Upland Gravelly Loam (Bonneville Big Sagebrush)
Scenario model
Current ecosystem state
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Management practices/drivers
Select a transition or restoration pathway
- Transition T1a More details
- Transition T1b More details
- Transition T2a More details
- Transition T2b More details
- Transition T2c More details
- Transition T3b More details
- Transition T3a More details
- Transition T4a More details
- Transition T5a More details
- Restoration pathway R6a More details
- Transition T6a More details
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No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
Target ecosystem state
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Description
This state includes the plant communities that were best adapted to the unique combination of factors associated with this ecological site prior to European settlement. It was in a natural dynamic equilibrium with the historic biotic, abiotic, climatic factors on its ecological site in North America at the time of European immigration and settlement. This dominant aspect of the plant community is Bonneville big sagebrush and Bluebunch wheatgrass. The community is made up of 55 % Grass 25 % forbs and 20 % shrubs on a dry weight base.
Submodel
Description
This state includes the biotic communities that would become established on the ecological site if all successional sequences were completed without interferences by man under the present environmental conditions. Natural disturbances are inherent in its development. The CPS state may include acclimatized, naturalized or invasive nonnative species. There is no known way to effectively remove these plants from the site once they have become established. The level of occurrence of these plants in the CPS is such that careful management can prevent their domination of the site. This site is irreversibly changed. Plant communities within the CPS state may be managed and used for various purposes by man without significant alteration in plant community composition or production. It includes all of the plant communities that exist in the RPC state with the inclusion of species that are non-native to this ESD.
All of these scenarios are very interrelated and dependent on weather patterns and events as well as fire frequency and intensity. The fire frequency should be around 30 to 55 years. Any set of events that are strong enough to force the plant community out of this pattern can push it over a threshold and push it into another state.
Submodel
Description
This state has only two described plant communities but many variations of the represented ones are present. This is the state that this plant community will move to when there is a lack of fire with a source of utah juniper and maybe a source of pinyon seed. Movement from community faze to community faze can and often is accelerated by overgrazing. The dominate aspect of the plant community is utah juniper and cheatgrass brome. This State can persist for a long time until extreme conditions needed for a wildfire occur or some other management treatment is implemented.
Submodel
Description
This plant community happens when the site is overgrazed for a very prolonged period of time. Drought, fire, mechanical disturbance, and other like disturbances will speed up the process.
Submodel
Description
This is the state that this plant community will move to when it is in an over grazed condition and/or drought condition and then burned (wild or controlled) and not seeded. The dominant aspect of the plant community is Cheatgrass brome, Yellow rabbitbrush with a very small amount of Bonneville big sagebrush. The community will usually be made up of 70 % Cheatgrass brome and 10 % Forbs and 20 % Yellow rabbitbrush with minor components of other shrubs.
Submodel
Mechanism
Fire; insects; prolonged drought; pathogens that kills and/or reduces the
dominant shrub overstory. Also overgrazing with or without drought over a prolonged period of time Fire and/or overgrazing are the most common of these disturbances .
Mechanism
Prolonged Drought, Overgrazing, Extreme lengthening of the fire interval frequency. This takes place when the sagebrush canopy gets so heavy that it destroys the perennial grass and forb under story and the fire frequency is increased from 20- to 40 years to 60 – 90 years and the introduction of Utah juniper.
Mechanism
Prolonged Drought and/or Prolonged overgrazing. Most often it is a combination of the two conditions that brings this condition into existence.
Mechanism
Continued overgrazing and increase of fire frequency over a very prolonged period of time. (8 – 12 year fire frequency interval)
Mechanism
Continued overgrazing and increase of fire frequency over a very prolonged period of time. (8 – 12 year fire frequency interval)
Mechanism
Human caused disturbance (mechanical treatment and seeding; chemical treatment and seeding. etc.)
Mechanism
Human caused disturbance (mechanical treatment and seeding; chemical treatment and seeding. etc.)
Mechanism
Human caused disturbance (mechanical treatment and seeding; chemical treatment and seeding. etc.)
Mechanism
Time with proper management that favors the Native Plants as they move back into the site.This takes 25 to 50 years to start happening. The time frame depends on management and on the precipitation amounts. If the site is at the 15 to 16 inch zone it will respond quicker than at the 14 inch level. The site also has to receive proper grazing use along with the proper rest periods.
Relevant conservation practices
| Practice | External resources |
|---|---|
|
Prescribed Grazing |
|
|
Grazing Management Plan - Applied |
Mechanism
Prolonged Drought, Overgrazing, Extreme lengthening of the fire interval frequency. This takes place when the sagebrush canopy gets so heavy that it destroys the perennial grass and forb under story and the fire frequency is increased from 20- to 40 years to 60 – 90 years and the introduction of Utah juniper.
Model keys
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The Ecosystem Dynamics Interpretive Tool is an information system framework developed by the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and New Mexico State University.