Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site R023XY099NV
CHANNERY HILL 8-10 P.Z.
Last updated: 4/10/2025
Accessed: 04/26/2025
General information
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.
Ecological site concept
Currently there is only a draft of the initial concept for this ecological site. The initial concept for this site places it within the Clayey Mesic Plateaus 8-14 PZ Wyoming Big Sagebrush and Thurber's Needlegrass Ecological Site Group. To view the General STM and other information available for this ESG please go to https://edit.jornada.nmsu.edu/catalogs/esg/023X/R023XY909OR
This site’s dominant grass is Indian ricegrass. Subdominant plants include thickspike wheatgrass and squawapple (Peraphyllum ramosissimum). The soils on this site are shallow to bedrock or have a subsoil layer restrictive to root development at a very shallow depth. The available water capacity is low. There are very high amounts (>50%) of thin, coarse, rock fragments averaging over 3 inches in diameter on the soil surface. Plant production is slightly lower than the modal site, ranging from 200 - 800 lb/ac with 500
lb/ac in normal years. This site’s STM is similar to the modal site with 5 stable states. This site was not seen on field visits for the group report.
Similar sites
| R023XY098NV |
DEEP LOAMY 10-12 P.Z. PSSPS-ACTH7 codominant; more productive site |
|---|
Table 1. Dominant plant species
| Tree |
Not specified |
|---|---|
| Shrub |
(1) Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis |
| Herbaceous |
(1) Achnatherum hymenoides |
Physiographic features
This site occurs on summits and sideslopes of fan piedmonts. Slopes range from 2 to over 30 percent. Elevations are 4500 to about 5500 feet.
Table 2. Representative physiographic features
| Landforms |
(1)
Fan piedmont
|
|---|
Climatic features
The climate associated with this site is semiarid and characterized by cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. Average annual precipitation is 8 to 10 inches. Mean annual air temperature is 45 to 53 degrees F. The average growing season is about 90 to 120 days.
Nevada’s climate is predominantly arid, with large daily ranges of temperature, infrequent severe storms, heavy snowfall in the higher mountains, and great location variations with elevation. Three basic geographical factors largely influence Nevada’s climate: continentality, latitude, and elevation. Continentality is the most important factor. The strong continental effect is expressed in the form of both dryness and large temperature variations. Nevada lies on the eastern, lee side of the Sierra Nevada Range, a massive mountain barrier that markedly influences the climate of the State. The prevailing winds are from the west, and as the warm moist air from the Pacific Ocean ascend the western slopes of the Sierra Range, the air cools, condensation occurs and most of the moisture falls as precipitation. As the air descends the eastern slope, it is warmed by compression, and very little precipitation occurs. The effects of this mountain barrier are felt not only in the West but throughout the state, with the result that the lowlands of Nevada are largely desert or steppes. The temperature regime is also affected by the blocking of the inland-moving maritime air. Nevada sheltered from maritime winds, has a continental climate with well-developed seasons and the terrain responds quickly to changes in solar heating.
Nevada lies within the mid-latitude belt of prevailing westerly winds which occur most of the year. These winds bring frequent changes in weather during the late fall, winter and spring months, when most of the precipitation occurs. To the south of the mid-latitude westerlies, lies a zone of high pressure in subtropical latitudes, with a center over the Pacific Ocean. In the summer, this high-pressure belt shifts northward over the latitudes of Nevada, blocking storms from the ocean. The resulting weather is mostly clear and dry during the summer and early fall, with scattered thundershowers. The eastern portion of the state receives significant summer thunderstorms generated from monsoonal moisture pushed up from the Gulf of California, known as the North American monsoon. The monsoon system peaks in August and by October the monsoon high over the Western U.S. begins to weaken and the precipitation retreats southward towards the tropics (NOAA 2004).
Average annual precipitation is 16 to over 20 inches. Mean annual air temperature is 41 to 44 degrees F. The average growing season is about 50 to 70 days.
Mean annual precipitaion at the Bear Creek, Nevada SNOTEL station (170501020301) is 37.69 inches.
monthly mean precipitation is:
January 3.84; February 3.75; March 4.38; April 4.9;
May 3.99; June 2.82; July .95; August 1.66;
September 1.22; October 2.12;
November 3.67; December 4.38.
Table 3. Representative climatic features
| Frost-free period (average) | 105 days |
|---|---|
| Freeze-free period (average) | |
| Precipitation total (average) | 9 in |
Figure 1. Monthly precipitation range
Figure 2. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature
Figure 3. Annual precipitation pattern
Figure 4. Annual average temperature pattern
Influencing water features
There are no influencing water features associated with this site.
Soil features
The soils associated with this site are shallow to bedrock or have a subsoil layer restrictive to root development at a very shallow depth. The available water capacity is low. There are very high amounts (>50%) of thin, coarse, rock fragments averaging over 3 inches in diameter on the soil surface.
Ecological dynamics
As ecological condition declines, this site degrades to a big sagebrush and squawapple dominated site. Cheatgrass and other introduced annual plants readily invade this site.
Fire Ecology:
The fire return interval for Wyoming big sagebrush communities ranges from 10 to 70 years. Fire is the principal means of renewal for decadent stands of Wyoming big sagebrush. Wyoming big sagebrush is killed by fire and establishes after fire from a seedbank; from seed produced by remnant plants that escaped fire; and from plants adjacent to the burn that seed in. Fire effects for squawapple are unknown, but most species in the Rose family resprout after fire. Indian ricegrass can be killed by fire, depending on severity and season of burn. Indian ricegrass reestablishes on burned sites through seed dispersed from adjacent unburned areas. Thickspike wheatgrass is quite tolerant of fire. Subsurface growing points and primarily rhizomatous reproduction may explain its ability to increase rapidly (within 2-5 years) following burning. Thurber’s needlegrass is classified as moderately resistant, but depending on season of burn, phenology, and fire severity, this perennial bunchgrass is moderately to severely damaged by fire. Early season burning is more damaging to this needlegrass than late season burning.
State and transition model
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Ecosystem states
State 1 submodel, plant communities
State 1
Reference Plant Community
Community 1.1
Reference Plant Community
The reference plant community is dominated by Indian ricegrass, Wyoming big sagebrush and squawapple. Potential vegetative composition is about 35% grasses, 5% forbs and 60% shrubs. Approximate ground cover (basal and crown) is about 10 to 20 percent.
Figure 5. Annual production by plant type (representative values) or group (midpoint values)
Table 4. Annual production by plant type
| Plant type | Low (lb/acre) |
Representative value (lb/acre) |
High (lb/acre) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shrub/Vine | 120 | 300 | 480 |
| Grass/Grasslike | 70 | 175 | 280 |
| Forb | 10 | 25 | 40 |
| Total | 200 | 500 | 800 |
Additional community tables
Table 5. Community 1.1 plant community composition
| Group | Common name | Symbol | Scientific name | Annual production (lb/acre) | Foliar cover (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Grass/Grasslike
|
||||||
| 1 | Primary Perennial Grasses | 110–215 | ||||
| Indian ricegrass | ACHY | Achnatherum hymenoides | 75–125 | – | ||
| thickspike wheatgrass | ELLAL | Elymus lanceolatus ssp. lanceolatus | 25–50 | – | ||
| Thurber's needlegrass | ACTH7 | Achnatherum thurberianum | 10–40 | – | ||
| 2 | Secondary Perennial Grasses | 1–25 | ||||
| squirreltail | ELEL5 | Elymus elymoides | 3–10 | – | ||
| basin wildrye | LECI4 | Leymus cinereus | 3–10 | – | ||
| bluegrass | POA | Poa | 3–10 | – | ||
| bluebunch wheatgrass | PSSPS | Pseudoroegneria spicata ssp. spicata | 3–10 | – | ||
|
Forb
|
||||||
| 3 | Perennial | 10–40 | ||||
| milkvetch | ASTRA | Astragalus | 3–10 | – | ||
| buckwheat | ERIOG | Eriogonum | 3–10 | – | ||
| lupine | LUPIN | Lupinus | 3–10 | – | ||
|
Shrub/Vine
|
||||||
| 4 | Primary Shrubs | 175–300 | ||||
| Wyoming big sagebrush | ARTRW8 | Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis | 125–200 | – | ||
| wild crab apple | PERA4 | Peraphyllum ramosissimum | 50–100 | – | ||
| 5 | Secondary Shrubs | 10–40 | ||||
| yellow rabbitbrush | CHVI8 | Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus | 5–10 | – | ||
| rubber rabbitbrush | ERNAN5 | Ericameria nauseosa ssp. nauseosa var. nauseosa | 5–10 | – | ||
| antelope bitterbrush | PUTR2 | Purshia tridentata | 5–10 | – | ||
Interpretations
Animal community
Livestock Interpretations:
This site is suitable for livestock grazing. Grazing management should be keyed to perennial grass production. Indian ricegrass is highly palatable to all classes of livestock in both green and cured condition. It supplies a source of green feed before most other native grasses have produced much new growth. Thickspike wheatgrass is palatable to all classes of livestock and wildlife. It is a preferred feed for cattle, sheep, horses, and elk in spring and is considered a desirable feed for deer and antelope in spring. It is considered a desirable feed for cattle, sheep, and horses in summer, fall, and winter. Thickspike wheatgrass's extensive rhizome system allows established stands to withstand heavy grazing and trampling. Thurber’s needlegrass species begin growth early in the year and remain green throughout a relatively long growing season. This pattern of development enables animals to use Thurber’s needlegrass when many other grasses are unavailable. Cattle prefer Thurber’s needlegrass in early spring before fruits have developed as it becomes less palatable when mature. Thurber’s needlegrasses are grazed in the fall only if the fruits are softened by rain. Livestock browse Wyoming big sagebrush, but may use it only lightly when palatable herbaceous species are available. Livestock will browse squawapple.
Stocking rates vary over time depending upon season of use, climate variations, site, and previous and current management goals. A safe starting stocking rate is an estimated stocking rate that is fine tuned by the client by adaptive management through the year and from year to year.
Wildlife Interpretations:
Wyoming big sagebrush is preferred browse for wild ungulates. Pronghorn usually browse Wyoming big sagebrush heavily. Sagebrush-grassland communities provide critical sage-grouse breeding and nesting habitats. Meadows surrounded by sagebrush may be used as feeding and strutting grounds. Sagebrush is a crucial component of their diet year-round, and sage-grouse select sagebrush almost exclusively for cover. Sage-grouse prefer mountain big sagebrush and Wyoming big sagebrush communities to basin big sagebrush communities. Wildlife will consume squawapple fruits and seeds. Deer browse squawapple lightly during the fall and winter. Indian ricegrass is eaten by pronghorn in moderate amounts whenever available. A number of heteromyid rodents inhabiting desert rangelands show preference for seed of Indian ricegrass. Indian ricegrass is an important component of jackrabbit diets in spring and summer. Indian ricegrass seed provides food for many species of birds. Doves, for example, eat large amounts of shattered Indian ricegrass seed lying on the ground. In the spring, thickspike wheatgrass is a preferred feed for elk and is considered desirable feed for deer and antelope. It is desirable feed for elk during summer, fall, and winter. Thickspike wheatgrass is also a component of black-tailed jackrabbit diets. Thickspike wheatgrass provides some cover for small mammals and birds. Thurber needlegrass is valuable forage for wildlife.
Recreational uses
Aesthetic value is derived from the diverse floral and faunal composition and the colorful flowering of wild flowers and shrubs during the spring and early summer. This site offers rewarding opportunities to photographers and for nature study. This site is used for camping and hiking and has potential for upland and big game hunting.
Other products
Native Americans made tea from big sagebrush leaves. They used the tea as a tonic, an antiseptic, for treating colds, diarrhea, and sore eyes and as a rinse to ward off ticks. Big sagebrush seeds were eaten raw or made into meal. Indian ricegrass was traditionally eaten by some Native Americans. The Paiutes used the seed as a reserve food source.
Other information
Wyoming big sagebrush is used for stabilizing slopes and gullies and for restoring degraded wildlife habitat, rangelands, mine spoils and other disturbed sites. It is particularly recommended on dry upland sites where other shrubs are difficult to establish. Thickspike is a good revegetation species because it forms tight sod under dry rangeland conditions, has good seedling strength, and performs well in low fertility or eroded sites. It does not compete well with aggressive introduced grasses during the establishment period, but are very compatible with slower developing natives, bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii), and needlegrass (Achnatherum spp.) species. It’s drought tolerance combined with rhizomes, fibrous root systems, and good seedling vigor make these species ideal for reclamation in areas receiving 8 to 20 inches annual precipitation. Thickspike wheatgrass can be used for hay production and will make nutritious feed, but is more suited to pasture use.
Supporting information
Type locality
| Location 1: Washoe County, NV | |
|---|---|
| Township/Range/Section | T35N R19E S13 |
| UTM zone | N |
| UTM northing | 264383 |
| UTM easting | 4532822 |
| Latitude | 40° 54′ 45″ |
| Longitude | 119° 47′ 51″ |
| General legal description | South of Buckhorn Road, Cedar canyon area, Washoe County, Nevada. |
Other references
Fire Effects Information System (Online; http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/).
USDA-NRCS Plants Database (Online; http://www.plants.usda.gov).
Great Basin Ecological Site Development Project: State and Transition Models for Major Land Resource Area 23, Nevada and portions of California (Online; https://naes.agnt.unr.edu/PMS/Pubs/2019-4060.pdf)
Contributors
DSH/GKB
T Stringham (UNR under contract with BLM)
Approval
Kendra Moseley, 4/10/2025
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 | 04/11/2025 |
| Approved by | Kendra Moseley |
| Approval date | |
| Composition (Indicators 10 and 12) based on | Annual Production |
Indicators
-
Number and extent of rills:
-
Presence of water flow patterns:
-
Number and height of erosional pedestals or terracettes:
-
Bare ground from Ecological Site Description or other studies (rock, litter, lichen, moss, plant canopy are not bare ground):
-
Number of gullies and erosion associated with gullies:
-
Extent of wind scoured, blowouts and/or depositional areas:
-
Amount of litter movement (describe size and distance expected to travel):
-
Soil surface (top few mm) resistance to erosion (stability values are averages - most sites will show a range of values):
-
Soil surface structure and SOM content (include type of structure and A-horizon color and thickness):
-
Effect of community phase composition (relative proportion of different functional groups) and spatial distribution on infiltration and runoff:
-
Presence and thickness of compaction layer (usually none; describe soil profile features which may be mistaken for compaction on this site):
-
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:
-
Amount of plant mortality and decadence (include which functional groups are expected to show mortality or decadence):
-
Average percent litter cover (%) and depth ( in):
-
Expected annual annual-production (this is TOTAL above-ground annual-production, not just forage annual-production):
-
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:
-
Perennial plant reproductive capability:
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