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Ecological site R047XC004UT

Semi-wet Fresh Meadow

Last updated: 2/05/2025
Accessed: 07/14/2026

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General information

Draft. A draft ecological site description is either incomplete or has not undergone quality control and quality assurance review.

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Figure 1. Mapped extent

Areas shown in blue indicate the maximum mapped extent of this ecological site. Other ecological sites likely occur within the highlighted areas. It is also possible for this ecological site to occur outside of highlighted areas if detailed soil survey has not been completed or recently updated.

MLRA notes

Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): 047X–Wasatch and Uinta Mountains

MLRA 47 occurs in Utah (86 percent), Wyoming (8 percent), Colorado (4 percent), and Idaho (2 percent). It encompasses approximately 23,825 square miles (61,740 square kilometers). The northern half of this area is in the Middle Rocky Mountains Province of the Rocky Mountain System. The southern half is in the High Plateaus of the Utah Section of the Colorado Plateaus Province of the Intermontane Plateaus. Parts of the western edge of this MLRA are in the Great Basin Section of the Basin and Range Province of the Intermontane Plateaus. The MLRA includes the Wasatch Mountains, which trend north and south, and the Unita Mountains, which trend east and west. The steeply sloping, precipitous Wasatch Mountains have narrow crests and deep valleys. Active faulting and erosion are a dominant force in controlling the geomorphology of the area. The Uinta Mountains have a broad, gently arching, elongated shape. Structurally, they consist of a broadly folded anticline that has an erosion-resistant quartzite core. The Wasatch and Uinta Mountains have an elevation of 4,900 to about 13,500 feet (1,495 to 4,115 meters).

The mountains in this area are primarily fault blocks that have been tilted up. Alluvial fans at the base of the mountains are recharge zones for the basin fill aquifers. An ancient shoreline of historic Bonneville Lake is evident on the footslopes along the western edge of the area. Rocks exposed in the mountains are mostly Mesozoic and Paleozoic sediments, but Precambrian rocks are exposed in the Uinta Mountains. The Uinta Mountains are one of the few ranges in the United States that are oriented west to east. The southern Wasatch Mountains consist of Tertiary volcanic rocks occurring as extrusive lava and intrusive crystalline rocks.

The average precipitation is from 8 to 16 inches (203 to 406 mm) in the valleys and can range up to 73 inches (1854 mm) in the mountains. In the northern and western portions of the MLRA, peak precipitation occurs in the winter months. The southern and eastern portions have a greater incidence of high-intensity summer thunderstorms; hence, a significant amount of precipitation occurs during the summer months. The average annual temperature is 30 to 50 degrees F (-1 to 15 C). The freeze-free period averages 140 days and ranges from 60 to 220 days, generally decreasing in length with elevation.

The dominant soil orders in this MLRA are Aridisols, Entisols, Inceptisols, and Mollisols. The lower elevations are dominated by a frigid temperature regime, while the higher elevations experience cryic temperature regimes. Mesic temperature regimes come in on the lower elevations and south facing slopes in the southern portion of this MLRA. The soil moisture regime is typically xeric in the northern part of the MLRA, but grades to ustic in the extreme eastern and southern parts. The minerology is generally mixed and the soils are very shallow to very deep, generally well drained, and loamy or loamy –skeletal.

LRU notes

E47C is the Uinta Mountains portion of MLRA 47 that run east and west which includes the Uinta Wilderness and The Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and towns such as Evanston, Wyoming, Hanna and Tabiona, Utah. Structurally these mountains consist of a broadly folded anticline that has an erosion resistance quartzite core. The Duchesne River and many other tributaries to the Green River run through this range, as well as the headwaters of the Bear River.

Ecological site concept

The soils on this site were formed in alluvium derived from quartzite, sandstone, limestone and shale. The soil is somewhat poorly drained with moderately slow permeability in the upper 10 inches of soil. The soil is deep with greater than 60 inches to bedrock. The soil texture at the surface is loam and surface and subsurface rocks are under 15% by cover and volume. Available water capacity is between 4.6 and 8.8 in the upper 40 inches of soil. The soil pH is between 6.6 and 8.4. The soil temperature regime is frigid and the soil moisture regime is ustic.

Associated sites

R047XC008UT	Wet Fresh Meadow (sedge)

R047XC008UT

Wet Fresh Meadow (sedge)

Similar sites

R047XC008UT	Wet Fresh Meadow (sedge)

R047XC008UT

Wet Fresh Meadow (sedge)

Table 1. Dominant plant species

Tree	Not specified
Shrub	Not specified
Herbaceous	(1) Poa secunda (2) Pascopyrum smithii

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Physiographic features

This site can be found in drainageways on gentle slopes between 1 and 10%. It can occur at elevations between 6,400 to 8,500 feet. Flooding rarely takes place on this site and the duration of flooding when it occurs is brief. Ponding does not occur at this site.

Table 2. Representative physiographic features

Landforms	(1) Drainageway (2) Stream terrace
Runoff class	High
Flooding duration	Brief (2 to 7 days)
Flooding frequency	None to occasional
Ponding frequency	None
Elevation	6400 – 8500 ft
Slope	1 – 10 %
Water table depth	18 – 42 in

Climatic features

The climate is cold and snowy in the winter and cool and moist in the summer. On the average, February is the driest month and April and May are the wettest months.

Table 3 Representative climatic features

Frost-free period (characteristic range)
Freeze-free period (characteristic range)
Precipitation total (characteristic range)	20-20 in
Frost-free period (average)	90 days
Freeze-free period (average)
Precipitation total (average)

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Figure 2. Monthly precipitation range

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Figure 3. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature

Soil features

Table 4. Representative soil features

Parent material	(1) Alluvium – limestone, sandstone, and shale (2) Glaciofluvial deposits (3) Alluvium – quartzite
Surface texture	(1) Loam (2) Sandy loam
Family particle size	(1) Fine-loamy
Drainage class	Somewhat poorly drained to moderately well drained
Permeability class	Moderately slow to moderate
Depth to restrictive layer	60 – 80 in
Soil depth	60 – 80 in
Surface fragment cover <=3"	1 – 6 %
Surface fragment cover >3"	0 – 3 %
Available water capacity (Depth not specified)	4.6 – 8.8 in
Calcium carbonate equivalent (Depth not specified)	0 – 20 %
Electrical conductivity (Depth not specified)	0 – 1 mmhos/cm
Sodium adsorption ratio (Depth not specified)	0 – 3
Soil reaction (1:1 water) (Depth not specified)	6.6 – 8.4
Subsurface fragment volume <=3" (Depth not specified)	2 – 20 %
Subsurface fragment volume >3" (Depth not specified)	5 – 20 %

Ecological dynamics

It is impossible to determine in any quantitative detail the historic climax plant community (HCPC) for this ecological site because of the lack of direct historical documentation preceding all human influence. In some areas, the earliest reports of dominant plants include the cadastral survey conducted by the General Land Office, which began in the late 19th century for this area (Galatowitsch 1990). However, up to the 1870s the Shoshone Indians, prevalent in northern Utah and neighboring states, grazed horses and set fires to alter the vegetation for their needs (Parson 1996). In the 1860s, Europeans brought cattle and horses to the area, grazing large numbers of them on unfenced parcels year-long (Parson 1996). Itinerant and local sheep flocks followed, largely replacing cattle as the browse component increased.

Below is a State and Transition Model diagram to illustrate the “phases” (common plant communities), and “states” (aggregations of those plant communities) that can occur on the site. Differences between phases and states depend primarily upon observations of a range of disturbance histories in areas where this ESD is represented. These situations include grazing gradients to water sources, fence-line contrasts, patches with differing dates of fire, herbicide treatment, tillage, etc. Reference State 1 illustrates the common plant communities that probably existed just prior to European settlement.

The major successional pathways within states, (“community pathways”) are indicated by arrows between phases. “Transitions” are indicated by arrows between states. The drivers of these changes are indicated in codes decipherable by referring to the legend at the bottom of the page and by reading the detailed narratives that follow the diagram. The transition between Reference State 1 and State 2 is considered irreversible because of the naturalization of exotic species of both flora and fauna, possible extinction of native species, and climate change. There may have also been accelerated soil erosion.

When available, monitoring data (of various types) were employed to validate more subjective inferences made in this diagram. See the complete files in the office of the State Range Conservationist for more details.

The plant communities shown in this State and Transition Model may not represent every possibility, but are probably the most prevalent and recurring plant communities. As more monitoring data are collected, some phases or states may be revised, removed, and/or new ones may be added. None of these plant communities should necessarily be thought of as “Desired Plant Communities.” According to the USDA NRCS National Range & Pasture Handbook (USDA-NRCS 2003), Desired Plant Communities (DPC’s) will be determined by the decision-makers and will meet minimum quality criteria established by the NRCS. The main purpose for including descriptions of a plant community is to capture the current knowledge at the time of this revision.

State 1: Reference State

Community Phase 1.1: Reference State
The Reference State is a description of this ecological site just prior to Euro-American settlement but long after the arrival of Native Americans. The description of the Reference State was determined by NRCS Soil Survey Type Site Location information and familiarity with rangeland relict areas where they exist. The pre-settlement climax plant community (1.1) would have been a grassland (meadow) dominated by a rich mixture of native grasses and grass-likes such as meadow sedge (Carex praticola), tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa), timothy (Phleum pratense), slender wheatgrass (Elymus trachycaulus), mountain brome (Bromus marginatus), and muttongrass (Poa fendleriana). Minor amounts (

State and transition model

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Standard diagram

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More interactive model formats are also available. View Interactive Models
Click on state and transition labels to scroll to the respective text

Ecosystem states

1. Reference State

State 1 submodel, plant communities

1.1. Reference Plant Community

State 1
Reference State

Community 1.1
Reference Plant Community

The general view of this site is bluegrass and western wheatgrass. The composition by air-dry weight is approximately 75 percent grasses and grasslike plants, 15 percent forbs and 10 percent shrubs.

Figure 4. 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	712	1462	1837
Forb	143	293	368
Shrub/Vine	95	195	245
Total	950	1950	2450

Table 6. Ground cover

Tree foliar cover	0%
Shrub/vine/liana foliar cover	0-10%
Grass/grasslike foliar cover	60-70%
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/ Grasslike	Forb
<0.5	–	–	–	–
>0.5 <= 1	–	–	–	4-6%
>1 <= 2	–	–	64-66%	–
>2 <= 4.5	–	4-6%	–	–
>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 (%)
Shrub/Vine
0	Dominant Shrubs			100–200
	silver sagebrush	ARCA13	Artemisia cana	100–200	–
3	Sub-Dominant Shrubs			50–100
	Shrub (>.5m)	2SHRUB	Shrub (>.5m)	60–100	–
	shrubby cinquefoil	DAFRF	Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda	20–60	–
	Woods' rose	ROWO	Rosa woodsii	20–60	–
Grass/Grasslike
0	Dominant Grasses			620–1400
	western wheatgrass	PASM	Pascopyrum smithii	200–300	–
	Sandberg bluegrass	POSE	Poa secunda	200–300	–
	smallwing sedge	CAMI7	Carex microptera	100–200	–
	prairie Junegrass	KOMA	Koeleria macrantha	100–200	–
	meadow barley	HOBR2	Hordeum brachyantherum	60–100	–
	mountain rush	JUARL	Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis	60–100	–
1	Sub-Dominant Grasses			240–560
	Grass, annual	2GA	Grass, annual	60–100	–
	Grass, perennial	2GP	Grass, perennial	60–100	–
	Letterman's needlegrass	ACLE9	Achnatherum lettermanii	20–60	–
	Columbia needlegrass	ACNE9	Achnatherum nelsonii	20–60	–
	slender wheatgrass	ELTR7	Elymus trachycaulus	20–60	–
	alkali wildrye	LESI5	Leymus simplex	20–60	–
	alpine timothy	PHAL2	Phleum alpinum	20–60	–
	bluebunch wheatgrass	PSSP6	Pseudoroegneria spicata	20–60	–
Forb
2	Sub-Dominant Forbs			190–380
	Forb, annual	2FA	Forb, annual	200–300	–
	Forb, perennial	2FP	Forb, perennial	200–300	–
	common yarrow	ACMI2	Achillea millefolium	20–60	–
	pale agoseris	AGGL	Agoseris glauca	20–60	–
	nodding onion	ALCE2	Allium cernuum	20–60	–
	littleleaf pussytoes	ANMI3	Antennaria microphylla	20–60	–
	white sagebrush	ARLU	Artemisia ludoviciana	20–60	–
	silverleaf milkvetch	ASAR4	Astragalus argophyllus	20–60	–
	western mountain aster	SYSPS	Symphyotrichum spathulatum var. spathulatum	20–60	–
	trailing fleabane	ERFL	Erigeron flagellaris	20–60	–
	Rocky Mountain iris	IRMI	Iris missouriensis	20–60	–
	tailcup lupine	LUCAC3	Lupinus caudatus ssp. caudatus	20–60	–
	lobeleaf groundsel	PAMU11	Packera multilobata	20–60	–
	slender cinquefoil	POGR9	Potentilla gracilis	20–60	–
	lambstongue ragwort	SEIN2	Senecio integerrimus	20–60	–

Interpretations

Animal community

This site provides grazing for cattle, sheep, and horses during spring, summer, and fall.

Wildlife use this site for food, cover, and water. Wildlife using this site include rabbit, coyote, badger, mule deer, blackbird, and oriole.

Hydrological functions

The soil series is in hydrologic groups B and D. The hydrologic curve numbers are 61 to 80 when the vegetation is in good condition.

Recreational uses

Hunting and Hiking

Wood products

None

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)	V. Keith Wadman, NRCS Retired.
Contact for lead author	shane.green@ut.usda.gov
Date	10/16/2012
Approved by
Approval date
Composition (Indicators 10 and 12) based on	Annual Production

Indicators

Number and extent of rills:
None to Very Slight. A very slight amount of rill development may be observed following large storm events or spring runoff periods, but they should heal within the following growing season. Slight rill development may also be observed where the site is adjacent to ecological sites that produce large amounts of runoff (i.e. steeper sites, slickrock, etc.).
Presence of water flow patterns:
None to rare. Any flow patterns present should be sinuous and wind around perennial plant bases. They should be short (5 to 10 feet), < one foot wide, and spaced from 20 to 30 feet apart. They should be stable with only minor evidence of deposition. Flooding is rare on this site and its duration is brief. Ponding does not occur at this site. The water table for this site is within 18 to 42 inches from the surface year round.
Number and height of erosional pedestals or terracettes:
None to rare. A few plants may show very minor pedestalling where they are adjacent to any water flow patterns present, but there will be no exposed roots. Terracettes are not present.
Bare ground from Ecological Site Description or other studies (rock, litter, lichen, moss, plant canopy are not bare ground):
5 to 15% bare ground. Any bare ground openings present should be < 1 foot in size and should not be connected.
Number of gullies and erosion associated with gullies:
None at site level. Widely scattered landscape level gully channels, however, are a normal component of desert environments. Where landscape gullies are present, they should be stable, vegetated on both sides and bottoms, with no evidence of head-cutting. Some slight increase in disturbance may be evident following significant weather events or when gullies convey considerable runoff from higher elevation rocky or naturally eroding areas.
Extent of wind scoured, blowouts and/or depositional areas:
No evidence of wind generated soil movement. Wind scoured (blowouts) and depositional areas are not present.
Amount of litter movement (describe size and distance expected to travel):
The majority of litter accumulates in place at the base of plant canopies. Slight movement of the finest material (< 1/4 inch) may move 1 to 2 feet downslope when transported by water. Little accumulation is observed behind obstructions.
Soil surface (top few mm) resistance to erosion (stability values are averages - most sites will show a range of values):
This site should have a soil stability rating of 5 to 6 under plant canopies and a rating of 4 to 5 in any interspaces present. The average should be 5. Surface textures typically vary from sandy loams to loams.
Soil surface structure and SOM content (include type of structure and A-horizon color and thickness):
(Chivers) Soil surface is typically 0 to 4 inches deep. Surface texture is a loam with a thin root-mat layer on the surface, and structure is moderate very fine granular. The A-horizon color is dark reddish brown, 5YR 3/2). Soils have an Mollic epipedon that extends 9 to 14 inches into the soil profile. Use the specific information for the soil you are assessing found in the published soil survey to supplement this description.
Effect of community phase composition (relative proportion of different functional groups) and spatial distribution on infiltration and runoff:
Perennial vegetation breaks raindrop impact and reduces splash erosion. Dense distribution of plants slows runoff by obstructing surface flows, allowing time for increased infiltration. With the physiographic location of this site being in lowest lying areas, it often acts as a terminal accumulation site for runoff. The amount of sodium in the soil can affect infiltration and facilitate puddling on the surface.
Presence and thickness of compaction layer (usually none; describe soil profile features which may be mistaken for compaction on this site):
None. This site will normally have textural changes within its' profile. These should not be mistaken for compaction layers.
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:
Perennial Grasses and grass-likes (Nevada bluegrass, western wheatgrass, smallwing sedge) > Perennial Forbs (Rocky Mountain iris, silverleaf milkvetch).

Sub-dominant:
Sprouting Shrubs (silver sage, woods rose > Rhizomatous Grasses and grasslikes (arctic rush, prairie junegrass) >> Perennial Forbs (showy cinquefoil).

Other:
Functional/structural groups may appropriately contain non-native species if their ecological function is the same as the native species in the reference state. Biological soil crust is variable in its' expression where present on this site and is measured as a component of ground cover. Perennial and annual forbs can be expected to vary widely in their expression in the plant community based upon departures from average growing conditions.

Additional:
Disturbance regimes include insects, infrequent fire, and occasional flooding. Temporal variability can be caused by fires, droughts, insects, etc. Spatial variability can be caused by runoff, soil pH, and topography.
Amount of plant mortality and decadence (include which functional groups are expected to show mortality or decadence):
During years with average to above average precipitation, there should be no mortality or decadence in either perennial grasses or grasslikes. During severe (multi-year) droughts that affect groundwater levels, up to 10% of the perennial plants may die. There may be partial mortality of individual grasses and grasslikes during less severe droughts.
Average percent litter cover (%) and depth ( in):
Litter cover ranges from 50 to 60%. Depth should be 1 inch thickness in any interspaces and to 2 inches under perennial plant canopies.
Expected annual annual-production (this is TOTAL above-ground annual-production, not just forage annual-production):
Annual production in air-dry herbage should be approximately 1900 to 2000 pounds per acre on an average year. Production could vary from 900 to 2500 pounds per acre during drought or above-average years.
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:
Canada thistle, kochia, smotherweed, whitetop and other non-native forbs and grasses.
Perennial plant reproductive capability:
All perennial plants should have the ability to reproduce sexually or asexually in most years, except in drought years.

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