Saline Lowland Drained (SLDr) Wind River Basin Wet
Scenario model
Current ecosystem state
Select a state
Management practices/drivers
Select a transition or restoration pathway
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Transition T1-2
Continuous, season-long grazing, drought and ground disturbances can lead to the loss of herbaceous cover and increase in shrub canopy.
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Transition T1-3
Continuous, season-long or repetitive early season use encourages sod forming species and reduces cool-season grasses.
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Restoration pathway R2-1
Long-term prescribed grazing will encourage recovery of the native perennial grasses in this community.
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Transition T2-3
Shifts in grazing patterns to favor warm season species will allow community to transition to a sod forming community.
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Transition T2-4
Soil disturbance with a seed source present opens this community to invasion by weedy species.
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Transition T3-4
Continuous, season-long grazing weakens the sod-bound community to invasion by weedy species. This is exacerbated by prolonged drought and soil disturbances.
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Restoration pathway R4-5
Weed control and seeding of the community is required to recover an invaded community. This community will remain disturbed with alterations to the soil and select seeded species.
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Transition T5-4
Continued disturbance and lack of weed management will lead to an Invaded state where seed sources are present.
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No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
Target ecosystem state
Select a state
State 1
Reference
Description
The Reference State for the Saline Lowland Drained ecological site is representative of the native community phases that establish once the floodplain of a saline drainage is detached from the water during natural stream morphological processes or from channel disturbances. The loss of the natural water table results in a loss of hydrophytic plants and an establishment of upland plants.
Characteristics and indicators
Greasewood and alkali sacaton are present as well as inland saltgrass. Western wheatgrass replaces slender wheatgrass, Sandburg bluegrass will replace alkali bluegrass, and bottlebrush squirreltail and Indian ricegrass have increased in composition. Basin wildrye will persist but will be reduced in the community. Gardner's saltbush establishes once the community is disconnected from the water table, and forbs transition to upland species.
Resilience management
This state is in a state of transition and so although resilient, it is not resistant to change and disturbances can quickly shift this community. Grazing management, drought, natural channel and hydrologic shifts, and disturbances are influences for this state.
Submodel
Description
The Shrub Dominated State of the Saline Lowland Drained ecological site is a greasewood community with minimal understory. The bare ground and large patch dynamics creates a community that is at risk for invasion and further degradation.
Characteristics and indicators
The plant community is dominated by greasewood with common occurrences of rubber rabbitbrush. Communities in soils that have deeper salts or lower overall salt composition will host scattered amounts of Wyoming big and basin big sagebrush. Remnants of native grasses including bottlebrush squirreltail and six-weeks fescue will occur in the basal cover of greasewood, but very minimal occurrences of grasses occur in the shrub interspaces. Annual and perennial forbs will occur within the greasewood basal cover as well and will extend into the interspaces, especially in wetter years.
Resilience management
Soil crusting, generally higher salt concentrations, especially around the canopy of greasewood, and restrictive soils, natural repopulation of native grasses has not been seen. Invasive encroachment occurs more readily in the open interspaces where seed source is available. The community is stable unless invasion occurs.
Submodel
Description
The mat-forming growth habit expressed by blue grama and threadleaf sedge create a dense, short, sod-bound community that affects the hydrology and overall function of the community. As the cool-season grasses are removed from the system and the mid-stature warm-season grasses are restricted by use, the short grasses increase to stabilize the community.
Characteristics and indicators
Remnants of alkali sacaton and some cool-season species will persist at the bases of greasewood and scattered across the community. But the dominant grass cover shifts to blue grama or a threadleaf sedge/blue grama mix.
Resilience management
The dense, tightly rooted sod-forming species are resistant to hoof impact and traffic, as well as drought tolerant. This combination makes for a resilient community with continued disturbances.
Submodel
State 4
Invaded
Description
The Saline Lowland Drained ecological site is vulnerable to invasion by many of the aggressive weedy species threatening the rangelands today. Cheatgrass (downy brome) poses the greatest threat, with annual mustards and clasping pepperweed taking advantage of the open canopy and occasional flushes of overland flow.
Characteristics and indicators
The presence of at least 5 percent cover of an invasive species, dominantly cheatgrass, within the community is the threshold forcing this community into the invaded state.
Resilience management
Managing to maintain the remaining native species while working to reduce the invasive species is the best management practice focus for the Invaded State.
Submodel
Description
Energy development, mining, farming, irrigation canals, drainage laterals, and roads are only a few of the land uses that have had an impact on these arid, salt-affected landscapes.
Characteristics and indicators
The alteration of the soils and removal of the native vegetation are the key indicators for this State. Scaring of the activities completed are visible for significant periods following activities.
Resilience management
Much of this site is deemed unfit or non-productive; attempts to reclaim are marginal, and many attempts have failed. Historic attempts to improve productivity have altered the resilience and response pathways, affecting the site potential and stability.
Submodel
Mechanism
Continuous, season-long grazing, ground disturbance, and drought can facilitate the loss of herbaceous cover and create a greasewood/bare ground community. Hoof impact as well as lack of recovery for all perennial grass species weakens their resiliency in the community. Remnants of these species may persist in the protective bases of greasewood, but are otherwise removed from the system. Drought assists with the weakening and removal of the herbaceous as well as shrub species. Ground disturbance will remove the herbaceous cover and in many instances encourage the sprouting of greasewood further exacerbating the concern.
Constraints to recovery
Lack of seed source in conjunction with a harsh climate for seedling establishment inhibit natural recovery of this community. Shrub density can also have an impact on herbaceous recovery.
Mechanism
Continuous, season-long use or repetitive timing of use during early growing season will reduce the mid-stature cool-season grasses and encourage the short sod-forming grasses to establish. Drought will exacerbate this process.
Constraints to recovery
The dense root mat of sod forming species alters water flow across the site and inhibits infiltration causing dry subsoil conditions (droughty). This alteration in hydrology and resistance of the root mat to degradation creates a hostile environment for other species to establish.
Mechanism
Prescribed grazing and management to reduce pressure on the plant community during the early growing season will provide the native perennial cool-season grasses to establish and to recover within the community. Inland saltgrass and alkali sacaton will respond with hoof action to stimulate the basal growth and rest during the mid to late growing season. The time required for recovery will vary depending on texture and salt content. Shifts in the community will be slow but obvious in the health and vigor of the existing species. Density of shrubs may require mechanical or chemical treatment to thin them to an acceptable level of cover.
Relevant conservation practices
| Practice | External resources |
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Brush Management |
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Critical Area Planting |
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Prescribed Grazing |
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Grazing Land Mechanical Treatment |
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Heavy Use Area Protection |
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Integrated Pest Management (IPM) |
Mechanism
A shift in grazing management, specifically to a grazing pattern favoring warm season species, will allow recovery of blue grama and threadleaf sedge. With time, the community will recover to a sod-former community. Precipitation pattern changes can also be a factor in this shift.
Constraints to recovery
Sod forming species are resistant to change and resilient making it challenging to break the root mat to allow other native species to establish. The shift in hydrology caused by the root mat (filtering water off site, causing dryer subsurface conditions) also limits recovery of other native grasses.
Context dependence
The presence of these sod forming species must exist in the community before the shift occurs for this transition to occur.
Mechanism
The open gaps between greasewood canopy is open to invasive species. Once disturbed by hoof action or human disturbance, the soil is vulnerable to invasive species when seed sources are available.
Constraints to recovery
The lack of successful eradication of invasive species and the harsh soil conditions are the two limiting factors to recovery.
Mechanism
Continuous, season-long grazing weakens the sod-bound community opening a niche for invasive species to establish. Prolonged drought or soil disturbance (traffic) will also reduce the resistance of the sod former species allowing invasive species to establish when the seed source is available. Roadways and trails are common sources. However, proximity to the water source also serves as a source via water transmission as well as animal movement through the community.
Constraints to recovery
The inability to eradicate most invasive species is the main limiting factor to recovery. However, the harsh growth environment of the climate and soils also restricts recovery.
Mechanism
Once a community becomes invaded (greater than 5% composition of non-native invasive species), eradication or significant control of invasive species must occur to recover the community. In many instances this may require cultural practices to achieve success. Seeding of the community with integrated weed control to minimize the chance of re-establishment is needed to move the community towards a reference community. Once soil disturbance occurs, the response to management and natural disturbance regimes are not the same as reference. The species seeded will also be improved varieties and will respond to management differently than native populations. So although the community may resemble reference, it will maintain as a disturbed or altered community.
Relevant conservation practices
| Practice | External resources |
|---|---|
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Brush Management |
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Critical Area Planting |
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Prescribed Grazing |
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Grazing Land Mechanical Treatment |
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Range Planting |
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Heavy Use Area Protection |
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Integrated Pest Management (IPM) |
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Invasive Plant Species Control |
Mechanism
Continued ground disturbance, natural or man-induced, with a seed source present will revert an abandoned or disturbed landscape to the invaded state. The generally challenging soils and climate of the basin make reclamation a risky venture. When failure with seeding or improvement projects occur, invasive weeds are quick to establish in the disturbed soils. Wildlife and livestock moving through the Saline Lowland Drained ecological site are great vectors for seed dispersal.
Constraints to recovery
Cheatgrass is the most prominent invader that is found. Control of cheatgrass as well as many invasive species, is difficult and holds a low success rate, let a lone eradication. This inability to out-compete the invasive species is the main constraint to recovery. However, the hostile growth environment of the soils also limits successful recovery.
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.