State 1
Reference State: Ponderosa pine open/grass woodland

Ponderosa pine is the only tree species. Antelope bitterbrush is the major shrub species with kinnikinnick, snowbrush ceanothus, spirea, snowberry, and sagebrush in minor amounts depending on location and moisture. Idaho fescue and bluebunch wheatgrass dominate the grass component with varying amount of geyer’s sedge, needle and thread grass, blue wildrye, and rough fescue. Major insects that cause mortality are the western pine beetle, mountain pine beetle, and pine engraver beetle. The western and mountain pine beetles can kill mature to old growth pine. The pine engraver beetles attack and kill young pole size stands. Drought and tree to tree competition cause stress which increases bark beetle mortality. Other insect concerns in pine include the following defoliators: Pandora moth, pine butterfly, sawflies, and needle miners. Major diseases include Annosum and Armillaria root rot, commandra rust, and elytroderma needle disease, Dwarf mistletoe is a major concern infecting over 25 percent of ponderosa pine acreage. It is more serious in the drier ponderosa pine sites. Forest productivity is measured using site index (SI) and culmination of annual increment (CMAI). Ponderosa pine is the only tree species and site indexes ranges greatly depending on local site characteristics. NRCS forest site index plots taken throughout MLRA B6 shows this variability. Site index ranges from 40 to 81 using Meyers 100 year total age table. CMAI range is 14 to 46 cubic feet/acre/year at 40 years of age in a fully stocked stand. Low CMAI values are due to low stocking (density) as compared to fully stocked stands. Most stands are less than 40 percent stocked. Forage production estimates from NRCS Range 5 Plots in Okanogan County in Ponderosa pine / antelope bitterbrush sites are as follows based on overstory tree canopy. Forage production figures are in pounds/acre for all vegetation below 4.5 feet (grass, sedges, forbs, shrubs, tree regeneration): Overstory tree canopy – Forage production 0 – 20% - 800 to 1400 lbs/ac 20 – 40% - 300 to 650 lbs/ac The bulk of the grass production is bluebunch wheatgrass and Idaho fescue. Other grass species include needle and thread grass, prairie junegrass, rough fescue, pine grass and big bluegrass. The most prominent forbs are lupine, basalmroot, pussytoes, hawkweed, and yarrow. The most prominent shrub is bitterbrush. Other shrubs include currant, snowbrush ceanothus, big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and buckwheat. Tree regeneration included mostly ponderosa pine with an occasional Douglas-fir.

Community 1.1
Reference Community

This phase will be considered the Historical Plant Community with ground fire frequency 7 to 10 years maintaining an open pine/grass woodland with scattered pine and bitterbrush not killed in ground fire. Idaho fescue and bluebunch wheatgrass will dominate ground cover with shrubs less the 10 percent cover and pine coverage 10 to 30 percent.

Resilience management. Community Pathway 1.1A Frequent ground fires prevent pine and bitterbrush reestablishment maintaining pine/bunchgrass woodland.

Community 1.2
Re-initiation Phase

No reoccurring ground fires allow overstory of bitterbrush and ponderosa pine to reseed and establish. Ground cover of bitterbrush will exceed that of understory bunchgrass. Ponderosa pine stands form a patchy mosaic with bitterbrush. This condition can be maintained with mixed severity fires causing varying degrees of kill to shrubs and trees creating the mosaic shrub/pine clump pattern.

Community 1.3
Stem Exclusion Phase

Dense clumps of ponderosa pine shade out grass and shrubs. Bitterbrush in openings reduce bunchgrass cover.

Community 1.4
Stand Initiation Phase

Figure 8. (Fire killing bitterbrush and some mature pine. Bunchgrasses increase)

Bitterbrush is killed and some of the pole-sized pine are killed in ground fire, but scattered pole-sized pines survive and some large overstory pine survive. Bunchgrasses increase in cover.

Pathway 1.1B
Community 1.1 to 1.2

Fire interval extended 20 plus years allowing bitterbrush and ponderosa pine to reestablish.

Pathway 1.2B
Community 1.2 to 1.1

Ground fires reoccur killing shrubs and most of pine seedlings/saplings returning site to open pine/grass woodland.

Pathway 1.2A
Community 1.2 to 1.3

Reestablished pine regeneration form dense clumps in between dense bitterbrush cover in openings.

Pathway 1.3A
Community 1.3 to 1.4

Severe fire killing most of pine and bitterbrush. Variable, scattered overstory pine and maybe some pole pine stands remain.

Pathway 1.4A
Community 1.4 to 1.1

Time. Reoccurring ground fires every 7 to 10 years leaving scattered pine and small clumps of pine to grow and maintain open pine/grass woodland.

Pathway 1.4B
Community 1.4 to 1.2

Time, fire interval increased allowing pine and bitterbrush to reestablish.

State 2
Alternative State 2 – Fire Exclusion Ponderosa Pine Woodland

Fire exclusion for over 50 years allows ponderosa pine stands to dominate cover and form multi-aged medium to dense woodlands. In most cases mixed severity to stand replacing fires will not revert site back to a pine/savanna condition in State 1.

Community 2.1
Fire Exclusion Community

Medium to dense stands of ponderosa pine. Multi-aged with overstory of 100 year old pine with multi-level overstory and patches of dense seedling to pole stands. Shrub layer is sparse and bunchgrass cover is scattered.

State 3
Alternative State 3 –Introduced Grasses

The plant composition in this state is variable with cool-season introduced grasses encroaching from adjacent homesteads and pastures. One annual species of special note that can cause a drastic shift in grass species is cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum). It invades from overgrazed or heavily disturbed pastures and can out compete the native bunchgrasses changing to a shrub/cheatgrass site.

Community 3.1
Introduced Grass Community

Cool-season perennial grasses could include crested wheatgrass, intermediate wheatgrass, and wild rye grass. Annual cool-season grasses could include cheatgrass.

State 4
Alternative State 4 Land Conversion

This ecological site is located near human settlement, and over the ages some of it was converted to homesteads, pastures and cropland.

Community 4.1
Land Conversion Community

The plant community will be variable but reflective of the fact that this ecological site is located near human settlement, and the conversion for farm fields and pastures.

Transition T1A
State 1 to 2

Natural fire regime interval stopped through fire prevention allowing pine to dominate site overtopping bitterbrush. Site converted to multi-storied forest condition without the natural reoccurring fire regime. Stand density increased and competition mortality begins. Forest health decreased by possible bark beetle mortality and fire severity increased.

Transition T1B
State 1 to 3

Introduced non-native grasses invade site over the years of human habitation. Native grasses cannot compete with these grasses especially when heavily grazed for many years.

Transition T1C
State 1 to 4

Site converted to other land uses.

Restoration pathway R2A
State 2 to 1

Heavy overstory thinning followed by reoccurring understory prescribed burning to return to pine/grass savanna state.

Restoration pathway R3A
State 3 to 1

Site preparation followed by native plant reseeding with grazing protection.

Restoration pathway R4A
State 4 to 1

Site preparation, tree planting and maintenance.