Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site R023XY514OR
Pumice 8-10 PZ
Last updated: 4/10/2025
Accessed: 04/11/2025
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 Ashy or Loamy Skeletal Mod Deep 10-20 PZ High-Resilience Mountain Big Sagebrush and Idaho Fescue 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/R023XY906NV
Associated sites
| R023XY211OR |
PUMICE CLAYPAN 10-12 PZ Pumice Claypan 10-12 PZ |
|---|---|
| R023XY210OR |
PUMICE 10-12 PZ Pumice 10-12 PZ |
| R023XY221OR |
GRAVELLY TERRACE 10-12 PZ Gravelly Terrace 10-12 PZ |
Similar sites
| R023XY211OR |
PUMICE CLAYPAN 10-12 PZ Pumice Claypan 10-12 PZ |
|---|
Table 1. Dominant plant species
| Tree |
Not specified |
|---|---|
| Shrub |
(1) Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana |
| Herbaceous |
(1) Festuca idahoensis |
Physiographic features
This site occurs on gentle uplands and broad flats or basalt plateaus. Slopes range from 0 - 20 percent. Elevations range from 4,300 to 4,500 feet.
Table 2. Representative physiographic features
| Flooding frequency | None |
|---|---|
| Ponding frequency | None |
| Elevation | 4,300 – 4,500 ft |
| Slope | 20% |
| Aspect | Aspect is not a significant factor |
Climatic features
The annual precipitation ranges from 8 to 10 inches which occurs mainly between the months of November and June, mostly in the form of rain and snow. The soil temperature regime is frigid. The average annual air temperature is 43 degrees F with extreme temperatures ranging from -30 to 103 degrees F. The frost free period is 50 to 90 days. The optimum period for plant growth is from mid-April through early July.
Table 3. Representative climatic features
| Frost-free period (characteristic range) | 5 days |
|---|---|
| Freeze-free period (characteristic range) | 34 days |
| Precipitation total (characteristic range) | 9 in |
| Frost-free period (actual range) | 5 days |
| Freeze-free period (actual range) | 34 days |
| Precipitation total (actual range) | 9 in |
| Frost-free period (average) | 5 days |
| Freeze-free period (average) | 34 days |
| Precipitation total (average) | 9 in |
Figure 1. Monthly precipitation range
Figure 2. Monthly minimum temperature range
Figure 3. Monthly maximum temperature range
Figure 4. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature
Figure 5. Annual precipitation pattern
Figure 6. Annual average temperature pattern
Climate stations used
-
(1) BROTHERS [USC00351067], Brothers, OR
Influencing water features
Soil features
The soils of this site are moderately deep to very deep, well or excessively drained, and have sandy loam or loamy sand surface textures. They are generally formed from pumice sand over basalt bedrock with compacted sandy layers or hardpan at 20-40 inches or more. Permeability is moderately slow and the available waterholding capacity
(AWC) is 8.0 to 12.0 inches for the profile. The potential for wind erosion high. The soils of this site have high infiltration rates and low runoff potential.
Table 4. Representative soil features
| Parent material |
(1)
Residuum
–
basalt
(2) Pumice |
|---|---|
| Surface texture |
(1) Ashy sandy loam (2) Ashy loamy sand |
| Drainage class | Well drained to excessively drained |
| Permeability class | Moderately slow |
| Depth to restrictive layer | 20 – 80 in |
| Soil depth | 20 – 80 in |
Ecological dynamics
Variability in plant composition results from variation in the amount of pumice and in the depth of pumice sand over a restrictive layer (e.g. bedrock, buried soil, hardpan, or cemented sands).
Idaho fescue declines with over-use by livestock.
State and transition model
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Ecosystem states
State 1 submodel, plant communities
State 1
Reference
Dominant plant species
-
mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana), shrub
-
Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis), grass
-
Thurber's needlegrass (Achnatherum thurberianum), grass
Community 1.1
Reference Plant Community
The potential native plant community is dominated by big sagebrush and Idaho fescue. Thurber needlegrass, western needlegrass, squirreltail, and Indian ricegrass are other prominent grasses. Prickly gilia and low-green rabbitbrush also commonly occur in the stand in minor amounts. Vegetative composition is approximately 70% grasses, 10% forbs, and 20% shrubs/trees.
Dominant plant species
-
mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana), shrub
-
Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis), grass
-
Thurber's needlegrass (Achnatherum thurberianum), grass
Figure 7. Annual production by plant type (representative values) or group (midpoint values)
Table 5. Annual production by plant type
| Plant type | Low (lb/acre) |
Representative value (lb/acre) |
High (lb/acre) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grass/Grasslike | 360 | 500 | 645 |
| Shrub/Vine | 80 | 115 | 145 |
| Forb | 60 | 85 | 110 |
| Total | 500 | 700 | 900 |
Additional community tables
Table 6. Community 1.1 plant community composition
| Group | Common name | Symbol | Scientific name | Annual production (lb/acre) | Foliar cover (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Grass/Grasslike
|
||||||
| 1 | Perennial, deep-rooted, dominant | 315–350 | ||||
| Idaho fescue | FEID | Festuca idahoensis | 315–350 | – | ||
| 2 | Perennial, deep-rooted, sub-dominant | 98–112 | ||||
| western needlegrass | ACOC3 | Achnatherum occidentale | 30–35 | – | ||
| Thurber's needlegrass | ACTH7 | Achnatherum thurberianum | 30–35 | – | ||
| prairie Junegrass | KOMA | Koeleria macrantha | 7–14 | – | ||
| squirreltail | ELEL5 | Elymus elymoides | 7–14 | – | ||
| Ross' sedge | CARO5 | Carex rossii | 10–14 | – | ||
| 3 | Other perennial grasses, all | 0–14 | ||||
| Sandberg bluegrass | POSE | Poa secunda | 0–7 | – | ||
| bluebunch wheatgrass | PSSPS | Pseudoroegneria spicata ssp. spicata | 0–7 | – | ||
| 4 | Perennial, rhizomatous | 7–14 | ||||
| thickspike wheatgrass | ELLAL | Elymus lanceolatus ssp. lanceolatus | 7–14 | – | ||
|
Shrub/Vine
|
||||||
| 5 | Perennial, dominant | 70–105 | ||||
| mountain big sagebrush | ARTRV | Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana | 70–105 | – | ||
| 6 | Other perennial shrubs, all | 7–21 | ||||
| yellow rabbitbrush | CHVI8 | Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus | 7–14 | – | ||
| rubber rabbitbrush | ERNA10 | Ericameria nauseosa | 0–7 | – | ||
|
Forb
|
||||||
| 7 | Perennial, dominant | 42–84 | ||||
| lupine | LUPIN | Lupinus | 7–14 | – | ||
| phlox | PHLOX | Phlox | 7–14 | – | ||
| hoary tansyaster | MACA2 | Machaeranthera canescens | 7–14 | – | ||
| pussytoes | ANTEN | Antennaria | 7–14 | – | ||
| buckwheat | ERIOG | Eriogonum | 7–14 | – | ||
| granite prickly phlox | LIPU11 | Linanthus pungens | 7–14 | – | ||
| 8 | Other perennial forbs, all | 0–28 | ||||
| common woolly sunflower | ERLA6 | Eriophyllum lanatum | 0–7 | – | ||
| fleabane | ERIGE2 | Erigeron | 0–7 | – | ||
| buckwheat | ERIOG | Eriogonum | 0–7 | – | ||
| curvepod milkvetch | ASCU4 | Astragalus curvicarpus | 0–7 | – | ||
| Douglas' dustymaiden | CHDO | Chaenactis douglasii | 0–7 | – | ||
| woollypod milkvetch | ASPU9 | Astragalus purshii | 0–7 | – | ||
| starlily | LEUCO | Leucocrinum | 0–7 | – | ||
| sego lily | CANU3 | Calochortus nuttallii | 0–7 | – | ||
Interpretations
Animal community
Livestock Grazing: Natural water is usually not available on-site. Winter grazing is possible in mild winters with little snow, but protection from the cold for livestock is limited due to a lack of tall cover.
Native Wildlife Associated with the Climax Community: Pronghorn, sage grouse, and deer
Hydrological functions
The soils of this site have high infiltration rates and low runoff potential.
Supporting information
Type locality
| Location 1: Deschutes County, OR | |
|---|---|
| General legal description | At Brothers - Highway rest area Distribution: Eastern Deschutes County; East of Horse Ridge and South or Southeast of West Butte, as far east as Hampton Valley. |
Approval
Kendra Moseley, 4/10/2025
Acknowledgments
Original Author: Gene Hickman 3-93
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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