Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Tuff or Rock Subsurface Forest
Scenario model
Current ecosystem state
Select a state
Management practices/drivers
Select a transition or restoration pathway
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Transition T1A
Clear, till, and abandon with a nearby weed source.
More details -
Transition T1B
Frequent wind damage and nearby weed source.
More details -
Restoration pathway R2A
Abandonment with weed control and native species planting.
More details -
Transition T2A
State 2 Cleared and Abandoned transitions to State 3 Invaded Forest by growth of an overstory of trees with an understory of shade-tolerant shrubs, vines, ferns, forbs, and grasses. The species mix is variable but may be mostly introduced species or a combination of native and introduced species.
More details -
Restoration pathway R3A
Weed control and replanting native species.
More details -
Restoration pathway R3B
Weed control and replanting native species.
More details -
No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
Target ecosystem state
Select a state
Description
This ecological site is forested with a highly diverse, very tall (80 to 100 feet or 25 to 30 meters) tree canopy. Ground cover is moderately dense to dense. Epiphytes and lianas are abundant (Forestry Program, Division of Community and Natural Resources, 2010; Sene, 2020; Webb and Fa`aumu, 1999; Whistler, 2002).
Dominant plant species
syzygium (Syzygium), tree
(Dysoxylum), tree
(Rhus taitensis), tree
(Neonauclea), tree
Oriental vessel fern (Angiopteris evecta), grass
(Lomagramma cordipinna), grass
Submodel
Description
This state consists of one community phase dominated by a variable mixture of shrubs, vines, forbs, and grasses that thrive in sunny environments.
Dominant plant species
lantana (Lantana camara), tree
stickbush (Clerodendrum chinense), tree
redflower ragleaf (Crassocephalum crepidioides), grass
mile-a-minute (Mikania micrantha), grass
Submodel
Description
This state consists of one community phase. It is forested with both overstory and understory composed of a variable mix of native and introduced species. The actual species composition on a given site depends on the original native species composition, the disturbance history, and the species composition existing near the site before, during, and after disturbances (Forestry Program, Division of Community and Natural Resources, 2010; Green et al., 2015; Sene, 2020; Space and Flynn, 2000; Webb and Fa`aumu, 1999; Whistler, 2002; Whistler, 1994; Whistler, 1992).
Dominant plant species
syzygium (Syzygium), tree
African tuliptree (Spathodea campanulata), tree
soapbush (Clidemia hirta), shrub
running mountaingrass (Oplismenus compositus), grass
mile-a-minute (Mikania micrantha), grass
Submodel
Mechanism
The Reference State (1) transitions to the Cleared and Abandoned State (2) by removal of native vegetation and allowing colonization by local species.
Mechanism
The Reference State (1) transitions to the Invaded Forest State (3) by localized landslides or wind damage to the forest when there is a nearby source of seeds of invasive species or, more gradually, by damage to the forest understory by ungulates, especially feral pigs, when there is a source of seeds of invasive species.
Mechanism
The Cleared and Abandoned State (2) may be restored to the Reference State (1). The intensity of active restoration measures will be determined by the presence or lack of nearby native forest or, at least, some native trees as well as the density and species mix of grasses, vines, shrubs, and invasive trees present on the site, especially if many competitive introduced species are present.
Transition T2A
State 2 Cleared and Abandoned transitions to State 3 Invaded Forest by growth of an overstory of trees with an understory of shade-tolerant shrubs, vines, ferns, forbs, and grasses. The species mix is variable but may be mostly introduced species or a combination of native and introduced species.
Mechanism
The Cleared and Abandoned State (2) transitions to the Invaded Forest State (3) by growth of an overstory of trees with an understory of shade-tolerant shrubs, vines, ferns, forbs, and grasses. The species mix is variable but may be mostly introduced species or a combination of native and introduced species.
Context dependence
Abandonment without weed control.
Mechanism
The Invaded Forest State (3) can be restored to the Reference State (1). The difficulty, cost, and likelihood of success will depend on the species composition and amount and competitiveness of introduced species present on a given site.
Mechanism
The Invaded Forest State (3) can be restored to the Cleared and Abandoned State (2). After this “restoration,” the Cleared and Abandoned State (2) is likely to rapidly transition back to the Invaded Forest State (3) due to presence of an abundant tree seed bank in the soil.
Model keys
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The Ecosystem Dynamics Interpretive Tool is an information system framework developed by the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and New Mexico State University.
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