Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Boreal Forest Silty Slopes Moist
Scenario model
Current ecosystem state
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Management practices/drivers
Select a transition or restoration pathway
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Transition T1A
Disturbance leads to the thermal erosion of ground ice and the subsidence of soil resulting in formation of thermokarst depressions.
More details -
No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
Target ecosystem state
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Description
The reference plant community is open needleleaf forest (Viereck et al. 1992) with the dominant tree being white and black spruce. There are five plant communities in the reference state related to fire. All plant communities associated with the site have limited data, so the state-and-transition model is provisional.
Dominant plant species
white spruce (Picea glauca), tree
black spruce (Picea mariana), tree
resin birch (Betula neoalaskana), tree
Siberian alder (Alnus viridis ssp. fruticosa), shrub
prickly rose (Rosa acicularis), shrub
field horsetail (Equisetum arvense), grass
splendid feather moss (Hylocomium splendens), grass
Submodel
Communities 1, 5 and 2 (additional pathways)
1.1. Reference Stage
1.5. Pioneering fire stage
1.2. Late fire stage
Description
Thermokarst occurs due to the thermal erosion of ice-rich permafrost in soil after disturbances such as fire events or land clearing. While thermokarst can be readily observed, details related to thermokarst succession are poorly understood. After an unknown timeframe, thermokarst depressions could theoretically revert back to plant communities associated with the reference state (Myers-Smith et al. 2008). However, the timeframe for recovery is likely outside the scope of typical land management priorities. At this time, restoration back to reference conditions is not considered within the state-and-transition model.
Future data collection efforts and research would likely enhance information about existing plant community phases within this state and allow for better understanding of the potential transitions from one community phase or state to another.
Dominant plant species
sedge (Carex), grass
cottongrass (Eriophorum), grass
American sloughgrass (Beckmannia syzigachne), grass
mannagrass (Glyceria), grass
water horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile), grass
Submodel
Transition T1A
Disturbance leads to the thermal erosion of ground ice and the subsidence of soil resulting in formation of thermokarst depressions.
Mechanism
Land clearing or fire can thaw permafrost and the thermal erosion of ground ice results in the settling of soil, which is thermokarst. Subsidence can be significant with collapsed pits going down and spanning across several feet.
Model keys
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Ecological sites
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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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