High Mountain Stony Sandy Loam (lodgepole pine)
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Description
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 rangeland relict areas where they exist. At the time of European colonization, what would have been observed on these sites depended on the time since the last wildfire occurred. If the site had not seen fire for about 100 to 120 years, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) would have been the dominant species occupying the site with a sparse understory (1.1) due to tree competition, overstory shading, and duff accumulation. Wildfire (1.1a) would have replaced these stands with a rich herb-dominated vegetation. (1.2). In the absence of any major disturbance (1.2a, 1.3a, 1.4a), the vegetation would have progressed into more of a shrub-herb co-dominance (1.3), followed by the establishment of lodgepole pine (1.4), and ultimately to fully mature lodgepole pine forest (1.1). Wildfire (1.1a) would have been the primary disturbance factor prior to Euro-American settlement. 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.