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1.1a

Ecological site EX043B23A122

Loamy (Ly) Absaroka Lower Foothills

Home / Esd catalog / MLRA 043B / Ecological site EX043B23A122
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States 2 and 6 (additional transitions)

T 1-2 - Loss of sagebrush occurs following prolonged drought with attacks by disease and/or insects, with wildfire or prescribed burns, or by chemical or mechanical removal. Slow recovery times of sagebrush allows for a grass dominated system to persist.
T 1-3 - Prolonged drought and severe grazing pressure reduces the bunchgrass component and encourages sod-forming species such as threadleaf sedge and blue grama. Loss of sagebrush aids in further transition to this sod community.
T 1-4 - Frequent or high intensity herbivory weakens the ability for native grasses to persist, especially during prolonged drought. Lack of fire allows sagebrush to become the majority of the composition in the community.
T 2-6 - Further disturbance of this community after the loss of sagebrush opens the potential for invasion by weedy species especially cheatgrass following a fire. Continued over use by large herbivores or continued drought will further stress the native grasses opening the canopy to the threat of invasive species.
R 4-1 - Treatment to thin the canopy to allow the native vegetation to respond to improved moisture and sunlight followed by prescribed grazing to prevent overuse of the exposed grasses will help this community recover. Treatment will vary depending on the exact composition of grasses remaining and the potential threats to the location.
T 4-2 - Degraded communities with remnant native perennial grasses that loose the woody canopy to fire, drought or brush control measures may maintain or increase to a native perennial grass dominated community.
T 4-3 - Sagebrush removal in communities with an understory dominated by sod-formers will transition to state 3, especially with the stress on other perennial species during drought.
T 4-5 - Seed sources are abundant for cheatgrass, knapweed, and other invasive species. Drought stress, wildfire or prescribed burning, brush control, or ground/soil disturbance including impacts by grazing large herbivores or recreation create a niche for undesirable weeds to invade.
T 4-6 - Catastrophic or intense wildfires, prolonged drought with severe use by large herbivores, or large scale land disturbance where invasive species are present, creates the environment for invasive species to establish in mono-cultures with small isolated remnants of native species.
T 5-6 - Once a community is compromised by an invasive species, further impact can cause the invasive species to take over and dominate the community. Wildfire, extreme drought with disease and insect damage, and/or frequent and intense use by large herbivores with a seed source present are impacts most commonly seen to insight a weed infestation.
R 6-7 - Integrated pest management plan and intense weed control after and possibly before seedbed preparation will be necessary to overcome a severe weed infestation. Working a location and using either improved varieties, native seed, or in some cases an introduced species suited for the management use intended may be the only way to overcome some invasive species.
T 7-6 - Following reclamation, restoration, or after a land disturbance occurs, if no management is applied to prevent the re-occurrence of or a new infestation of weeds, the community will transition to an invaded state. Wildfire, prescribed burning, drought, or frequent and severe mis-use by large herbivores are a source disturbance.
CP 1.1-1.2 - Historic grazing, drought, and climatic shifts have attributed to the decline in green needlegrass in this system.
CP 1.2-1.1 - Implementing a rest rotation system with wildlife management allows for recovery of the key species.
CP 1.2-1.3 - Intermittent periods of drought, or moderate season-long grazing reduces the bunchgrasses (Bluebunch wheatgrass, Green needlegrass, Needleandthread) will and rhizomatous (Western wheatgrass) or mat forming species (threadleaf sedge) will increase. Lack of fire and browsing will allow sagebrush to increase in composition.
CP 1.3-1.2 - With integration of a rotational grazing system or rest-rotation, and with management to reduce shrub canopy, the native bunchgrasses will begin to reestablish in this community, but it may take 5-10 years before significant change is noticed.

State 2 submodel, plant communities

State 3 submodel, plant communities

CP 3.1-3.2 - Sagebrush removal from this community by intense grazing, drought and insect damage, or by wild or prescribed fire the community will phase into a complete sod community.

State 4 submodel, plant communities

CP 5.1-5.2 - The competition for limited nutrients and spring moisture of most invasive species coupled with the weakening of natives with continued drought stress or grazing pressure will allow the invasive species to become dominant on the site, leaving only remnant populations of natives. Non-use allows soils to become loose and vulnerable to invasive species in these stressed conditions allowing their expansion as the natives decline.
CP 5.1-5.2 - The integrated pest management and weed control plan will encourage the remnant populations of native species to expand in the community. Eradication of the invasive species may not be possible, but it is possible to encourage natives to persist on the site.

State 6 submodel, plant communities

CP 7.1-7.2 - Completion of a re-vegetation project with re-seeding, integrated pest management, and long-term prescribed grazing or other managed use of a landscape is needed to shift a disturbed community back to a representative or functional plant community.
CP 7.2-7.1 - If a reclaimed or restored site is not managed for the species implemented, whether with non-use or lack of restoration of natural disturbance regimes to maintain function of the system or by over-use of the community by large herbivores or humans, the community will revert back or fail to establish and will be a in a degraded community phase.