Ecological site F043BP610ID

F043BP602ID	Shallow Cool Woodland Group
F043BP607ID	Subirrigated Cool Woodland Group

F043BP611ID	Upland, Warm Woodland Group
F043BP609ID	Upland Cold Woodland Group

Tree	(1) Pseudotsuga menziesii (2) Pinus contorta
Shrub	(1) Juniperus communis (2) Symphoricarpos albus
Herbaceous	(1) Calamagrostis rubescens (2) Arnica

Landforms	(1) Mountains > Hillside or mountainside (2) Mountains > Ridge
Elevation	6000 – 10000 ft
Slope	2 – 70 %
Aspect	Aspect is not a significant factor

Frost-free period (characteristic range)	10-30 days
Freeze-free period (characteristic range)	50-80 days
Precipitation total (characteristic range)	20-30 in
Frost-free period (actual range)	0-40 days
Freeze-free period (actual range)	40-90 days
Precipitation total (actual range)	20-30 in
Frost-free period (average)	20 days
Freeze-free period (average)	70 days
Precipitation total (average)	20 in

Parent material	(1) Colluvium – igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rock (2) Residuum – igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rock
Surface texture	(1) Very cobbly, very gravelly loam (2) Fine gravelly sandy loam (3) Very stony, very bouldery coarse sandy loam (4) Ashy, gravelly silt loam (5) Clay loam
Family particle size	(1) Coarse-loamy (2) Fine-loamy (3) Loamy-skeletal (4) Sandy-skeletal
Drainage class	Well drained to somewhat excessively drained
Permeability class	Moderately slow to moderately rapid
Soil depth	20 – 100 in
Surface fragment cover <=3"	0 – 25 %
Surface fragment cover >3"	0 – 40 %
Available water capacity (0-40in)	1.2 – 8.2 in
Clay content (0-40in)	4 – 45 %
Soil reaction (1:1 water) (0-40in)	5.1 – 8.4
Subsurface fragment volume <=3" (0-40in)	0 – 40 %
Subsurface fragment volume >3" (0-40in)	0 – 60 %

Ecological dynamics

1.1 Douglas fir dominated forest with understory of shrubs and mixed grasses. Lodgepole pine and Englemann’s spruce throughout the forest but sparsely spaced.
T1A Post Disturbance includes stand replacement fire, insect pestilence, disease, and clear cut

2.1 Post fire shrub dominant community with saplings of lodgepole being common. Fireweed dominant forb. Grasses may increase outside of fireweed patches.
2.1A Over time lodgepole pine saplings increase with some Douglas fir and Englemann's spruce saplings increasing. Forbs and shrubs decrease as tree canopy increases.
2.2A Community Pathway includes stand replacement fire, insect pestilence, disease, and clear cut

2.2 Post Fire forest dominated by lodgepole pine with Douglas fire and Englemann's spruce increasing. Shrubs and grasses returning to pre-fire positions.
R2A Restoration pathway where the site, over time, without fire, insect pestilence, or disease moves back to the Reference State. Douglas fir comes back in and shades out lodgepole pine.
T2A: It occurs when intense precipitation events follow extreme stand replacement fires. Due to loss of seed source coupled with extreme surface erosion trees struggle to establish. Grasses and shrubs become dominant.

3.1 Stand Replacement Fire Plus Extreme Erosion State: This State is rare in its extent within the MLRA. It occurs when intense precipitation events follow extreme stand replacement fires.

State and transition model

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Additional community tables

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	07/17/2026
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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Ecological site F043BP610ID

Upland Cool Woodland Group

Last updated: 3/01/2024 Accessed: 07/17/2026

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Classification relationships

Ecological site concept

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Table 1. Dominant plant species

Natural Resources
Conservation Service

Last updated: 3/01/2024
Accessed: 07/17/2026