Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site R047XC006UT
Semi-wet Fresh Streambank (narrowleaf cottonwood)
Accessed: 12/22/2024
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.
Classification relationships
Modal Soil: Straw CL Moist 2-6% — fine-loamy, mixed Cumulic Haploborolls
Associated sites
| R047XC430UT |
Mountain Loam (mountain big sagebrush) |
|---|---|
| R047XC462UT |
Mountain Stony Loam (mountain big sagebrush) |
Similar sites
| R047XC430UT |
Mountain Loam (mountain big sagebrush) |
|---|---|
| R047XC462UT |
Mountain Stony Loam (mountain big sagebrush) |
Table 1. Dominant plant species
| Tree |
(1) Populus angustifolia |
|---|---|
| Shrub |
(1) Salix exigua |
| Herbaceous |
(1) Leymus cinereus |
Physiographic features
Gently Sloping Floodplains, Small Valley Bottoms, and Low Terraces adjacent to Stream Bottoms
Table 2. Representative physiographic features
| Landforms |
(1)
Flood plain
(2) Valley floor (3) Terrace |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 5,250 – 9,000 ft |
| Slope | 3 – 15% |
Climatic features
The climate of this zone is characterized by cool, moist summers and cold, snowy winters. Approximately 55 percent of the precipitation occurs as rain from April through September. This site receives additional moisture from flooding and from a water table close enough to the surface to support phreatophytic vegetation. On the average, October, November, and December are the driest months and April, May, and June are the wettest months because of flooding associated with spring runoff.
Table 3. Representative climatic features
| Frost-free period (average) | 110 days |
|---|---|
| Freeze-free period (average) | 0 days |
| Precipitation total (average) | 28 in |
Influencing water features
Soil features
The soil is deep to very deep with a dark (mollic) surface horizon. It formed in alluvium derived mainly from sedimentary parent materials. The soil is often rocky. The water table is between 20 to 60 inches deep during the plant growth period. Spring season flooding often occurs from runoff. The water supplying capacity is 10 to 12 inches. The available water capacity os 0.04 to 0.17 inches per inch.
Table 4. Representative soil features
| Drainage class | Well drained |
|---|---|
| Soil depth | 40 – 60 in |
| Available water capacity (0-40in) |
0.04 – 0.17 in |
Ecological dynamics
As this site deteriorates due to grazing pressure, willow, cottonwood suckers and seedlings, and great basin wildrye decrease while big sagebrush, western wheatgrass, rabbitbrush, Kentucky bluegrass, yarrow, weedy forbs increase. When the potential natural plant community is burned, shrubs will temporarily decrease while perennial grasses greatly increase if they are on the site; if not, annuals will increase.
State and transition model
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Ecosystem states
State 1 submodel, plant communities
State 1
Reference State
Community 1.1
Reference State
The dominant aspect of this plant community is coyote willow with an understory of narrowleaf cottonwood. The composition by air-dry weight is approximately 40 percent grasses and grasslike plants, 15 percent forbs, 45 percent shrubs, and 5 percent trees.
Figure 1. Annual production by plant type (representative values) or group (midpoint values)
Table 5. Annual production by plant type
| Plant type | Low (lb/acre) |
Representative value (lb/acre) |
High (lb/acre) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grass/Grasslike | 460 | 780 | 1760 |
| Shrub/Vine | 368 | 518 | 878 |
| Forb | 173 | 293 | 368 |
| Tree | 58 | 98 | 123 |
| Total | 1059 | 1689 | 3129 |
Table 6. Ground cover
| Tree foliar cover | 0% |
|---|---|
| Shrub/vine/liana foliar cover | 29-31% |
| Grass/grasslike foliar cover | 29-31% |
| Forb foliar cover | 9-11% |
| Non-vascular plants | 0% |
| Biological crusts | 0% |
| Litter | 0% |
| Surface fragments >0.25" and <=3" | 0% |
| Surface fragments >3" | 0% |
| Bedrock | 0% |
| Water | 0% |
| Bare ground | 0% |
Table 7. Canopy structure (% cover)
| Height Above Ground (ft) | Tree | Shrub/Vine | Grass/ Grasslike |
Forb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| <0.5 | – | – | – | – |
| >0.5 <= 1 | – | – | – | – |
| >1 <= 2 | – | – | – | 9-11% |
| >2 <= 4.5 | – | – | 29-31% | – |
| >4.5 <= 13 | – | 29-31% | – | – |
| >13 <= 40 | – | – | – | – |
| >40 <= 80 | – | – | – | – |
| >80 <= 120 | – | – | – | – |
| >120 | – | – | – | – |
Additional community tables
Table 8. Community 1.1 plant community composition
| Group | Common name | Symbol | Scientific name | Annual production (lb/acre) | Foliar cover (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Tree
|
||||||
| 1 | Dominant Trees | 20–100 | ||||
| narrowleaf cottonwood | POAN3 | Populus angustifolia | 20–100 | – | ||
|
Shrub/Vine
|
||||||
| 2 | Dominant Shrub | 280–500 | ||||
| narrowleaf willow | SAEX | Salix exigua | 300–400 | – | ||
| western snowberry | SYOC | Symphoricarpos occidentalis | 60–100 | – | ||
| basin big sagebrush | ARTRT | Artemisia tridentata ssp. tridentata | 60–100 | – | ||
| chokecherry | PRVI | Prunus virginiana | 60–100 | – | ||
| 3 | Sub-Dominant Shrubs | 280–740 | ||||
| Shrub (>.5m) | 2SHRUB | Shrub (>.5m) | 100–200 | – | ||
| Utah serviceberry | AMUT | Amelanchier utahensis | 20–60 | – | ||
| water birch | BEOC2 | Betula occidentalis | 20–60 | – | ||
| yellow rabbitbrush | CHVIL4 | Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus ssp. lanceolatus | 20–60 | – | ||
| western white clematis | CLLI2 | Clematis ligusticifolia | 20–60 | – | ||
| creeping barberry | MARE11 | Mahonia repens | 20–60 | – | ||
| quaking aspen | POTR5 | Populus tremuloides | 20–60 | – | ||
| whitestem gooseberry | RIIN2 | Ribes inerme | 20–60 | – | ||
| Woods' rose | ROWO | Rosa woodsii | 20–60 | – | ||
| silver buffaloberry | SHAR | Shepherdia argentea | 20–60 | – | ||
|
Grass/Grasslike
|
||||||
| 3 | Dominant Grasses | 340–600 | ||||
| basin wildrye | LECI4 | Leymus cinereus | 100–200 | – | ||
| muttongrass | POFE | Poa fendleriana | 60–100 | – | ||
| Letterman's needlegrass | ACLE9 | Achnatherum lettermanii | 60–100 | – | ||
| Columbia needlegrass | ACNE9 | Achnatherum nelsonii | 60–100 | – | ||
| Geyer's sedge | CAGE2 | Carex geyeri | 60–100 | – | ||
| 1 | Sub-Dominant Grasses | 140–900 | ||||
| Grass, annual | 2GA | Grass, annual | 20–300 | – | ||
| Grass, perennial | 2GP | Grass, perennial | 20–300 | – | ||
| creeping bentgrass | AGST2 | Agrostis stolonifera | 20–60 | – | ||
| California brome | BRCA5 | Bromus carinatus | 20–60 | – | ||
| oniongrass | MEBU | Melica bulbosa | 20–60 | – | ||
| western wheatgrass | PASM | Pascopyrum smithii | 20–60 | – | ||
| bluebunch wheatgrass | PSSP6 | Pseudoroegneria spicata | 20–60 | – | ||
|
Forb
|
||||||
| 4 | Dominant Forbs | 60–100 | ||||
| western sweetroot | OSOC | Osmorhiza occidentalis | 60–100 | – | ||
| 2 | Sub-Dominant Shrubs | 680–1440 | ||||
| Forb, annual | 2FA | Forb, annual | 200–300 | – | ||
| Forb, perennial | 2FP | Forb, perennial | 200–300 | – | ||
| common yarrow | ACMI2 | Achillea millefolium | 20–60 | – | ||
| sticky purple geranium | GEVI2 | Geranium viscosissimum | 20–60 | – | ||
| common cowparsnip | HEMA80 | Heracleum maximum | 20–60 | – | ||
| aspen pea | LALA6 | Lathyrus laetivirens | 20–60 | – | ||
| silvery lupine | LUARR | Lupinus argenteus ssp. rubricaulis | 20–60 | – | ||
| feathery false lily of the valley | MARAR | Maianthemum racemosum ssp. racemosum | 20–60 | – | ||
| slender cinquefoil | POGRF2 | Potentilla gracilis var. fastigiata | 20–60 | – | ||
| lambstongue ragwort | SEIN2 | Senecio integerrimus | 20–60 | – | ||
| tall ragwort | SESE2 | Senecio serra | 20–60 | – | ||
| Missouri goldenrod | SOMI2 | Solidago missouriensis | 20–60 | – | ||
| mountain goldenbanner | THMOM3 | Thermopsis montana var. montana | 20–60 | – | ||
| white clover | TRRE3 | Trifolium repens | 20–60 | – | ||
| tobacco root | VAED | Valeriana edulis | 20–60 | – | ||
Interpretations
Animal community
This site provides forage for cattle, sheep, and horses during spring, summer, and fall. To ensure the survival of willows and other shrubs, periodic spring deferred grazing is appropriate.
Water, Food, and Cover
Wildlife using this site include rabbit, coyote, badger, mule deer, elk, moose, blackbird, and oriole.
Hydrological functions
The soil series is in hydrologic group b. The hydrologic curve number is 61 when the vegetation is in good condition.
Recreational uses
Hunting, Hiking, and Camping
Wood products
Narrowleaf cottonwood has limited use.
Supporting information
Contributors
Garth W. Leishman, Jim Brown
Rangeland health reference sheet
Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health is a qualitative assessment protocol used to determine ecosystem condition based on benchmark characteristics described in the Reference Sheet. A suite of 17 (or more) indicators are typically considered in an assessment. The ecological site(s) representative of an assessment location must be known prior to applying the protocol and must be verified based on soils and climate. Current plant community cannot be used to identify the ecological site.
| Author(s)/participant(s) | |
|---|---|
| Contact for lead author | |
| Date | |
| Approved by | |
| Approval date | |
| Composition (Indicators 10 and 12) based on | Annual Production |
Indicators
-
Number and extent of rills:
-
Presence of water flow patterns:
-
Number and height of erosional pedestals or terracettes:
-
Bare ground from Ecological Site Description or other studies (rock, litter, lichen, moss, plant canopy are not bare ground):
-
Number of gullies and erosion associated with gullies:
-
Extent of wind scoured, blowouts and/or depositional areas:
-
Amount of litter movement (describe size and distance expected to travel):
-
Soil surface (top few mm) resistance to erosion (stability values are averages - most sites will show a range of values):
-
Soil surface structure and SOM content (include type of structure and A-horizon color and thickness):
-
Effect of community phase composition (relative proportion of different functional groups) and spatial distribution on infiltration and runoff:
-
Presence and thickness of compaction layer (usually none; describe soil profile features which may be mistaken for compaction on this site):
-
Functional/Structural Groups (list in order of descending dominance by above-ground annual-production or live foliar cover using symbols: >>, >, = to indicate much greater than, greater than, and equal to):
Dominant:
Sub-dominant:
Other:
Additional:
-
Amount of plant mortality and decadence (include which functional groups are expected to show mortality or decadence):
-
Average percent litter cover (%) and depth ( in):
-
Expected annual annual-production (this is TOTAL above-ground annual-production, not just forage annual-production):
-
Potential invasive (including noxious) species (native and non-native). List species which BOTH characterize degraded states and have the potential to become a dominant or co-dominant species on the ecological site if their future establishment and growth is not actively controlled by management interventions. Species that become dominant for only one to several years (e.g., short-term response to drought or wildfire) are not invasive plants. Note that unlike other indicators, we are describing what is NOT expected in the reference state for the ecological site:
-
Perennial plant reproductive capability:
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