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Conservation Service

Ecological site R023XY117OR

BASIN WET MEADOW

Accessed: 11/21/2024

Home / Esd catalog / MLRA 023X / Ecological site R023XY117OR

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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.

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Figure 1. Mapped extent

Areas shown in blue indicate the maximum mapped extent of this ecological site. Other ecological sites likely occur within the highlighted areas. It is also possible for this ecological site to occur outside of highlighted areas if detailed soil survey has not been completed or recently updated.

Associated sites

R023XY115OR	WET MARSH Wet Marsh
R023XY116OR	SEMI-WET MARSH Semi-Wet Marsh
R023XY118OR	BASIN DRY MEADOW Basin Dry Meadow

R023XY115OR

WET MARSH

Wet Marsh

R023XY116OR

SEMI-WET MARSH

Semi-Wet Marsh

R023XY118OR

BASIN DRY MEADOW

Basin Dry Meadow

Similar sites

R023XY116OR	SEMI-WET MARSH Semi-Wet Marsh (ponding depth and duration longer)
R023XY118OR	BASIN DRY MEADOW Basin Dry Meadow (ponding depth and duration longer)

R023XY116OR

SEMI-WET MARSH

Semi-Wet Marsh (ponding depth and duration longer)

R023XY118OR

BASIN DRY MEADOW

Basin Dry Meadow (ponding depth and duration longer)

Table 1. Dominant plant species

Tree	Not specified
Shrub	Not specified
Herbaceous	(1) Carex nebrascensis (2) Juncus balticus

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Physiographic features

This site occurs in basins and valleys on the floodplains of perennial drainage systems. Slopes range from 0 to 1 percent. Elevation varies from 4000 to 4600 feet.

Table 2. Representative physiographic features

Landforms	(1) Flood plain (2) Basin floor (3) Valley
Ponding frequency	Frequent
Elevation	1,219 – 1,402 m
Slope	0 – 1%
Ponding depth	15 – 76 cm
Aspect	Aspect is not a significant factor

Climatic features

The annual precipitation ranges from 8 to 12 inches, most of which occurs between the months of December through March. The mean annual air temperature is 48 degrees F. Temperature extremes range from 110 to -30 degrees F. The period of optimum plant growth is from the first of April through June.

Table 3. Representative climatic features

Frost-free period (average)	0 days
Freeze-free period (average)	0 days
Precipitation total (average)	305 mm

Bar

Line

Figure 2. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature

Soil features

The soils of this site are medium textured, very deep and poorly drained. Ponding to depths of .5 to 2.5 feet above the soil surface is frequent from March to June. The surface texture is a silt loam over a silt loam to silty clay loam subsoil. Permeability is moderate. The water table is seasonal.

Table 4. Representative soil features

Surface texture	(1) Silt loam
Family particle size	(1) Clayey
Drainage class	Poorly drained
Permeability class	Moderate

Ecological dynamics

Range in Characteristics:

Variation in plant composition and production results from duration of surface ponding. Nebraska sedge increases in areas that are ponded for long durations. Baltic rush with a wider ecologic amplitude, increases in both dry and wet areas. Spikerush appears to occupy a narrow ponded ecologic nitch. The three species, Nebraska sedge, baltic rush, and spikerush forming monotypic stands, are very resilient against invasion of other species in undisturbed conditions.

Response to Disturbance:

If the site is disturbed and/or the extent and duration of ponding is reduced to critical levels through water regulation or drainage, extensive changes to dry site conditions will result. Under initial drying conditions or disturbance, Nebraska sedge will decrease, baltic rush will increase and reed canarygrass will strongly invade. Reed canarygrass is very competitive on this site, increasing rapidly with minor disturbance. With continued disturbance, reed canarygrass will increase along with an invasion of meadow foxtail, rhizamatous wheatgrasses, and bluegrasses. Perennial pepperweed, Canadian thistle, and foxtail barley may also invade under deteriorating conditions.

State and transition model

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Ecosystem states

1. Reference State

State 1 submodel, plant communities

1.1. Reference Plant Community

State 1
Reference State

Community 1.1
Reference Plant Community

The potential native plant community is dominated by Nebraska sedge, baltic rush, and spikerush. These occur in a three member mosaic pattern as monotypic stands. Other sedges, forbs, and grasses are minor. The potential vegetative composition is approximately 50 percent sedge, 30 percent baltic rush, and 15 percent spikerush. Approximate ground cover is 90-110 percent (basal and crown).

Figure 3. Annual production by plant type (representative values) or group (midpoint values)

Table 5. Annual production by plant type

Plant type	Low (kg/hectare)	Representative value (kg/hectare)	High (kg/hectare)
Grass/Grasslike	1597	2130	3194
Forb	84	112	168
Total	1681	2242	3362

Additional community tables

Table 6. Community 1.1 plant community composition

Group	Common name	Symbol	Scientific name	Annual production (kg/hectare)	Foliar cover (%)
Grass/Grasslike
1	Perennial, rhizomatous, grass-like			1569–2242
	Nebraska sedge	CANE2	Carex nebrascensis	897–1345	–
	spikerush	ELEOC	Eleocharis	224–448	–
5	Other perennial grasses and grass-likes			112–336
	shortawn foxtail	ALAE	Alopecurus aequalis	0–90	–
	American sloughgrass	BESY	Beckmannia syzigachne	0–90	–
	sedge	CAREX	Carex	0–90	–
	annual hairgrass	DEDA	Deschampsia danthonioides	0–90	–
	teal lovegrass	ERHY	Eragrostis hypnoides	0–90	–
Forb
9	Other perennial forbs			45–179
	silverweed cinquefoil	ARAN7	Argentina anserina	0–45	–
	sea milkwort	GLMA	Glaux maritima	0–45	–
	biennial cinquefoil	POBI7	Potentilla biennis	0–45	–
	alkali buttercup	RACY	Ranunculus cymbalaria	0–45	–
	ragwort	SENEC	Senecio	0–45	–
	short-rayed alkali aster	SYFR2	Symphyotrichum frondosum	0–45	–
	water speedwell	VEAN2	Veronica anagallis-aquatica	0–45	–

Interpretations

Animal community

Livestock Grazing:

This site is suitable for late summer and fall livestock use after it drys and the surface is firm. Ponding precluded use for the remainder of the year.

Native Wildlife Associated with the Potential Climax Community:

This site provides good nesting areas along with food and cover for a variety of waterfowl and upland songbirds. Rails and common snipes nest in sedge. Areas that are partially burned or hayed in a mosaic pattern provide excellent, high protein spring feed for cranes and geese. The value of the site for waterfowl increases when it is near wet marshes and open water areas.

Hydrological functions

The hydrologic cover condition is good when the ecological condition is high.

Other information

This site may be periodically burned (prescribed) to improve the vigor of the stand. As this site may occur with a perched water table, care should be taken in constructing ponds to avoid seasonal water loss in the subsurface sand layers. An on-site soil investigation is needed prior to construction. This site is a Type 2 Wetland (Inland Fresh Meadow).

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)	Jeff Repp
Contact for lead author	Oregon NRCS State Rangeland Management Specialist
Date	08/09/2012
Approved by	Bob Gillaspy
Approval date
Composition (Indicators 10 and 12) based on	Annual Production

Indicators

Number and extent of rills:
None
Presence of water flow patterns:
None to some
Number and height of erosional pedestals or terracettes:
None
Bare ground from Ecological Site Description or other studies (rock, litter, lichen, moss, plant canopy are not bare ground):
0-5%
Number of gullies and erosion associated with gullies:
None
Extent of wind scoured, blowouts and/or depositional areas:
None, moderate wind erosion hazard
Amount of litter movement (describe size and distance expected to travel):
Fine to moderately coarse - limited movement
Soil surface (top few mm) resistance to erosion (stability values are averages - most sites will show a range of values):
Moderate to significant resistance to erosion: aggregate stability = 4-6`
Soil surface structure and SOM content (include type of structure and A-horizon color and thickness):
Very deep poorly drained medium textured soils: Moderate to high OM (3-6%)
Effect of community phase composition (relative proportion of different functional groups) and spatial distribution on infiltration and runoff:
Significant ground cover (90-120%) and gentle slopes (0-1%) significantly limit rainfall impact and overland flow
Presence and thickness of compaction layer (usually none; describe soil profile features which may be mistaken for compaction on this site):
None
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:
Nebraska sedge > Baltic rush > Spikerush > other grasses & grass-likes > forbs

Sub-dominant:

Other:

Additional:
Amount of plant mortality and decadence (include which functional groups are expected to show mortality or decadence):
Normal decadence and mortality expected
Average percent litter cover (%) and depth ( in):
Expected annual annual-production (this is TOTAL above-ground annual-production, not just forage annual-production):
Favorable: 3000, Normal: 2000, Unfavorable: 1500 lbs/acre/year at high RSI(HCPC)
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:
Rush species will increase with deterioration of plant community. Reed canarygrass, Meadow foxtail, Kentucky bluegrass, thistles, perennial pepperweed, and foxtail barley invade sites that have lost deep rooted perennial grass functional groups.
Perennial plant reproductive capability:
All species should be capable of reproducing annually

Download reference sheet