Ecological site F044BP906MT

Tree	(1) Picea engelmannii (2) Abies lasiocarpa
Shrub	(1) Alnus (2) Paxistima myrsinites
Herbaceous	(1) Clintonia uniflora (2) Linnaea borealis

Landforms	(1) Valley > Terrace
Elevation	5500 – 6500 ft
Slope	0 – 5 %

Frost-free period (characteristic range)	0-20 days
Freeze-free period (characteristic range)	40-60 days
Precipitation total (characteristic range)	20-30 in
Frost-free period (actual range)	0-30 days
Freeze-free period (actual range)	40-90 days
Precipitation total (actual range)	10-30 in
Frost-free period (average)	10 days
Freeze-free period (average)	50 days
Precipitation total (average)	20 in

Parent material	(1) Alluvium
Drainage class	Very poorly drained to somewhat poorly drained
Surface fragment cover >3"	0 – 5 %

Ecological dynamics

This Ecological Site contains two states; the Reference (1) and Post Disturbance (2). The reference state is defined by an Englemann's Spruce forest with Subalpine fir as a subdominant. The understory is primarily a shrub and forb community. The primary shrubs include snowberry, boxwood, alder, menziesia, and Oregon grape. The primary forb community includes heartleaf arnica, meadowrue, Queen's cup beadlily, and the occasional beargrass.

The Post Disturbance State (2) consists of primarily a shrub dominant community with saplings of Englemann's spruce and Subalpine fir. These shrubs are primarily alder, menziesia, ceanothus, and spirea. Fireweed and coneflower are the primary forbs of this community.

The Post Disturbance State (2) transitions to the Reference State (1) with time. Due to the growing conditions, this could take as long as 150 years.

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
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:

Download reference sheet

Natural ResourcesConservation Service

Ecological site F044BP906MT

Subirrigated Cold Woodland

Last updated: 8/26/2019 Accessed: 05/31/2026

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General information

MLRA notes

Ecological site concept

Table 1. Dominant plant species

Natural Resources
Conservation Service

Last updated: 8/26/2019
Accessed: 05/31/2026