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Provisional. A provisional ecological site description has undergone quality control and quality assurance review. It contains a working state and transition model and enough information to identify the ecological site.
Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree Not specified
Shrub Not specified
Herbaceous Not specified
Physiographic features
Occurs on shoulders and back-slopes of ridges associated with volcanic cones and on very steep side-slopes of ridges associated with volcanic cones.
Table 2. Representative physiographic features
Landforms (1) Hillside
Elevation 120 – 300 ft Slope 0 – 120 % Climatic features
Table 3 Representative climatic features
Frost-free period (average) 120 days Freeze-free period (average) 100 days Precipitation total (average) 20 in BarLineFigure 1. Monthly precipitation range
BarLineFigure 2. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature
">Influencing water features
Soil features
Soils are moderately deep and well drained. Surface textures are gravelly silt loam and overlie gravel-sized scoria. Soil pH is moderately acid. Runoff is very low and permeability is rapid to very rapid.
Table 4. Representative soil features
Surface texture (1) Gravelly silt loam
Family particle size (1) Loamy
Drainage class Well drained Permeability class Rapid to very rapid Soil depth 20 – 40 in Surface fragment cover <=3" Not specified Surface fragment cover >3" Not specified Available water capacity
(0-40in)2.5 – 2.7 in Calcium carbonate equivalent
(0-40in)Not specified Electrical conductivity
(0-40in)Not specified Sodium adsorption ratio
(0-40in)Not specified Soil reaction (1:1 water)
(0-40in)5.6 – 6 Subsurface fragment volume <=3"
(Depth not specified)Not specified Subsurface fragment volume >3"
(Depth not specified)Not specified Ecological dynamics
State and transition model
More interactive model formats are also available. View Interactive Models
Click on state and transition labels to scroll to the respective textEcosystem states
State 1 submodel, plant communities
State 1
CrowberryCommunity 1.1
CrowberryShrubs make up about 75% of the composition, sedges and grasses 20% and forbs about 5% of the composition. Total annual vascular herbage production is 840 pounds/acre. Total live lichen biomass is 3,000 pounds/acre. Moss biomass is high and suppresses production of this site.
Figure 3. Annual production by plant type (representative values) or group (midpoint values)
Additional community tables
Table 5. Community 1.1 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Shrub/Vine1 600–650 black crowberry EMNI Empetrum nigrum 600–650 – Grass/Grasslike1 150–170 longawn sedge CAMA11 Carex macrochaeta 150–170 – Bering hairgrass DEBR2 Deschampsia brevifolia 5–15 – bluegrass POA Poa 10–15 – wideleaf polargrass ARLA2 Arctagrostis latifolia 0 – Forb1 20–30 Nootka lupine LUNO Lupinus nootkatensis 20–25 – cloudberry RUCH Rubus chamaemorus 0–5 – saxifrage SAXIF Saxifraga 0 – seacoast angelica ANLU Angelica lucida 0 – mountain harebell CALA7 Campanula lasiocarpa 0 – Lichen1 20–30 whiteworm lichen THAMN3 Thamnolia 25–30 – cup lichen CLAM60 Cladonia amaurocraea 0–5 – reindeer lichen CLAR60 Cladina arbuscula 0–5 – greygreen reindeer lichen CLRA60 Cladina rangiferina 0–5 – Interpretations
Animal community
Because of the high subsistence value and use of black crowberry berries, this site should only be lightly grazed. Reindeer have a tendency to concentrate on this site because they are attracted to the lichens during winter.
Recreational uses
Traditional Mossberry picking, hiking
Supporting information
Contributors
Swanson
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
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Number and extent of rills:
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Presence of water flow patterns:
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Number and height of erosional pedestals or terracettes:
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Bare ground from Ecological Site Description or other studies (rock, litter, lichen, moss, plant canopy are not bare ground):
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Number of gullies and erosion associated with gullies:
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Extent of wind scoured, blowouts and/or depositional areas:
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Amount of litter movement (describe size and distance expected to travel):
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Soil surface (top few mm) resistance to erosion (stability values are averages - most sites will show a range of values):
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Soil surface structure and SOM content (include type of structure and A-horizon color and thickness):
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Effect of community phase composition (relative proportion of different functional groups) and spatial distribution on infiltration and runoff:
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Presence and thickness of compaction layer (usually none; describe soil profile features which may be mistaken for compaction on this site):
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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:
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Amount of plant mortality and decadence (include which functional groups are expected to show mortality or decadence):
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Average percent litter cover (%) and depth ( in):
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Expected annual annual-production (this is TOTAL above-ground annual-production, not just forage annual-production):
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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:
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Perennial plant reproductive capability:
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PrintThe 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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