Semidesert Steep Gravelly Loam (Wyoming Big Sagebrush)
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- Transition T1A More details
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No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
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Description
The Reference State includes plant communities dominated by a diverse mixture of perennial grasses, and a mixture of Wyoming big sagebrush and yellow rabbitbrush. These community phases occur depending on length time since a disturbance (fire, insects, drought, or over grazing) that removes Wyoming big sagebrush from the community. Adequate duration, timing, and intensity of the disturbance is required to maintain plant vigor and health of the plant community. Note that plant communities in this state will only consist of native species.
Submodel
Description
This state includes plant communities dominated by a diverse mixture of perennial grasses, a mixture of Wyoming big sagebrush and perennial grasses, and a community dominated by Wyoming big sagebrush. These community phases occur depending on the time since a disturbance that kills Wyoming big sagebrush has occurred, such as fire, insects, or drought, and grazing that provides adequate duration, timing, and intensity that maintain plant vigor and health of the plant community.
Plant communities in this state can include native, acclimatized, naturalized and invasive non-native species. This state is irreversibly changed from the reference state because these non-native species will now remain a permanent part of the community.
This plant community has the composition, structure and cover present that facilitates the capture, storage, and safe release of precipitation, nutrients are being cycled through deep rooted perennial grasses, forbs, and evergreen shrubs, and cool season energy capture throughout the entire growing season (March to October) such that this plant community and site resiliency is maintained. With a lengthened fire return interval (greater than 60 years), an increase in sagebrush canopy occurs until sagebrush dominates resource use. This results in a decrease in vigor, cover and reproduction of perennial bunch grasses, and results in an increase in invasive annuals such as cheatgrass.
Submodel
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