Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site F043CY609OR
Warm Dry Conifer Foothills and Mountains (PIPO-PSME/SYAL/CAGE)
Last updated: 9/08/2023
Accessed: 11/13/2024
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.
MLRA notes
Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): 043C–Blue and Seven Devils Mountains
This MLRA covers the Blue and Seven Devils Mountains of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. The area is characterized by thrust and block-faulted mountains and deep canyons composed of sedimentary, metasedimentary, and volcanic rocks. Elevations range from 1,300 to 9,800 feet (395 to 2,990 meters). The climate is characterized by cold, wet winters and cool, dry summers. Annual precipitation, mostly in the form of snow, averages 12 to 43 inches (305 to 1,090 millimeters) yet ranges as high as 82 inches (2,085 millimeters) at upper elevations. Soil temperature regimes are predominately Frigid to Cryic and soil moisture regimes are predominately Xeric to Udic. Mollisols and Andisols are the dominant soil orders. Ecologically, forests dominate but shrub and grass communities may occur on south aspects and lower elevations as well as in alpine meadow environments. Forest composition follows moisture, temperature and elevational gradients and typically ranges from ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir plant associations at lower elevations, grand fir at middle elevations and subalpine fir and Engelman spruce at upper elevations. Historical fire regimes associated with these forest types range from frequent surface fires in ponderosa pine - Douglas Fir forest types to mixed and stand replacing fire regimes in grand fir and subalpine fir types. A large percentage of the MLRA is federally owned and managed by the U.S. Forest Service for multiple uses.
Classification relationships
Plant Assoc. of Wallowa-Snake Province (R6 E 255-86):
CPS522 - ponderosa pine/common snowberry (modal)
CDS622 - Douglas-fir/common snowberry
Plant Assoc. of Blue and Ochoco Mountains (R6 E TP-036-92):
CDS611 - Douglas-fir/oceanspray
CDS711 - Douglas-fir/ninebark
CPG222 - ponderosa pine/elk sedge
CPG112 - ponderosa pine/Idaho fescue
USDA Forest Service Ecological Sub-region
M332 “Blue Mountains”
LANDFIRE BpS model 0710531
Northern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland and Savanna – Mesic
Natureserve Terrestrial Ecological System (2020)
Northern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland and Savanna, CES306.030e
Ecological site concept
In reference state, this site supports a mature stand of Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)
or ponderosa pine codominant with Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menzesii) and an understory characterized by the presence of shrubs such as common snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus), mallow ninebark (Physocarpus malvaceus) and oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor) and graminoids such as elk sedge (Carex geyeri) and Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis). In contrast to forested sites of similar composition, this site is characterized by lower elevations and a mesic (rather than frigid) soil temperature regime. Disturbance was historically influenced by a fire regime characterized by relatively frequent surface fires. Frequent fire, as well as bark beetles, was historically a critical element of the disturbance regime of this site, acting to thin crowded understories and allow fire resistant mature ponderosa and Douglas-fir trees to attain an open, savanna-like forest structure.
This is a provisional ecological site that groups characteristics at a broad scale with little to no field verification and is subject to extensive review and revision before final approval. All data herein was developed using existing information and literature and should be considered provisional and contingent upon field validation prior to use in conservation planning.
Associated sites
F043CY608OR |
Cool Dry Conifer Foothills and Mountains (PIPO/FEID-PSSPS) Upslope positions with cooler soil climates |
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Similar sites
F043CY608OR |
Cool Dry Conifer Foothills and Mountains (PIPO/FEID-PSSPS) Upslope positions with cooler soil climates, frigid soil temperature regime |
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F043CY607OR |
Cool Moist Conifer Foothills and Mountains (PIPO-PSME/SYAL) Occupying higher elevations, frigid soil temperature regime |
Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree |
(1) Pinus ponderosa |
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Shrub |
(1) Symphoricarpos albus |
Herbaceous |
(1) Carex geyeri |
Click on box and path labels to scroll to the respective text.
Ecosystem states
States 1 and 5 (additional transitions)
T1a | - | Long term fire exclusion (50-100+) years |
---|---|---|
T1b | - | Widespread catastrophic stand replacing fire event |
T1c | - | Introduced range grass or exotic grass invasion |
T1d | - | Site converted to annual cropland or pasture/hayland |
R2a | - | Restoration practices that reduce excessive fuel loads and reduce overstory crown bulk density |
T2a | - | Widespread catastrophic stand replacing fire event |
R3a | - | Conifer planting |
R4a | - | Practices that promote the reestablishment of native understory species |
R4a | - | Practices are applied which reduce or eliminate unwanted weeds and invasive species |
R5a | - | Practices that promote the reestablishment of native understory species |
T5a | - | Poor management or abandonment leads to weed invasion |
State 1 submodel, plant communities
Communities 1, 5 and 2 (additional pathways)
P1.1a | - | Mixed severity or stand replacing fire, beetle outbreak, windthrow event, mistletoe outbreak, storm damage |
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P1.1b | - | Time and the absence of major disturbance events |
P1.2a | - | Low severity fire regime maintained for an extended period |
P1.2b | - | Fire cycles missed |
P1.3b | - | Low severity fire regime maintained for an extended period |
P1.3a | - | Fires occur which are severe enough to eliminate most of all Ponderosa pine size classes |
P1.3c | - | Fire cycles missed |
P1.4a | - | Fires occur which are severe enough to eliminate most of all Ponderosa pine size classes |
P1.4b | - | Mixed severity fire occurs eliminating some of the overstory |
P1.4c | - | Low severity fire regime maintained for ~150 years |
P1.5b | - | Insects/disease, such as bark beetles, remove portions of the overstory |
P1.5a | - | A fire event severe enough to eliminate the majority of the overstory, or less severe mixed severity fires which creates random patch openings, occur |
P1.5c | - | Insects/disease, such as bark beetles, or mixed and low severity fire |