 in BarLineFigure 1. Monthly precipitation range
BarLineFigure 2. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature
">Influencing water features
There are no influencing water features associated with this site.
Soil features
The soils associated with this site are very shallow and well drained. Surface soils are medium textured and are normally less than 6 to 10 inches thick to underlying material, commonly lacustrine or tuffaceous deposits. Because of steep slopes and clumped vegetation, the soils of this site are subject to sheet and rill erosion. The available water capacity is low. Runoff is very high.
Ecological dynamics
Livestock use of this site is limited because steep slopes and low productivity. Plant community alterations to this site occur primarily by natural disturbances such as, drought, insects, erosion and fire. Soil erosion resulting from unstable soils on steep slopes impacts species composition and reduces productivity. Singleleaf pinyon and Utah juniper may increase in density on this site. A significant increase in tree density is hindered by surface soil instability and loss of the root zone due to erosion.
Fire Ecology:
Fire effects on Stansbury cliffrose are variable. Fire may kill or severely damage plants. Late-season fire also increases the risk of mortality. Stansbury cliffrose is a weak sprouter that is generally killed by severe fire. Desert ceanothus plants is non-sprouting and usually is killed by fire. Ceanothus regeneration may be reduced following prescribed burns. 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. Galleta is a rhizomatous perennial which can resprout after top-kill by fire. 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. Muttongrass is unharmed to slightly harmed by light-severity fall fires. Muttongrass appears to be harmed by and slow to recover from severe fire. Bottlebrush squirreltail's small size, coarse stems, and sparse leafy material aid in its tolerance of fire. Postfire regeneration occurs from surviving root crowns and from on- and off-site seed sources. Frequency of disturbance greatly influences postfire response of bottlebrush squirreltail. Undisturbed plants within a 6 to 9 year age class generally contain large amounts of dead material, increasing bottlebrush squirreltail's susceptibility to fire. Needleandthread grass is top-killed by fire. It may be killed if the aboveground stems are completely consumed. Needleandthread grass is classified as slightly to severely damaged by fire. Needleandthread grass sprouts from the caudex following fire, if heat has not been sufficient to kill underground parts. Recovery usually takes 2 to 10 years.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 reference plant community is dominated by Stansbury cliffrose, desert ceanothus, galleta, and Indian ricegrass. Potential vegetative composition is 25 percent grasses, 10 percent forbs and 65 percent shrubs. Approximate ground cover (basal and crown) is 40 to 50 percent.
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)Shrub/Vine 221 284 347 Grass/Grasslike 88 113 138 Forb 35 45 55 Tree 6 8 10 Total 350 450 550 Additional community tables
Table 5. Community 1.1 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Grass/Grasslike1 Primary 40–110 James' galleta PLJA Pleuraphis jamesii 22–66 – muttongrass POFE Poa fendleriana 9–22 – Indian ricegrass ACHY Achnatherum hymenoides 9–22 – 2 Secondary 22–45 purple threeawn ARPUP6 Aristida purpurea var. purpurea 2–9 – blue grama BOGR2 Bouteloua gracilis 2–9 – squirreltail ELELE Elymus elymoides ssp. elymoides 2–9 – needle and thread HECO26 Hesperostipa comata 2–9 – Forb3 Perennial 23–45 milkvetch ASTRA Astragalus 2–9 – bird's-beak CORDY Cordylanthus 2–9 – matted buckwheat ERCA8 Eriogonum caespitosum 2–9 – desert frasera FRAL5 Frasera albomarginata 2–9 – beardtongue PENST Penstemon 2–9 – phlox PHLOX Phlox 2–9 – globemallow SPHAE Sphaeralcea 2–9 – 4 Annual 1–18 Shrub/Vine5 Primary 161–273 Stansbury cliffrose PUST Purshia stansburiana 115–160 – desert ceanothus CEGR Ceanothus greggii 23–68 – Wyoming big sagebrush ARTRW8 Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis 23–45 – 6 Secondary 23–45 Utah serviceberry AMUT Amelanchier utahensis 5–14 – rubber rabbitbrush ERNA10 Ericameria nauseosa 5–14 – holywood GUSA Guaiacum sanctum 5–14 – beavertail pricklypear OPBA2 Opuntia basilaris 5–14 – antelope bitterbrush PUTR2 Purshia tridentata 5–14 – Sonoran scrub oak QUTU2 Quercus turbinella 5–14 – horsebrush TETRA3 Tetradymia 5–14 – yucca YUCCA Yucca 5–14 – Tree7 Evergreen 4–18 Utah juniper JUOS Juniperus osteosperma 2–9 – singleleaf pinyon PIMO Pinus monophylla 2–9 – Interpretations
Animal community
Livestock Interpretations:
This site has limited value for grazing due to the steep slopes. When actively growing, galleta provides good to excellent forage for cattle and horses and fair forage for domestic sheep. Although not preferred, all classes of livestock may use galleta when it is dry. Domestic sheep show greater use in winter than summer months and typically feed upon central portions of galleta tufts, leaving coarser growth around the edges. Galleta may prove somewhat coarse to domestic sheep. Indian ricegrass is highly palatable to all classes of livestock in both green and cured condition. It supplies a source of green feed before most other native grasses have produced much new growth. Muttongrass is excellent forage for domestic livestock especially in the early spring. Muttongrass begins growth in late winter and early spring, which makes it available before many other forage plants.
Bottlebrush squirreltail is very palatable winter forage for domestic sheep of Intermountain ranges. Domestic sheep relish the green foliage. Overall, bottlebrush squirreltail is considered moderately palatable to livestock. Needleandthread provides highly palatable forage, especially in the spring before fruits have developed. Needlegrasses are grazed in the fall only if the fruits are softened by rain.
Stansbury cliffrose is an important browse species for livestock, especially in the winter. Desert ceanothus is highly palatable to most domestic livestock. Livestock browse Wyoming big sagebrush, but may use it only lightly when palatable herbaceous species are available.
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:
Stansbury cliffrose is an important browse species for mule deer, pronghorn, game birds, and songbirds. Wild ungulates use it heavily in winter. Desert ceanothus is highly palatable to most wild ungulates. Wyoming big sagebrush is preferred browse for wild ungulates. Pronghorn usually browse Wyoming big sagebrush heavily. Galleta provides moderately palatable forage when actively growing and relatively unpalatable forage during dormant periods. Galleta provides poor cover for most wildlife species. Indian ricegrass is eaten by pronghorn in moderate amounts whenever available. A number of heteromyid rodents inhabiting desert rangelands show preference for seed of Indian ricegrass. Indian ricegrass is an important component of jackrabbit diets in spring and summer. Indian ricegrass seed provides food for many species of birds. Doves, for example, eat large amounts of shattered Indian ricegrass seed lying on the ground. Deer and elk make heavy use of muttongrass, especially in early spring when other green forage is scarce. Depending upon availability of other nutritious forage, deer may use muttongrass in all seasons. Muttongrass cures well and is an important fall and winter deer food in some areas. Bottlebrush squirreltail is a dietary component of several wildlife species. Bottlebrush squirreltail may provide forage for mule deer and pronghorn. Needleandthread is moderately important spring forage for mule deer, but use declines considerably as more preferred forages become available.Recreational uses
Aesthetic value is derived from the diverse floral and faunal composition and the colorful flowering of wild flowers and shrubs during the spring and early summer. This site offers rewarding opportunities to photographers and for nature study. This site is used for camping and hiking and has potential for upland and big game hunting.
Other products
Triterpenoids extracted from Stansbury cliffrose have been shown to have inhibitory effects on HIV and Epstein-Barr virus. Native Americans used the inner bark for making clothing and ropes, and the branches for making arrows. 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.
Other information
Stansbury cliffrose is recommended for wildlife, roadside, construction, and mine spoils plantings; and for restoring pinyon-juniper woodland, mountain brushland, basin big sagebrush grassland, black sagebrush, and black greasewood communities. It can be established on disturbed seedbeds by broadcast seeding, drill seeding, or transplanting. Fall or winter seeding is recommended. 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. Bottlebrush squirreltail is tolerant of disturbance and is a suitable species for revegetation. Needleandthread grass is useful for stabilizing eroded or degraded sites.
Supporting information
Type locality
Location 1: Lincoln County, NV Township/Range/Section T5S R71E S18 UTM zone N UTM northing 4156492 UTM easting 0756175 Latitude 37° 32′ 16″ Longitude 114° 6′ 2″ General legal description Beaver Dam State Park, Lincoln County, Nevada Other references
Fire Effects Information System (Online; http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/).
USDA-NRCS Plants Database (Online; http://www.plants.usda.gov).
Contributors
CJ ANDERSON
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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