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Ecological site R030XB060NV

GRANITIC NORTH SLOPE 5-7 P.Z.

Last updated: 3/11/2025
Accessed: 07/13/2025

Home / Esd catalog / MLRA 030X / Ecological site R030XB060NV

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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.

Ecological site concept

This site occurs on hills and mountain sideslopes having a northerly aspect. Slopes range from 8 to 75 percent, but slope gradients of 15 to 50 percent are typical. Elevations are 3000 to about 4500 feet. The soils associated with this site are 30 to 40 inches and have formed in residuum or colluvium from granitic (gneiss or schist) or quartzite parent material.

Please refer to group concept R030XB076NV to view the provisional STM.

Associated sites

R030XA061NV	LOAMY 5-7 P.Z.

R030XA061NV

LOAMY 5-7 P.Z.

Similar sites

R030XB087NV	GRANITIC SLOPE 5-7 P.Z. CAAR10 and MESP2 codominant shrubs with AMDU2
R030XB062NV	GRANITIC SLOPE 3-5 P.Z. AMDU2-KRPA codominant shrubs; less productive site
R030XB008NV	SHALLOW GRANITIC HILL 5-7 P.Z. Less productive site

R030XB087NV

GRANITIC SLOPE 5-7 P.Z.

CAAR10 and MESP2 codominant shrubs with AMDU2

R030XB062NV

GRANITIC SLOPE 3-5 P.Z.

AMDU2-KRPA codominant shrubs; less productive site

R030XB008NV

SHALLOW GRANITIC HILL 5-7 P.Z.

Less productive site

Table 1. Dominant plant species

Tree	Not specified
Shrub	(1) Eriogonum fasciculatum var. polifolium (2) Ephedra
Herbaceous	(1) Pleuraphis rigida

Download full description

Physiographic features

Table 2. Representative physiographic features

Landforms	(1) Mountain slope (2) Hill
Elevation	3,000 – 4,500 ft
Slope	15 – 50%
Aspect	N

Climatic features

The climate is hot and arid with warm, moist winters and hot, dry summers. Average annual precipitation is about 5 to 7 inches. Mean annual air temperature is 60 to 68 degrees F. The average growing season is about 180 to 290 days.

Table 3. Representative climatic features

Frost-free period (average)	290 days
Freeze-free period (average)
Precipitation total (average)	7 in

Bar

Line

Figure 1. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature

Soil features

The soils associated with this site are 30 to 40 inches and have formed in residuum or colluvium from granitic (gneiss or schist) or quartzite parent material. Surface soils are typically medium to moderately coarse textured. Water intake rate is moderately slow and available water capacity is low. Runoff is very high and the soils are well drained. The soil series associated with this site include Highland.

Table 4. Representative soil features

Parent material	(1) Residuum – gneiss (2) Colluvium – schist
Surface texture	(1) Extremely gravelly sandy loam
Family particle size	(1) Loamy
Drainage class	Well drained
Permeability class	Moderately slow
Soil depth	30 – 40 in
Surface fragment cover <=3"	Not specified
Surface fragment cover >3"	Not specified
Available water capacity (0-40in)	3.2 – 3.3 in
Calcium carbonate equivalent (0-40in)	10%
Electrical conductivity (0-40in)	2 mmhos/cm
Sodium adsorption ratio (0-40in)	5
Soil reaction (1:1 water) (0-40in)	7.9 – 8.4
Subsurface fragment volume <=3" (Depth not specified)	39 – 63%
Subsurface fragment volume >3" (Depth not specified)	20%

Ecological dynamics

Please refer to group concept R030XB076NV to view the provisional STM.

As ecological condition deteriorates, creosotebush and Mojave buckwheat increase as perennial grasses decrease. Species likely to invade this site are annual forbs and grasses such filaree and red brome. Concave to gently sloping straight slopes, have a greater proportion of big galleta than is typical for the site.

Fire Ecology:
The fire return interval for Mojave buckwheat communities occurs at approximate 28-year intervals. Damage to big galleta from fire varies. If big galleta is dry, damage may be severe. However, when plants are green, fire will tend to be less severe and damage may be minimal, with big galleta recovering quickly. Ephedra generally sprouts vigorously from the roots or woody root crown after fire and rapidly produces aboveground biomass from surviving meristematic tissue.

State and transition model

More interactive model formats are also available. View Interactive Models
Click on state and transition labels to scroll to the respective text

Ecosystem states

1. Reference Plant Community

State 1 submodel, plant communities

1.1. Reference Plant Community

State 1
Reference Plant Community

Community 1.1
Reference Plant Community

The reference plant community is dominated by Mojave buckwheat, ephedra, and big galleta. Bush muhly, desert needlegrass and range ratany are other important species associated with this site. Potential vegetative composition is about 55% grasses, 5% forbs and 40% shrubs. Approximate ground cover (basal and crown) is 10 to 20 percent.

Figure 2. 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	220	330	495
Shrub/Vine	160	240	360
Forb	20	30	45
Total	400	600	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	Primary Perennial Grasses			282–450
	big galleta	PLRI3	Pleuraphis rigida	240–300	–
	bush muhly	MUPO2	Muhlenbergia porteri	30–90	–
	desert needlegrass	ACSP12	Achnatherum speciosum	12–60	–
2	Secondary Perennial Grasses			1–30
	Indian ricegrass	ACHY	Achnatherum hymenoides	3–12	–
	threeawn	ARIST	Aristida	3–12	–
	low woollygrass	DAPU7	Dasyochloa pulchella	3–12	–
Forb
3	Perennial			12–48
	desert needlegrass	ACSP12	Achnatherum speciosum	12–60	–
	desert marigold	BAMU	Baileya multiradiata	3–18	–
	desert globemallow	SPAM2	Sphaeralcea ambigua	3–18	–
	Indian ricegrass	ACHY	Achnatherum hymenoides	3–12	–
4	Annual			1–13
Shrub/Vine
5	Primary shrubs			73–228
	Eastern Mojave buckwheat	ERFAP	Eriogonum fasciculatum var. polifolium	30–90	–
	burrobush	AMDU2	Ambrosia dumosa	1–48	–
	California jointfir	EPCA2	Ephedra californica	10–20	–
	Nevada jointfir	EPNE	Ephedra nevadensis	10–20	–
	Torrey's jointfir	EPTO	Ephedra torreyana	10–20	–
6	Secondary shrubs			30–90
	Virgin River brittlebush	ENVI	Encelia virginensis	6–18	–
	California barrel cactus	FECY	Ferocactus cylindraceus	6–18	–
	spiny hopsage	GRSP	Grayia spinosa	6–18	–
	winterfat	KRLA2	Krascheninnikovia lanata	6–18	–
	creosote bush	LATR2	Larrea tridentata	6–18	–
	whitestem paperflower	PSCO2	Psilostrophe cooperi	6–18	–
	Mojave woodyaster	XYTO2	Xylorhiza tortifolia	6–18	–
	Joshua tree	YUBR	Yucca brevifolia	6–18	–
	Mojave yucca	YUSC2	Yucca schidigera	6–18	–

Interpretations

Animal community

Livestock Interpretations:

This site is suited to livestock grazing. Grazing management should be keyed to Big galleta grass production. Big galleta is considered a valuable forage plant for cattle and domestic sheep. Its coarse, rigid culms make it relatively resistant to heavy grazing and trampling. Ephedra is heavily browsed by livestock on winter range but only moderately or lightly browsed during other seasons. Mojave buckwheat is also an important forage species for several livestock species.

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:

Ephedra is an important browse species for big game animals. Green ephedra is heavily used by wildlife on winter ranges. Mojave buckwheat and Big Galleta are important forage species for several wildlife species.

Hydrological functions

Unoff is very high.

Other information

Big galleta's clumped growth form stabilizes blowing sand. Green ephedra is listed as a successful shrub for restoring western rangeland communities and can be used to rehabilitate disturbed lands. It also has value for reducing soil erosion on both clay and sandy soils. Green ephedra establishes readily through direct seeding, transplants, and stem cuttings.

Supporting information

Type locality

Location 1: Clark County, NV
Township/Range/Section	T25S R62E S19
General legal description	Section 19, T25S. R62E. MDBM. McCullough Pass area. North-facing sideslopes on the west side of McCullough Range, Clark 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).

Contributors

GKB

Approval

Kendra Moseley, 3/11/2025

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	03/11/2025
Approved by	Sarah Quistberg
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:

Download reference sheet