Loamy Upland 12"-16" p.z.

Description

Rangeland uses of Loamy Upland, 12-16" pz., are most commonly livestock grazing, wildlife management and recreation; environmental services are many. Natural disturbances are fire, weather events, natural climatic cycling, and wildlife.

Submodel

Description

Cropland includes areas used for the production of adapted crops for harvest. Two subcategories of cropland are recognized: cultivated and non-cultivated. Cultivated cropland comprises land in row crops or close-grown crops and also other cultivated cropland, for example, hay land or pastureland that is in a rotation with row or close-grown crops. Non-cultivated cropland includes permanent hay land and horticultural cropland. In this MLRA-LRU, cultivated cropland is the more common category of use; all cropland is irrigated. Several row crops and close-grown crops are grown including cotton, corn, chili, and small grains. Hay land crops, alfalfa and bermudagrass, are rotated on a 3-5 year cycle.

When cropping and irrigation are suspended, annual forbs and annual grasses will dominate the newly barren field. Common annuals first to come in include Russian thistle, careless weed, and brome. Over time, shrubs and sub-shrubs will establish, initially in low-lying areas and eventually may come to dominate. Native perennial grasses will be largely absent; bermudagrass patches may establish in low-lying areas. Farm field maintenance, periodic tillage, will sustain the barren field with annual forbs and grasses.

After farming, the site may be restored to an area suitable to a grazing use. However, long-lasting changes in soil structure, hydrology, and nutrient availability prevent the site from returning to the Rangeland State and Transition Model. Restoration practices may be implemented to attain achieve land use goals such as increased forage availability. A desired plant community that will persist without continued watering may seeded before cessation of irrigation.