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Ecological site F035XF610AZ

Cinder Upland 13-17" p.z. (PIED, JUOS)

Last updated: 5/20/2025
Accessed: 12/06/2025

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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.

MLRA notes

Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): 035X–Colorado Plateau

AZ CRA 35.6 - Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper-Sagebrush

Elevations range from 5500 to 7000 feet and precipitation averages 13 to 17 inches per year. Vegetation includes pinyon, juniper, big sagebrush, cliffrose, Mormon tea, muttongrass, prairie junegrass, squirreltail, western wheatgrass, and blue grama. The soil temperature regime is mesic and the soil moisture regime is aridic ustic. This unit occurs within the Colorado Plateau Physiographic Province and is characterized by a sequence of flat to gently dipping sedimentary rocks eroded into plateaus, valleys and deep canyons. Sedimentary rock classes dominate the plateau with volcanic fields occurring for the most part near its margin.

Table 1. Dominant plant species

Tree	(1) Pinus edulis (2) Juniperus osteosperma
Shrub	(1) Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis (2) Eriogonum umbellatum
Herbaceous	(1) Penstemon palmeri (2) Cordylanthus ramosus

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Physiographic features

Site appears on fan terraces, toe slopes and footslopes of cinder cones.

Table 2. Representative physiographic features

Landforms	(1) Cinder cone
Flooding frequency	None
Ponding frequency	None
Elevation	1,768 – 2,042 m
Slope	1 – 15%
Aspect	Aspect is not a significant factor

Climatic features

The climate of this land resource unit is semiarid with warm summers and cool winters. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 13 – 17 inches, but it is very erratic, often varying substantially from year to year. The majority of the precipitation comes from October through April. This precipitation comes as gentle rain or snow from frontal storms coming out of the Pacific Ocean. Snow is common from November through February. Generally no more than a few inches of snow accumulates, melting within a few days, but may last a week or more. The remaining precipitation comes from July through September as spotty, unreliable and sometimes violent thunderstorms. The moisture for this precipitation originates in the Gulf of Mexico (and the Pacific Ocean in the fall) and flows into the area on the north end of the Mexican monsoon. Late May through late June is generally a dry period. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 47 to 49 degrees Fahrenheit (F). The frost-free period (air temperature > 32 degrees F) ranges from 113 to 144 days (@ 50 percent probability). Strong winds are common, especially in the spring.

Table 3. Representative climatic features

Frost-free period (average)	144 days
Freeze-free period (average)	160 days
Precipitation total (average)	432 mm

Bar

Line

Figure 1. Monthly precipitation range

Bar

Line

Figure 2. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature

Soil features

Soils are very deep (shallow to moderately deep to cinders). Surface textures are extremely cindery loam, extremely gravelly loam and stony loam. Subsoil textures are extremely cindery loam, extremely gravelly loam and cinders. Parent material is alluvium and colluvium from scoriaceous basalt and pyroclastics. Geologic formation is basalt. Available water capacity is very low. Water erosion hazard potential is moderate; wind erosion hazard potential is very slight. Soils are non-saline, non-sodic with pH range of 7.4-8.4 (slightly to moderately alkaline).

Typical taxonomic units include:

SSA-625 Mohave county NE part MU's 27, 68 Lozinta, 68, 70 Wutoma.

Table 4. Representative soil features

Parent material	(1) Alluvium – pyroclastic rock
Surface texture	(1) Extremely channery loam (2) Extremely gravelly loam (3) Channery
Family particle size	(1) Loamy
Drainage class	Somewhat excessively drained to excessively drained
Permeability class	Moderate
Soil depth	152 – 203 cm
Surface fragment cover <=3"	10 – 15%
Available water capacity (0-101.6cm)	0 – 6.35 cm
Calcium carbonate equivalent (0-101.6cm)	0 – 10%
Electrical conductivity (0-101.6cm)	0 mmhos/cm
Sodium adsorption ratio (0-101.6cm)	0
Soil reaction (1:1 water) (0-101.6cm)	7.4 – 8.4
Subsurface fragment volume <=3" (Depth not specified)	50 – 70%

Ecological dynamics

For state and transition model see ecological group DX035X02DESG11, Grand Canyon - Aridic Ustic - Volcanic or Clayey Uplands.

The plant communities found on an ecological site are naturally variable. Composition and production will vary with yearly conditions, location, aspect, and the natural variability of the soils. The Historical Climax Plant Community represents the natural potential plant communities found on relict or relatively undisturbed sites. Other plant communities described here represent plant communities that are known to occur when the site is disturbed by factors such as fire, grazing, or drought.

Production data provided in this site description is standardized to air dry weight at the end of the summer growing season. The plant communities described in this site description are based on near normal rainfall years.

NRCS uses a Similarity Index to compare existing plant communities to the plant communities described here. Similarity index is determined by comparing the production and composition of a plant community to the production and composition of a plant community described in this site description. To determine Similarity index, compare the production (air dry weight) of each species to that shown in the plant community description. For each species, count no more than the maximum amount shown for the species, and for each group, count no more than the maximum amount shown for each group. Divide the resulting total by the total normal year production shown in the plant community description. If the rainfall has ben significantly above or below normal, use the total production shown for above or below normal years. If field data is not collected at the end of the summer growing season, then the field data must be corrected to the end of the year production before comparing it to the site description. The growth curve can be used as a guide for estimating production at the end of the summer growing season.

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. Historic Climax Plant Community

State 1 submodel, plant communities

1.1. Historic Climax Plant Community

State 1
Historic Climax Plant Community

Community 1.1
Historic Climax Plant Community

The potential plant community consists of 50% tree covering an understory of grasses, forbs, shrubs and shall trees. In the herbaceous/shrub stage, shrubs dominate the site with medium amounts of forbs and small trees and minor amounts of grass. In the immature stage, medium and small trees dominate the site, with minor amounts of forbs and grasses. In the mature/climax stage, mature and medium sized trees dominate the site, with a minor component of shrubs and forbs. Grasses are rare.

Figure 3. Annual production by plant type (representative values) or group (midpoint values)

Table 5. Annual production by plant type

Plant type	Low (kg/hectare)	Representative value (kg/hectare)	High (kg/hectare)
Shrub/Vine	191	280	560
Grass/Grasslike	78	168	247
Tree	56	84	123
Forb	34	56	95
Total	359	588	1025

Figure 4. Plant community growth curve (percent production by month). AZ3506, 35.6 13-17" p.z. blue grama. Growth occurs mostly in summer and early fall during the rainy season..

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
0	0	0	5	10	15	25	30	15	0	0	0

Figure 5. Plant community growth curve (percent production by month). AZ3512, 35.6 13-17" p.z. Stansbury cliffrose. Growth begins in spring and continues through the summer. Stem elongation, flowering, and seed set occur in summer..

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
0	0	0	5	20	20	30	20	5	0	0	0

Figure 6. Plant community growth curve (percent production by month). AZ3516, 35.6 13-17" p.z. bottlebrush squirreltail. Early spring growth; goes semi-dormant in summer; some green up in fall..

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
0	5	15	35	20	5	5	5	5	5	0	0

Figure 7. Plant community growth curve (percent production by month). AZ3561, 35.6 13-17" p.z. all sites. Growth begins in the spring and continues into the fall..

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
0	1	5	16	17	15	15	15	11	5	0	0

Figure 8. Plant community growth curve (percent production by month). AZ3601, 35.6 13-17" p.z. western wheatgrass. Growth begins in the spring and continues into fall during the rainy season..

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
0	0	0	5	10	20	20	20	20	5	0	0

Figure 9. Plant community growth curve (percent production by month). AZ3603, 35.6 13-17" p.z. Wyoming big sagebrush. Most growth occurs in the summer. Seed set occurs in the fall..

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
0	0	0	5	15	20	20	20	10	10	0	0

Figure 10. Plant community growth curve (percent production by month). AZ3929, 35.6 13-17" p.z. turbinella oak. Growth begins in spring and continues through the summer. Seed set occurs in the fall..

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
0	0	0	10	15	20	15	15	15	10	0	0

Figure 11. Plant community growth curve (percent production by month). AZ3930, 35.6 13-17" p.z. banana yucca. Most leaf growth occurs in late spring. Flowers in summer. Seed set occurs in late summer to fall..

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
0	0	0	10	10	20	20	20	10	10	0	0

Additional community tables

Table 6. Community 1.1 plant community composition

Group	Common name	Symbol	Scientific name	Annual production (kg/hectare)	Foliar cover (%)

Table 7. Community 1.1 forest overstory composition

Common name	Symbol	Scientific name	Nativity	Height (m)	Canopy cover (%)	Diameter (cm)	Basal area (square m/hectare)
Tree
twoneedle pinyon	PIED	Pinus edulis	Native	0.9–7.6	20–40	10.2–30.5	–
Utah juniper	JUOS	Juniperus osteosperma	Native	0.6–4.6	15–30	5.1–30.5	–

Table 8. Community 1.1 forest understory composition

Common name	Symbol	Scientific name	Nativity	Height (m)	Canopy cover (%)
Grass/grass-like (Graminoids)
Indian ricegrass	ACHY	Achnatherum hymenoides	Native	0.1–0.5	5–10
threeawn	ARIST	Aristida	Native	0.1–0.5	1–5
blue grama	BOGR2	Bouteloua gracilis	Native	0–0.3	2–5
squirreltail	ELELE	Elymus elymoides ssp. elymoides	Native	0.1–0.5	2–5
western wheatgrass	PASM	Pascopyrum smithii	Native	0–0.5	3–5
Forb/Herb
beardtongue	PENST	Penstemon	Native	0–0.3	1–2
Shrub/Subshrub
Wyoming big sagebrush	ARTRW8	Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis	Native	0.3–1.8	10–35
rubber rabbitbrush	ERNAG	Ericameria nauseosa ssp. nauseosa var. glabrata	Native	0.2–1.8	5–15
Mexican cliffrose	PUME	Purshia mexicana	Native	0.6–2.4	5–10
Sonoran scrub oak	QUTU2	Quercus turbinella	Native	0.6–2.1	5–10
broom snakeweed	GUSA2	Gutierrezia sarothrae	Native	0–0.3	4–9
Gambel oak	QUGA	Quercus gambelii	Native	0.6–4.6	3–8
mormon tea	EPVI	Ephedra viridis	Native	0.2–0.9	3–8
bushy bird's beak	CORA5	Cordylanthus ramosus	Native	0.2–1.2	3–7
sulphur-flower buckwheat	ERUM	Eriogonum umbellatum	Native	0–0.3	2–5
plains pricklypear	OPPO	Opuntia polyacantha	Native	0–1.2	1–3
banana yucca	YUBA	Yucca baccata	–	0–0.8	1–3
rubberweed	HYMEN7	Hymenoxys	Native	0–0.3	1–3
Tree
Utah juniper	JUOS	Juniperus osteosperma	Native	0.6–3.7	10–20
twoneedle pinyon	PIED	Pinus edulis	Native	0.9–6.1	5–20

Interpretations

Animal community

Site is poorly suited to grazing by cattle, sheep or horses. Management considerations include that this is not a suitable site for tree removal and seeding. Site is very poor for grasses. Big sagebrush will increase.

Water is scarce except for man-man watering facilities. Mule deer find cover on site in the winter. Food diversity is poor.

Recreational uses

Recreational activities include hunting, hiking, horseback riding and wildlife observations. Landscape quality is fair to good.

Wood products

Occasional stony areas may limit equipment use for harvesting, site preparation, tree planting and pre-commercial thinning. Erosion potential is moderate on cutover areas/bare ground, roads/trails and landings. Soil compaction potential is fair. Rutting will occur when wet. Revegetation potential is good.

Harvest mature trees when canopy exceeds 30%. Cut posts and Christmas trees to improve remaining trees. Prescribed burning is not recommended. Larger gravels may present problems for mechanical tree remova. Control pests to prevent tree damage and loss. Fire hazard is minimal because of low understory fuel load.

Soils have fair suitability to replanting. Seedling mortality rate is moderate due to low available water. Natural regeneration potential is moderate as this site tends toward trees. Seedlings shoudl be protected from grazing. Plant competition is moderate from shrub increase. Windthrow hazard is slight.

Supporting information

Type locality

Location 1: Mohave County, AZ
Township/Range/Section	T34N R8W S11
General legal description	Mt. Trumbull SE Quas, 60 mi SW of Fredonia, 5 mi N of Arkansas Ranch

Contributors

ASM, SEC
Karlynn Huling
Larry D. Ellicott
Steve Barker

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	12/06/2025
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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