Ecological site F043AY518WA

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.

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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.

MLRA notes

Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): 043A–Northern Rocky Mountains

Description of MLRAs can be found in: United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2006. Land Resource Regions and Major Land Resource Areas of the United States, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin. U.S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 296.

LRU notes

Most commonly found in LRU 43A03 (Columbia-Colville Valleys). This LRU is composed predominantly of low elevation valley floors and the slopes of foothills or low mountains adjacent to the Columbia and Colville rivers. The LRU is in the portion of the Northern Rocky Mountains that was subjected to continental glaciation. The soils tend to be loamy mollisols and inceptisols with mixed or thin ash surfaces. Till and outwash are the dominant parent materials. Soil climate is a mesic or frigid temperature regime and xeric moisture regime with average annual precipitation around 495 mm (19 inches) and an average annual air temperature around 8.2 degrees C (47 degrees F). Elevation ranges from about 370 to 1030 m (1,200 to 3,380 feet).

Also found in adjacent areas of 43A01, 43A02 and 44A01. Climate parameters were obtained from PRISM and other models for the area. Landscape descriptors are derived from USGS DEM products and their derivatives.

Classification relationships

Relationship to Other Established Classifications:

United States National Vegetation Classification (2008) - A3392 Douglas fir- P. Pine / Shrub Understory Central Rocky Mt. Forest & Woodland Alliance

Washington Natural Heritage Program. Ecosystems of Washington State, A Guide to Identification, Rocchio and Crawford, 2015 - Northern Rocky Mt. Dry-Mesic Montane Mixed Conifer Forest (D. Fir – Pine)

Description of Ecoregions of the United States, USFS PN # 1391, 1995 - M333 Northern Rocky Mt. Forest-Steppe-Coniferous Forest-Alpine Meadow Province

Level III and IV Ecoregions of WA, US EPA, June 2010 - 15x Okanogan Highland Dry Forest. 15w Western Selkirk Maritime Forest. 15r Okanogan – Colville Xeric Valleys & Foothills.

This ecological site includes the following USDA Forest Service Plant Associations: PSME/PHMA, PSME/PHMA-LIBOL and PSME/SYAL (Douglas-fir Series). (Williams et. al. 1995)

Ecological site concept

This site consists of hillslopes and mountain slopes with the following characteristics: loamy soil materials; a water table (perched or apparent) more than 75 cm (30 in) below the soil surface during the April to October period; a volcanic ash mantle less than 18cm (7 inches) thick; cumulative available water capacity to 100 cm (40 inches) of more than 7.5 cm (3 inches); PSME/PHMA or PSME/SYAL habitat type.

Table 1. Dominant plant species

Tree	(1) Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca (2) Pinus ponderosa
Shrub	(1) Physocarpus malvaceus (2) Symphoricarpos albus
Herbaceous	(1) Calamagrostis rubescens (2) Bromus vulgaris

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Physiographic features

Physiographic Features
Landscapes: Mountains, Foothills
Landform: sideslopes, foot slopes, lake terraces, outwash terraces

Elevation (m): Total range = 290 to 1510 m
(950 to 4,950 feet)
Central tendency = 635 to 985 m
(2,080 to 3,230 feet)

Slope (percent): Total range = 0 to 75 percent
Central tendency = 6 to 35 percent

Aspect:
290-30-160

Table 2. Representative physiographic features

Geomorphic position, terraces	(1) Tread
Landforms	(1) Mountains > Mountain slope (2) Foothills > Hillslope (3) Mountains > Outwash terrace (4) Mountains > Lake terrace
Flooding frequency	None
Ponding frequency	None
Elevation	2,880 – 3,230 ft
Slope	15 – 45%
Water table depth	80 in
Aspect	W, NW, N, NE, E, SE

Table 3. Representative physiographic features (actual ranges)

Flooding frequency	Not specified
Ponding frequency	Not specified
Elevation	950 – 4,950 ft
Slope	85%
Water table depth	30 – 80 in

Climatic features

Climatic Features
Frost-free period (days): Total range = 80 to 135 days
Central tendency = 105 to 125 days

Mean annual precipitation (cm): Total range = 265 to 940 mm
(10 to 37 inches)
Central tendency = 430 to 635 mm
(17 to 25 inches)

MAAT Total range = 4.1 to 11.0 C
(39 to 52 F)
Central tendency = 6.7 to 8.4 C
(44 to 47 F)

Climate Stations: Nespelem, Stockdill Ranch

Table 4. Representative climatic features

Frost-free period (characteristic range)	105-125 days
Freeze-free period (characteristic range)
Precipitation total (characteristic range)	17-25 in
Frost-free period (actual range)	80-135 days
Freeze-free period (actual range)
Precipitation total (actual range)	10-37 in

Soil features

Representative Soil Features

This ecological subsite is associated with several soil series (e.g. Kaniksu, Stapaloop, Kootenai, Torboy, Spokane, Republic, Scoap, Garrison, Cedonia, Wishbone). The soil components can be grouped into: Vitrandic Haploxerolls, Vitrandic Haploxerepts, Vitrandic Haploxeralfs, Lamellic Haploxeralfs, and Vitrandic Palexeralfs. These soils have developed in mixed Mazama tephra, loess and other deposits over till, outwash, residuum and colluvium from granitic and metasedimentary rock, and glaciolacustrine material. The soils range from moderately deep to very deep and have adequate available water capacity to a depth of 1 m. The soils are mostly well-drained (~90% by area).

Parent Materials:
Kind: Tephra (volcanic ash) mixed with loess and other
material
Origin: mixed
Kind: till, residuum and colluvium, outwash and alluvium,
and glaciolacustrine material
Origin: Granite, Metasedimentary rock

Surface Texture:
(1)Ashy Loam
(2)Ashy Silt loam
(3)Ashy Sandy loam
(4)Ashy Fine sandy loam

Fragment content of surface: 0 to 34 percent (median = 10%)

Subsurface Texture Group: Loamy
Fragment content of subsurface (25 to 100cm): 0 to 45 percent (median = 24%)
Most components lack surface fragments
Drainage Class: Well drained (small areas of Moderately Well drained and Somewhat Excessively drained components)
Saturated Hydraulic conductivity: Moderately high to High
Soil Depth: 84% of components have no restriction within 150 cm
Lithic contacts when present are at 50 to 115cm (median = 62cm)
Paralithic contacts when present are at 65 to 145cm (median = 80 cm)
Densic contacts when present are at 80 to 125cm (median = 102 cm)
Calcium Carbonate Equivalent (percent): 0 to 15 percent (median = 0%)
Soil Reaction (1:1 Water): 6.1 to 8.4
Available Water Capacity (total in 100cm): 7.51-20.88cm (median = 12.83cm)

Table 5. Representative soil features

Parent material	(1) Volcanic ash (2) Till (3) Glaciolacustrine deposits (4) Colluvium – granite and gneiss (5) Residuum – granite and gneiss (6) Alluvium
Surface texture	(1) Ashy fine sandy loam (2) Ashy silt loam (3) Ashy loam (4) Ashy sandy loam
Drainage class	Well drained
Permeability class	Moderately rapid
Depth to restrictive layer	80 in
Soil depth	80 in
Available water capacity (0-40in)	5 in
Calcium carbonate equivalent (0-60in)	Not specified
Soil reaction (1:1 water) (0-60in)	Not specified
Subsurface fragment volume <=3" (10-40in)	24%

Table 6. Representative soil features (actual values)

Drainage class	Moderately well drained to somewhat excessively drained
Permeability class	Moderate to very rapid
Depth to restrictive layer	20 – 80 in
Soil depth	20 – 80 in
Available water capacity (0-40in)	2.95 – 8.22 in
Calcium carbonate equivalent (0-60in)	15%
Soil reaction (1:1 water) (0-60in)	6.1 – 8.4
Subsurface fragment volume <=3" (10-40in)	45%

Common name	Symbol	Site index low	Site index high	CMAI low	CMAI high	Age of CMAI	Site index curve code	Site index curve basis
ponderosa pine	PIPO	90	114	85	130	40	–	–
Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir	PSMEG	61	76	58	93	120	–	–
Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir	PSMEG	70	85	61	92	100	–	–
western larch	LAOC	65	75	64	83	50	–	–

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	09/06/2022
Approved by	Curtis Talbot
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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Natural ResourcesConservation Service

Ecological site F043AY518WA

Warm-Frigid, Xeric, Loamy Slopes, mixed ash surface (Douglas-Fir/Warm Dry Shrub) Pseudotsuga menziesii / Physocarpus malvaceus - Symphoricarpos albus

Last updated: 10/14/2020 Accessed: 04/19/2024