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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
R035XY013UT Semiwet Fresh Streambank (Fremont Cottonwood)
R035XY212UT Semidesert Sand (Fourwing Saltbush)
Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree Not specified
Shrub Not specified
Herbaceous (1) Juncus balticus
(2) CarexPhysiographic features
Drainageways on structural benches; stream terraces; drainageways; and alluvial fans and floodplains adjacent to intermittent and perennial streams.
Table 2. Representative physiographic features
Landforms (1) Structural bench
(2) Stream terrace
(3) Drainageway
Flooding duration Very brief (4 to 48 hours) to brief (2 to 7 days) Flooding frequency Rare to occasional Ponding duration Very brief (4 to 48 hours) to brief (2 to 7 days) Ponding frequency Rare to occasional Elevation 4800 – 7500 ft Slope 0 – 5 % Ponding depth 0 – 6 in Water table depth 20 – 60 in Climatic features
Approximately 70-75% occurs as rain from March through October. On the average, April, May, and June are the driest months and August through October are the wettest months. Precipitation is extremely variable from month to month and from year to year. Much of the summer precipitation occurs as convection thunderstorms. This is a run-in site that receives additional moisture from adjacent sites and occasional flooding.
Table 3 Representative climatic features
Frost-free period (average) 160 days Freeze-free period (average) 140 days Precipitation total (average) 20 in BarLineFigure 1. Monthly precipitation range
BarLineFigure 2. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature
">Influencing water features
Soil features
Surface soils are generally dark colored and high in organic matter content. Soil textures range from fine sand to clay, but mostly medium to moderately fine textures. Throughout the major part of the year, the soils are influenced by a fluctuating high water table. The water table fluctuates between 20 to 40 inches most of the growing season. Average annual soil loss in potential is approximately 5 tons/acre. Calcree is a moderately deep soil (20 to 40 inches) with fine sand textures and has a very rapid permeability rate (greater than 20 in/hr). Vega has a slow permeability rate (0.06 to 0.2 in/hr) due to the heavier clay loam textures.
Major Soils Associated With This Site (Soil Survey Area + Series Name):
Grand Staircase Escalante NM (686): Calcree in mapunit 5088; Hetz in mapunit 5139.San Juan Area (639) Ackmen, moderately deep water table in mapunit AsBW; Pack, moderately deep water table in mapunit PsBW; Vega, moderately deep water table in mapunit VcBW Washington County Area (641): Draper in mapunit DrB.
Table 4. Representative soil features
Parent material (1) Alluvium – sandstone
Surface texture (1) Fine sand
(2) Loam
(3) Silt loam
Drainage class Poorly drained to somewhat poorly drained Permeability class Moderate to very rapid Soil depth 60 – 0 in Surface fragment cover <=3" 0 – 15 % Available water capacity
(0-40in)1.6 – 2.2 in Calcium carbonate equivalent
(0-40in)0 – 2 % Electrical conductivity
(0-40in)0 – 2 mmhos/cm Sodium adsorption ratio
(0-40in)0 – 1 Soil reaction (1:1 water)
(0-40in)6.6 – 7.3 Subsurface fragment volume <=3"
(Depth not specified)0 – 20 % Subsurface fragment volume >3"
(Depth not specified)2 – 0 % Ecological dynamics
As this site deteriorates due to overgrazing, redtop, tufted hairgrass, Great Basin Wildrye, slender wheatgrass and forbs decrease while Kentucky bluegrass, western wheatgrass, rushes, rubber rabbitbrush, and yellow rabbitbrush increase. Fire is not an essential part of this ecosystem. Foxtail barley, povertyweed, gumweed, and cheatgrass are most likely to invade this site.
Where this site is in poor condition it can be improved by seeding. Brush control can be used when shrubs begin to dominate the plant community.
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 StateThe dominant view of this site is Kentucky bluegrass. The composition by annual air-dry weight is approximately 75% perennial grasses, 20% perennial forbs, and 5% shrubs. In average years, plants begin growth around March 1 and end growth around October 15.
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 675 975 1350 Forb 180 260 360 Shrub/Vine 45 65 90 Total 900 1300 1800 Table 6. Ground cover
Tree foliar cover 0% Shrub/vine/liana foliar cover 0-0% Grass/grasslike foliar cover 70-80% Forb foliar cover 0-10% Non-vascular plants 0% Biological crusts 0% Litter 0% Surface fragments >0.25" and <=3" 0% Surface fragments >3" 0% Bedrock 0% Water 0% Bare ground 0% Table 7. Canopy structure (% cover)
Height Above Ground (ft) Tree Shrub/Vine Grass/
GrasslikeForb <0.5 – – – – >0.5 <= 1 – – – – >1 <= 2 – 0-2% 74-76% 4-6% >2 <= 4.5 – – – – >4.5 <= 13 – – – – >13 <= 40 – – – – >40 <= 80 – – – – >80 <= 120 – – – – >120 – – – – Additional community tables
Table 8. Community 1.1 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Grass/Grasslike0 Dominant Grasses 648–1260 Grass, annual 2GA Grass, annual 70–140 – Grass, perennial 2GP Grass, perennial 70–140 – tufted hairgrass DECE Deschampsia cespitosa 12–42 – saltgrass DISP Distichlis spicata 12–42 – squirreltail ELEL5 Elymus elymoides 12–42 – slender wheatgrass ELTRT Elymus trachycaulus ssp. trachycaulus 12–42 – timothy PHPR3 Phleum pratense 12–42 – 1 Sub-Dominant Grasses 200–490 Shrub (>.5m) 2SHRUB Shrub (>.5m) 36–60 – basin big sagebrush ARTRT Artemisia tridentata ssp. tridentata 12–42 – yellow rabbitbrush CHVI8 Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus 12–42 – shrubby cinquefoil DAFRF Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda 12–42 – rubber rabbitbrush ERNAN5 Ericameria nauseosa ssp. nauseosa var. nauseosa 12–42 – Woods' rose ROWO Rosa woodsii 12–42 – narrowleaf willow SAEX Salix exigua 12–42 – Forb0 Dominant Forbs 36–140 Forb, annual 2FA Forb, annual 60–210 – Forb, perennial 2FP Forb, perennial 60–210 – pea LATHY Lathyrus 12–42 – gooseberryleaf globemallow SPGR2 Sphaeralcea grossulariifolia 12–42 – strawberry clover TRFR2 Trifolium fragiferum 12–42 – valerian VALER Valeriana 12–42 – 2 Sub-Dominant Forbs 162–588 Shrub/Vine3 Sub-Dominant Shrubs 108–312 Interpretations
Animal community
This is one of Utah’s highest yielding ecological sites for production. The plants are dominantly grasses and grasslike plants with few forbs and none to scattered shrubs. This site is key forage production site for livestock and wildlife. To control soil erosion and degradation of the plant community, this site may be properly grazed early with animals being removed early to allow key plants to go ungrazed during the last part of the growing season. A stubble height of 4-6 inches is recommended.
This site provides food and cover for upland game birds and waterfowl. It also provides food and very limited cover for big game animals
Wildlife using this site includes rabbits, coyote, birds, mule deer, and elk.
Hydrological functions
The soils are in hydrologic group c, except Calcree which is in group B/D.
Recreational uses
Recreational uses are hunting, camping, and hiking. Natural beauty exist is the more favorable plant growth and lush appearance of this site when compared to surrounding sites.
Wood products
None
Supporting information
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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