Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site R035XY012UT
Semiwet Saline Streambank (Fremont Cottonwood)
Accessed: 12/22/2024
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.
Figure 1. Mapped extent
Areas shown in blue indicate the maximum mapped extent of this ecological site. Other ecological sites likely occur within the highlighted areas. It is also possible for this ecological site to occur outside of highlighted areas if detailed soil survey has not been completed or recently updated.
Table 1. Dominant plant species
| Tree |
Not specified |
|---|---|
| Shrub |
(1) Salix exigua |
| Herbaceous |
(1) Sporobolus airoides |
Physiographic features
This site occurs on valley bottoms, inset fans and low lying terraces adjacent to live streams and rivers.
Table 2. Representative physiographic features
| Landforms |
(1)
Valley floor
(2) Inset fan (3) Terrace |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 4,000 – 4,800 ft |
| Slope | 1% |
| Water table depth | 20 – 60 in |
Climatic features
Average annual precipitation is 6 to 12 inches. Approximately 77% occurs as rain from March through October. On the average, February, May and June are the driest months and August, September and October are the wettest months. The mean annual air temperature is 11-13 degrees celsius and the soil temperatures are in the mesic regime. The average freeze-free period is 160 to 220 days. This site is frequently flooded and has a watertable. These factors over-ride climate as a controlling factor. This site occurs primarily in the semidesert and desert climatic zones. In average years, plants begin growth around March 20 and end growth around October. Optimum growth on cool season plants occurs in May. Warm season plants make their optimum growth in July and August.
Table 3. Representative climatic features
| Frost-free period (average) | 0 days |
|---|---|
| Freeze-free period (average) | 220 days |
| Precipitation total (average) | 12 in |
Influencing water features
Soil features
Characteristic soils in this site are deep and somewhat poorly drained. They formed in alluvium derived mainly from mixed parent materials. Soils contain 4 to 16 mmhos/cm of salt and have a water table at a depth of 20 to 60 inches during most of the plant growing season. Soils are flooded during spring runoff and frequently as the result of intense summer convection storms. Average annual soil loss in potential is approximately 0.1 tons/acre.
Table 4. Representative soil features
| Drainage class | Somewhat poorly drained |
|---|---|
| Soil depth | 40 – 60 in |
Ecological dynamics
As ecological condition deteriorates due to overgrazing, alkali sacaton and coyote willow decrease while salt cedar and rubber rabbitbrush increase to dominate the site. Cheatgrass and annual weeds are most likely to invade this site.
State and transition model
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Ecosystem states
State 1 submodel, plant communities
State 1
Reference State
Community 1.1
Reference State
The dominant aspect of the plant community is fremont cottonwood and sandbar willow. The composition by air-dry weight is approximately 60 percent perennial grasses, 5 percent forbs, 35 percent shrubs, and 5 percent trees.
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 | 510 | 750 | 1050 |
| Shrub/Vine | 298 | 438 | 613 |
| Tree | 43 | 63 | 88 |
| Forb | 43 | 63 | 88 |
| Total | 894 | 1314 | 1839 |
Table 6. Ground cover
| Tree foliar cover | 9-11% |
|---|---|
| Shrub/vine/liana foliar cover | 29-31% |
| Grass/grasslike foliar cover | 49-51% |
| Forb foliar cover | 4-6% |
| Non-vascular plants | 0% |
| Biological crusts | 0% |
| Litter | 0% |
| Surface fragments >0.25" and <=3" | 0% |
| Surface fragments >3" | 0% |
| Bedrock | 0% |
| Water | 0% |
| Bare ground | 0% |
Table 7. Canopy structure (% cover)
| Height Above Ground (ft) | Tree | Shrub/Vine | Grass/ Grasslike |
Forb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| <0.5 | – | – | – | – |
| >0.5 <= 1 | – | – | – | 4-6% |
| >1 <= 2 | – | – | 49-51% | – |
| >2 <= 4.5 | – | – | – | – |
| >4.5 <= 13 | – | 29-31% | – | – |
| >13 <= 40 | – | – | – | – |
| >40 <= 80 | 9-11% | – | – | – |
| >80 <= 120 | – | – | – | – |
| >120 | – | – | – | – |
Additional community tables
Table 8. Community 1.1 plant community composition
| Group | Common name | Symbol | Scientific name | Annual production (lb/acre) | Foliar cover (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Tree
|
||||||
| 1 | Dominant Trees | 13–65 | ||||
|
Shrub/Vine
|
||||||
| 2 | Domiant shrubs | 273–390 | ||||
| narrowleaf willow | SAEX | Salix exigua | 195–260 | – | ||
| Fremont cottonwood | POFR2 | Populus fremontii | 13–65 | – | ||
| rubber rabbitbrush | ERNA10 | Ericameria nauseosa | 39–65 | – | ||
| Fremont cottonwood | POFR2 | Populus fremontii | 39–65 | – | ||
| 3 | Sub-Dominant Shrubs | 143–364 | ||||
| Shrub (>.5m) | 2SHRUB | Shrub (>.5m) | 65–130 | – | ||
| fourwing saltbush | ATCA2 | Atriplex canescens | 13–39 | – | ||
| Emory's baccharis | BAEM | Baccharis emoryi | 13–39 | – | ||
| Nevada jointfir | EPNE | Ephedra nevadensis | 13–39 | – | ||
| skunkbush sumac | RHTRT | Rhus trilobata var. trilobata | 13–39 | – | ||
| greasewood | SAVE4 | Sarcobatus vermiculatus | 13–39 | – | ||
| littleleaf horsebrush | TEGL | Tetradymia glabrata | 13–39 | – | ||
|
Grass/Grasslike
|
||||||
| 3 | Dominant Grasses | 520–780 | ||||
| alkali sacaton | SPAI | Sporobolus airoides | 325–455 | – | ||
| saltgrass | DISP | Distichlis spicata | 130–195 | – | ||
| Indian ricegrass | ACHY | Achnatherum hymenoides | 65–130 | – | ||
| 1 | Sub-Dominant Grasses | 182–416 | ||||
| Grass, annual | 2GA | Grass, annual | 65–130 | – | ||
| Grass, perennial | 2GP | Grass, perennial | 65–130 | – | ||
| clustered field sedge | CAPR5 | Carex praegracilis | 13–39 | – | ||
| squirreltail | ELEL5 | Elymus elymoides | 13–39 | – | ||
| common reed | PHAU7 | Phragmites australis | 13–39 | – | ||
|
Forb
|
||||||
| 2 | Sub-Dominant Forbs | 286–728 | ||||
| Forb, annual | 2FA | Forb, annual | 65–130 | – | ||
| Forb, perennial | 2FP | Forb, perennial | 65–130 | – | ||
| flatspine bur ragweed | AMAC2 | Ambrosia acanthicarpa | 13–39 | – | ||
| annual ragweed | AMAR2 | Ambrosia artemisiifolia | 13–39 | – | ||
| white sagebrush | ARLU | Artemisia ludoviciana | 13–39 | – | ||
| silverleaf milkvetch | ASAR4 | Astragalus argophyllus | 13–39 | – | ||
| silverscale saltbush | ATAR2 | Atriplex argentea | 13–39 | – | ||
| meadow thistle | CISC2 | Cirsium scariosum | 13–39 | – | ||
| Canadian horseweed | COCA5 | Conyza canadensis | 13–39 | – | ||
| yellow blanketflower | GAFL | Gaillardia flava | 13–39 | – | ||
| scarlet gilia | IPAGA3 | Ipomopsis aggregata ssp. aggregata | 13–39 | – | ||
| woolly plantain | PLPA2 | Plantago patagonica | 13–39 | – | ||
| scarlet globemallow | SPCO | Sphaeralcea coccinea | 13–39 | – | ||
| Pursh seepweed | SUCA2 | Suaeda calceoliformis | 13–39 | – | ||
Interpretations
Animal community
This site provides proper grazing for cattle and sheep during spring, summer, and fall.
This site is valuable for most species of wildlife due to the variety of grasses, forbs, shrubs, and trees and the interspersion of this vegetation with other range sites, which, in turn, provides a great diversity and abundance of food and cover. It provides valuable habitat for pheasants, mule deer, quail, elk, moose, squirrels, rabbits, coyotes, eagles, hawks, woodpeckers, wading birds, and numerous songbirds.
Hydrological functions
Soils in this site are grouped mainly into c hydrologic group. They have moderately high runoff potential. When the vegetation is in climax (potential), the hydrologic curves are 75 to 72.
Recreational uses
This site has good values for aesthetics and natural beauty. It has a large number of forbs and shrubs which have flowers in bloom from early spring throughout the summer and into the fall. It has a combination of grasses, forbs, small shrubs, large shrubs, and trees which offer excellent possibilities for screen and high value as camping and picnicking areas. Hunting for upland game birds, cottontail rabbits, elk, and mule deer is good to excellent on this site. Fishing is opportune on streams through this site. Summer homes are a possibility on this site, but detailed on-site investigation should be made to determine feasibility of the soils for septic tanks and sewage disposal facilities when specific locations are tentatively planned for summer homes or other building sites. Due to the high water table, sewage disposal is extremely difficult.
Wood products
Some values exist for fence posts and fuel for fireplaces and campfires.
Supporting information
Other references
Modal Soil: Typic Haplaquepts
Contributors
Unknown
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 | |
| Approved by | |
| 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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