Ecological site R043BP821MT

R043BP823MT	Shallow Alpine Group The Shallow Alpine is a neighboring site that exists higher on the landscape. The Shallow Alpine and the Upland Alpine share similar plant communities and state and transition models however, the Upland Alpine Site will produce higher amounts annual production.

R043BP823MT	Shallow Alpine Group The Shallow Alpine is a neighboring site that exists higher on the landscape. The Shallow Alpine and the Upland Alpine share similar plant communities and state and transition models however, the Upland Alpine Site will produce higher amounts annual production.

Tree	(1) Pinus albicaulis (2) Abies lasiocarpa
Shrub	(1) Vaccinium scoparium (2) Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Herbaceous	(1) Poa alpina (2) Dryas

Landforms	(1) Mountains > Ridge
Runoff class	High
Elevation	6500 – 10000 ft
Slope	0 – 70 %
Aspect	Aspect is not a significant factor

Parent material	(1) Colluvium – igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rock (2) Residuum – igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rock
Surface texture	(1) Loam (2) Sandy loam (3) Coarse sandy loam
Drainage class	Well drained to excessively drained
Depth to restrictive layer	20 – 0 in
Soil depth	20 – 0 in
Surface fragment cover <=3"	0 – 23 %
Surface fragment cover >3"	0 – 12 %
Available water capacity (0-40in)	1.6 – 6.4 in
Soil reaction (1:1 water) (0-10in)	5.6 – 7.8
Subsurface fragment volume <=3" (10-20in)	0 – 33 %
Subsurface fragment volume >3" (10-20in)	0 – 21 %

Ecological dynamics

Upland Alpine 43B (R043BP821MT)

1 - Reference State
1.1 Reference Community Phase: Short-stature grasses (typically bluegrasses), sedges, forbs (Dryas) and shrubs share nearly equal dominance of this site. Grouse whortleberry, bearberry and creeping juniper are most common shrubs. Minimal tree cover is present, and commonly occurs as krummholz limber pine, whitebark pine, and subalpine fir. Community is resistant to most disturbance (ie fire, grazing) due to remote locations and rocky nature of soil.

T1A Vegetation removal due to catastrophic event; namely fire, however, drought, climate change, and grazing may occur.

2 - Rock Covered State
2.1 Plant community is generally devoid of most species due to extreme fire. Grasses and fire resistant shrubs remain. Few trees remain as seed source for future communities.

R2A Time and stability for vegetation to re-establish

State and transition model

Custom diagram

Standard diagram

More interactive model formats are also available. View Interactive Models

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	08/29/2026
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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Natural ResourcesConservation Service

Ecological site R043BP821MT

Upland Alpine Group

Last updated: 3/01/2024 Accessed: 08/29/2026

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Ecological site concept

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Table 1. Dominant plant species

Natural Resources
Conservation Service

Last updated: 3/01/2024
Accessed: 08/29/2026