Saline Lowland (SL) Absaroka Upper Foothills
Scenario model
Current ecosystem state
Select a state
Management practices/drivers
Select a transition or restoration pathway
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Transition T1A
Soil disturbance, drought or loss of hydrology can cause a loss of herbaceous species.
More details -
Transition T1B
Wildfire, extreme drought and the accompanying disease and insect damage, as well as frequent and intense use by large herbivores are the impacts most commonly seen to insight a weed infestation.
More details -
Transition T1C
Catastrophic disturbances or increasing disturbance over time, removes the key native community and alters soil structure, leaving a Disturbed State.
More details -
Restoration pathway R2A
Long-term prescribed grazing with brush management and possibly seeding will help recovery.
More details -
Transition T2A
Frequent and Severe grazing plus encroachment will convert this plant community to an Invaded State.
More details - Transition T2B More details
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Restoration pathway R3A
Intensive weed control, seed bed preparation to remove, tame invaders followed with seeding and grazing management will restore this community.
More details -
Transition T4A
Drought, grazing pressure or increased activity in already weakened community provides opportunity and seed source for encroachment.
More details -
No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
Target ecosystem state
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Description
The Saline Lowland ecological site is composed of a mixture of salt tolerant grasses, as well as a minor component of shrubs. Potential vegetation is about 75 percent grasses or grass-like plants, 10 percent forbs and 15 percent woody plants. The communities that represent the reference communities are native driven. Disturbances and the natural hydrologic processes involved in these generally riparian communities will affect which community is occurring along a landscape gradient. In communities not tied to a riparian system, the same shift in species will occur with the shift in the water table over time.
Characteristics and indicators
Alkali sacaton, Nuttall's alkaligrass, basin wildrye and inland saltgrass are dominant within the site. Common shrubs in this community are greasewood, wild rose, shrubby cinquefoil, and occasionally willows. As a community is in drier stages or degrades, foxtail barley, little barley and western wheatgrass are common.
Resilience management
This state is stable and well adapted to the Central Rocky Mountains climatic conditions. The diversity in plant species allows for high drought resistance. This is a sustainable plant community (site/soil stability, watershed function, and biologic integrity).
Submodel
Description
With continued disturbance and stress on the native key herbaceous cover, the understory begins to decrease or fade into the bases of the woody vegetation leaving an increase in bare ground. Greasewood and rubber rabbitbrush are prone to increase, especially in the case of fire or soil impacts (damage to the plant base will encourage sprouting). Fringed sagewort, wild rose, and shrubby cinquefoil will maintain cover, or may increase as well, depending on the type of disturbance driving the change.
Characteristics and indicators
The dominance of shrubs or woody cover and minimal key herbaceous cover is the main characteristic of this community. There is an increase in annual forbs like mustards, pepperweed, and woolly plantain. Six-weeks fescue and annual bluegrass are common in the understory.
Resilience management
The salt-laden soils limit the recovery capabilities of this community creating a resistant community to improving. The community is at-risk of transitioning to a more degraded state and to erosion.
Submodel
Description
Increased activity on the landscapes provides more opportunity for disturbances as well as an increase of non-native species seed source. Disturbances to the soil surface and exiting canopy cover provides opportunity for non-native species to establish.
The most prevalent invader on saline sites is smooth brome, redtop bentgrass, and occasionally Kentucky bluegrass on Saline Lowland ecological sites. There are instances where the non-native or tame species and invasive communities cross on the landscape, leaving the site at-risk of further transformation. The occurrence of these communities can be a process of time or of disturbance.
Historic studies have documented the presence of non-native species such as Kentucky bluegrass and dandelions prior to the early 1950's. Another concern is the threat of large scale weed invasions. Currently, most of the mountain has retained only small or isolated patches of invasive weeds. Areas of leafy spurge, toadflax (yellow or dalmation) and thistles have been identified. Although early detection/rapid response techniques are applied for land management, limited resources make it difficult to track all current and new infestation sites. Overall, the weed infestation level is not seen as a critical concern, but the threat is growing and being monitored closely.
Characteristics and indicators
Non-native or tame species and invasive species are less of a concern on the salt-laden soils. There are, however, species that are salt-tolerant that will establish on the Saline Lowland ecological site, reducing or pushing native species out. The threshold that is crossed to indicate an invaded site is 5 percent composition by cover or by weight.
The dominant non-native/invader species are Kentucky bluegrass, redtop bentgrass, thistles, toadflax (Dalmatian, yellow), and swanson's pea. As new species are found, this list will be adapted to include these species.
Resilience management
Non-native tame invaders as well as invasive species are able to adapt and tolerate a wide range of conditions, creating a resilient community once established.Their aggressive nature and ability to out compete native species for resources make the community resistant to positive change.
Submodel
Description
Although to a much smaller extent than in lower elevations, there are areas that have been accessed for irrigation convenience ditches or were part of a homestead. These areas have remnants of introduced species from haylands or have been left to recover and may be in varying stages of succession. There are areas that are heavily impacted by recreational vehicles, parking, trails, roadways, or other land disturbances that have reduced or removed most native perennial vegetation and left a highly disturbed land.
The Disturbed State could be drafted as a stand-alone box within the state and transition model diagram. No matter what state a site originally is ranked in, once the site is mechanically disturbed, or suffers a catastrophic or significant natural disaster that alters the soil properties (erosional, depositional, or chemical), the site potential is altered. The most prominent shift for this site tends to be a shift in the natural hydrology that is key to this site. This can include both the loss of or enhancement to the additional moisture to the site (seepage from irrigation ditches).
Mechanical disturbances and reclamation practices using non-native species could qualify some stages of this state to be considered as a land use shift. The result is the shift in potential and response in management so that it is no longer similar to the reference community. The potential shifts are highly variable, so a dynamic state was captured to highlight the altered communities that exist on the landscape.
Characteristics and indicators
The soil disturbance and mechanical or physical removal of the vegetative canopy is the key characteristic of the Disturbed State. The initial indicators are the primary successional species that establish following a disturbance including Russian thistle, kochia, and sunflowers. These initial colonizers will then be followed by any seeded species, or other species from within the locations seed bank.
Resilience management
The Disturbed State is highly variable and in a state of flux as the successional processes occur. Continued disturbance of these communities is a potential threat; and the communities are at high risk of transitioning to the Invaded State.
Submodel
Mechanism
Significant soil disturbance, extended periods of drought or loss of hydrology will impact the herbaceous species creating a shrub and bare ground dominated community.
Constraints to recovery
The saline soils are limiting to seedling establishment. Outside of the harsh nature of the soils, if alteration or loss of hydrology is the cause of this shift, there may be constraints to returning this natural hydrologic cycle.
Mechanism
Fire, Drought, Ground Disturbance, Over Use - Once a community has been compromised by stress or ground disturbance of any means, can cause the invasive species to take over and dominate the site. Wildfire, extreme drought and the accompanying disease and insect damage, as well as frequent and intense use by large herbivores are the impacts most commonly seen to insight a weed infestation. Any action that reduces or damages the existing brush canopy exposing the sensitive native grass population will start the transition. Drought, further disturbance or ill-planned grazing (grazing when the natives are trying to break boot and grow), will remove the competition and finish the transition.
Constraints to recovery
The ability to control or eradicate most invasive species is difficult, costly, and time consuming. Complete eradication may not be possible, especially with the non-native tame species. Control of these species is currently in trial stages in other regions of the United States with varying successes.
Mechanism
An abrupt or catastrophic disturbance will remove or significantly impact the native community and the soil structure, leaving a disturbed and barren site. Repeated disturbances over time will weaken a community leading to this transition as well.With time, natural succession will begin the recovery process. However, the soil as well as hydrologic function has been altered in many cases, leaving a Disturbed State.
Constraints to recovery
The inability to restore hydrology or to replace soil stability in function (in the scope of significant head cuts or gullying) limits the recovery potential after significant disturbance.
Context dependence
Reclamation or restoration of the reference community is a challenge due to limitations of seed sources. Many of the species that are common in this community are established by sprig plantings only. Seedbed or site preparation is limited by the wetness of the soil, depth to water table and the soil textures. Access to these sites with equipment is difficult if not impossible for a large portion of the year.
Mechanism
Over an extended period of time, prescribed grazing with rest as well as brush management and possibly seeding in areas where seed sources or replacement materials are lacking, will help to restore this community back towards reference.
Context dependence
Removal or improvement of the disturbances that caused this transition are necessary. Loss of hydrology or natural flooding cycles will create a major disturbance or stress on a community and may restrict the recovery potential.
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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Recreation Area Improvement |
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Upland Wildlife Habitat Management |
Mechanism
Frequent and Severe grazing plus encroachment will convert this plant community to an Invaded State. Grazing reduces the vigor and cover of native cover, allowing aggressive non-native species to creep into a community. Soil disturbance and increased activity (by livestock, wildlife, or human) provide a seed source for invaders to establish.
Constraints to recovery
The aggressive nature of invader species limits the ability for a community to overcome their establishment. In many cases, control or removal has not been completed successfully without complete manipulation.
Context dependence
The presence of greasewood in the community will hinder the practices that are suited for vegetation treatments. Fire and mechanical disturbances to the surface vegetation will encourage the sprouting capabilities of greasewood and could compound the situation in some instances. The moisture content of the soil, water table depth, and extent of salt load may restrict access to treat the soils or to manipulate the vegetation on some locations.
Mechanism
Fire, Drought, Ground Disturbance, Over Use - Once a community has been compromised by a notable composition of an invasive species, stress or ground disturbance of any means can cause the invasive species to take over and dominate the site. Wildfire, extreme drought and the accompanying disease and insect damage, as well as frequent and intense use by large herbivores are the impacts most commonly seen to insight a weed infestation. Any action that reduces or damages the existing brush canopy exposing the sensitive native grass population will start the transition. Drought, further disturbance or ill-planned grazing (grazing when the natives are trying to break boot and grow), will remove the competition and finish the transition.
Mechanism
Once a site has transitioned to the Invaded State, the composition of tame and invasive species limits the ability to restore the community without major inputs into the system. Site preparation and seeding with intensive weed and integrated pest management is required. Seeding of both herbaceous as well as woody species may be required depending on the extent of alteration the site has seen. The soil preparation for seeding will affect the response to management and natural disturbances due to the mixing and alteration of the soil profile. Once the community is established, grazing management to maintain this community as well as control of other disturbances is required.
Context dependence
The inability to effectively eradicate the undesirable species is the known limitation or constraint to this site recovering. Seed availability and establishment rates are also considerations needed when looking at the scope of this process.
Relevant conservation practices
| Practice | External resources |
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Brush Management |
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Prescribed Burning |
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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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Recreation Area Improvement |
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Integrated Pest Management (IPM) |
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Upland Wildlife Habitat Management |
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Controlled Stream access for Livestock Watering |
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Cut Bank Stabilization |
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Stream Corridor Improvement |
Mechanism
The increased bare ground and weakened plant structure of the Disturbed State leaves the community susceptible to encroachment or species creep by non-native species such as Kentucky bluegrass, creeping meadow foxtail, and redtop. Thistles, toadflax, and houndstounge are quickly becoming significant problems on areas within these weakened plant communities. Increasing bare ground and weakening plant community structure leaves the community vulnerable to invader species such as toadflax and houndstongue.
Constraints to recovery
The inability to effectively eradicate the undesirable species is the known financially limiting constraint to this site recovering. Most invader species are prolific and aggressive, complicating the ability to effectively remove them from the community.
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.