The Reference State is a description of this ecological site just prior to Euro-American settlement but long after the arrival of Native Americans. The description of the Reference State was determined by NRCS Soil Survey Type Site Location information and familiarity with relict areas where they exist. At the time of European colonization, what would have been observed on these sites would have primarily depended on the time since the last wildfire occurred. If fire had not occurred for about 100 years, Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) would have been the dominant species occupying the site, with a sparse shade-tolerant understory (1.1) due to tree competition, overstory shading, and duff accumulation. Douglas-fir replaces itself without wildfire and was the climatic climax. Wildfire (1.1a) would have temporarily replaced these stands with a rich diversity of herb-dominated vegetation. (1.2). In the absence of any major disturbance (1.2a, 1.3a, 1.4a, 1.5a), the vegetation would have progressed first into more of a shrub-herb co-dominance (1.3), followed by the increasing presence of aspen (Populus tremuloides) first as seedlings and saplings (1.4), and later as mature aspen with Douglas-fir seedlings (1.5). Ultimately Douglas-fir would have outcompeted aspen, returning to the climax vegetation (1.1). Wildfire (1.1a, 1.5b) would have been the primary disturbance factor prior to colonization. Early successional stages were shorter in duration. A more complete list of species by lifeform for the Reference State is available in the accompanying tables in the “Plant Community Composition by Weight and Percentage” section of this document.
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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.
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