Subalpine Gravelly Loam (subalpine fir/Engelmann spruce)
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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 would have primarily depended on the time elapsed since the last wildfire occurred. Had the site been relatively undisturbed (i.e. without fire) for approximately 400 years or longer, the late seral climax of an Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) -dominated forest would have been found (1.1). The understory would have been relatively sparse due to tree competition, overstory shading, and duff accumulation. Wildfire (1.1a) would have replaced these stands with diverse 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 into more of a shrub-herb co-dominance (1.3), followed by aspen (Populus tremuloides) (1.4), then would have become a mature stand of subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) (1.5). Ultimately the site would have been reinvaded by Engelmann spruce (1.1). A more complete list of species by lifeform for the Reference State is available in accompanying tables in the “Plant Community Composition by Weight and Percentage” section of this document. Wildfire (1.1a, 1.5b) would have been the primary disturbance factor prior to colonization.
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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.