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Ecological site R048AY002NM

Mountain Grassland

Last updated: 3/05/2024
Accessed: 05/02/2024

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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.

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Figure 1. Mapped extent

Areas shown in blue indicate the maximum mapped extent of this ecological site. Other ecological sites likely occur within the highlighted areas. It is also possible for this ecological site to occur outside of highlighted areas if detailed soil survey has not been completed or recently updated.

MLRA notes

Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): 048A–Southern Rocky Mountains

This area is in Colorado (76 percent), New Mexico (11 percent), Utah (8 percent), and Wyoming (5 percent). It makes up about 45,920 square miles (119,000 square kilometers). The towns Jemez Springs, Los Alamos, Red River and Eagle Nest, New Mexico, are in this MLRA. This MLRA has numerous national forests, the Carson National Forest and part of the Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico. The Jemez, Picuris, Santa Clara, and Taos Indian Reservations are in this MLRA. Most of this area is in the Southern Rocky Mountains Province of the Rocky Mountain System. Small parts of the southwest corner and some isolated areas farther west are in the Canyon Lands Section of the same province and division. The Southern Rocky Mountains consist primarily of two belts of strongly sloping to precipitous mountain ranges trending north to south. Several basins, or parks, are between the belts. The ranges include the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Jemez Mountains, and Tusas Mountains. Elevation typically ranges from 6,500 to 13,167 feet (1,980 to 1,039 meters) in this area. The Rio Grande is a National Wild and Scenic River in northern New Mexico, which is in the southern part of this MLRA.

The mountains in this area were formed mainly by crustal uplifts during the late Cretaceous and early Tertiary periods. The rocks exposed in the mountains are mostly Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks, which in many places are flanked by steeply dipping Mesozoic sedimentary rocks. Younger igneous rocks, primarily basalt and andesitic lava flows, tuffs, breccias, and conglomerates, are throughout this area. Representative formations in this area are the Silver Plume and Pikes Peak granites, San Juan Volcanics, and Mancos Shale. Many of the highest mountain ranges were reshaped by glaciation during the Pleistocene. Alluvial fans at the base of the mountains are recharge zones for local basin and valley fill aquifers. They also are important sources of sand and gravel.

The dominant soil orders in this MLRA are Mollisols, Alfisols, Inceptisols, and Entisols. The soils in the area dominantly have a frigid or cryic soil temperature regime and an ustic or udic soil moisture regime. Mineralogy is typically mixed, smectitic, or paramicaceous. In areas with granite, gneiss, and schist bedrock, Glossocryalfs (Seitz, Granile, and Leadville series) and Haplocryolls (Rogert series) formed in colluvium on mountain slopes. Dystrocryepts (Leighcan and Mummy series) formed on mountain slopes and summits at the higher elevations. In areas of andesite and rhyolite bedrock, Dystrocryepts (Endlich and Whitecross series) formed in colluvium on mountain slopes. In areas of sedimentary bedrock, Haplustolls (Towave series) formed on mountain slopes at low elevations and with low precipitation. Haplocryolls (Lamphier and Razorba series), Argicryolls (Cochetopa series), and Haplocryalfs (Needleton series) formed in colluvium on mountain slopes at high elevations.

LRU notes

This site is part of the RM-1 sub-resource area. This site is found on the east side of Sangre de Cristo mountains.

Classification relationships

This ecological site is correlated to soil components at the Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) level which is further described in USDA AgHandbook 296.

Ecological site concept

This site is found on the north and northeast-facing slopes at lower elevations and can be found on all exposures at the higher elevations. The site is located on open benchlands, outwash fans or exposed ridges between parks and valleys and higher mountain slopes. High mountain rims and mountain valleys are included in this site. The Mountain Grassland often occurs on benches or depressed areas within the steeper surrounding slopes of the ponderosa pine. The slopes ranges from 0 to 15 percent. Elevation ranges from 7,000 to 9,000 feet above sea level.

These soils are well drained, deep to very deep. The surface layer are loam, silt loam or sandy loam. Gravel or stones are often present on the soil surface and throughout the profile, but is not skeletal. These soils have a moderate permeability. Available water-holding capacity is moderate to high. Effective rooting depth is 40 inches to more than 60 inches.

Characteristic Soils Are:
Barela, Brycan, Hesperus, Kunz Moreno, Morval, and Yankee

Associated sites

R048AY001NM	Subalpine Grassland This site takes in mountain parks and other open grasslands generally within the spruce-fir zone. In some places it is interspersed with aspen groves. This site is located near timberline extending down to the ponderosa pine zone. Topography is mostly rolling to moderate slopes, but some areas are steep. Slopes are between 2 to 20 percent, but can range up to 40 percent. Elevation ranges from 9,000 feet to near timberline, which is approximately 11,400 feet above sea level. The soils are well drained, deep to very deep. The surface texture is loam, cobbly loam or gravelly loam. There may be large numbers of rock fragments throughout the profile as this soil has multiple soil family particle sizes correlated to it. The soils have moderate to moderately slow permeability. Runoff is moderate. Available water-holding capacity is low to medium. The effective rooting depth is 20 inches or more. On the soil Hillery which is correlated to this site, it occurs on lava flows, mesas and plains. Hillery is also above 40 inches of precipitation which is higher than the concept of this site. Surface soil textures are silt loam, and stony loam.
R048AY003NM	Mountain Valley This site is in mountain valleys in the ponderosa pine zone. It has gentle to moderate slopes and receives occasional light overflow from the stream course or adjacent side slopes. The alluvial slopes immediately adjacent to the stream are also included in this site. Slopes are 0-5%. Along valley bottoms where drainage is poor, it may blend with the Mountain Meadow ecological site. This site differs from the Mountain Meadow ecological site in the lack of high-water table. Elevation ranges from 7,000 to 9,000 feet above sea level. Soils on this site are well drained and deep to very deep. The surface layer is loam, sandy loam or fine sandy loam with subsoil of loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam. These soils have moderate to moderately high permeability. Runoff is medium. Available water-holding capacity is high. Effective rooting depth is 20 inches to more than 60 inches. Severe gullying can carry off most of the water, and a loss of topsoil greatly reduces water intake. Gullies that carry off extra water will drastically alter the moisture-plant relationship in many areas.
R048AY004NM	Mountain Loam This site is on steep to moderately steep slopes on benches within the steeper slopes of the surrounding ponderosa pine tree zone. The slope is to the southwest; south and southeast, making the site directly exposed to the dry south and southwest winds and more intensive heat from the sun. Slopes vary from 5 to 70 percent. Elevation ranges from 6,900 to 9,000 feet above sea level. The soils on this site are moderately deep to deep and well drained. The surface texture is stony/cobbly silt loam or cobbly loam. The subsurface is stony loam or cobbly loam. They have a moderate permeability. The available water-holding capacity is low. Effective rooting depth is from 20 to 40 inches. There is cobble or stone throughout the profile and on the surface. Air-water-plant relationship is fair.
R048AY005NM	Mountain Malpais This site is characterized by flat to moderately steep topography. It is frequently found as mesa, mountains slopes and ridges where the basalt caps are present. The site’s terrain may be interrupted by extrusions of the basalt, leaving a rough or choppy appearance to the topography. The basaltic stone cover typically exists over a portion of the site where igneous extrusions occur. Boulders on the surface are common. The dominant slope range is from 3 to 30 percent, but it some site range up to 55 percent. The exposure varies but has little significance on plant production. Elevation ranges from 6,800 to 9,000 feet above sea level. These soils are well drained, very shallow to shallow, and formed in debris from basalt and other volcanic rock or metamorphic rock. The surface texture is cobbly, very cobbly silt loam; stony, very stony, very cobbly loam; stony, very stony silt loam; and cobbly sandy loam. The texture of the subsoil layers ranges from very stony silt loam, very cobbly loam to extremely stony clay. The effective rooting depth is 6 to 20 inches.
R048AY006NM	Mountain Meadow The site occurs as lower lying drainageways, flood plains, swales or other depressional areas where extra moisture accumulates as a result of runoff from surrounding higher sites. A high water table is characteristic of this site particularly in the spring and a portion of the area may have open water during this season. Springs or seeps bring the water table to the subsoil or even to the surface, in which instance the site may colloquially be called a “cienaga”. Slopes vary from flat to gently sloping, not to exceed 5 percent. The exposure varies and is not significant. Elevation ranges from 7,000 to 9,500 feet above sea level. These soils consist of deep to very deep soils and poorly to very poorly drained. The surface texture ranges from a very fine sandy loam to a mucky silty clay and clay surface layers. They have an active water table, which varies from the surface to 3 feet below the surface. They are normally non-saline and have high organic content. These soils have moderate to moderately slow permeability. Available water-holding capacity is moderate. The effective rooting depth is 20 inches to more than 60 inches.

Similar sites

R048AY003NM	Mountain Valley This site is in mountain valleys in the ponderosa pine zone. It has gentle to moderate slopes and receives occasional light overflow from the stream course or adjacent side slopes. The alluvial slopes immediately adjacent to the stream are also included in this site. Slopes are 0-5%. Along valley bottoms where drainage is poor, it may blend with the Mountain Meadow ecological site. This site differs from the Mountain Meadow ecological site in the lack of high-water table. Elevation ranges from 7,000 to 9,000 feet above sea level. Soils on this site are well drained and deep to very deep. The surface layer is loam, sandy loam or fine sandy loam with subsoil of loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam. These soils have moderate to moderately high permeability. Runoff is medium. Available water-holding capacity is high. Effective rooting depth is 20 inches to more than 60 inches. Severe gullying can carry off most of the water, and a loss of topsoil greatly reduces water intake. Gullies that carry off extra water will drastically alter the moisture-plant relationship in many areas.
R048AY001NM	Subalpine Grassland This site takes in mountain parks and other open grasslands generally within the spruce-fir zone. In some places it is interspersed with aspen groves. This site is located near timberline extending down to the ponderosa pine zone. Topography is mostly rolling to moderate slopes, but some areas are steep. Slopes are between 2 to 20 percent, but can range up to 40 percent. Elevation ranges from 9,000 feet to near timberline, which is approximately 11,400 feet above sea level. The soils are well drained, deep to very deep. The surface texture is loam, cobbly loam or gravelly loam. There may be large numbers of rock fragments throughout the profile as this soil has multiple soil family particle sizes correlated to it. The soils have moderate to moderately slow permeability. Runoff is moderate. Available water-holding capacity is low to medium. The effective rooting depth is 20 inches or more. On the soil Hillery which is correlated to this site, it occurs on lava flows, mesas and plains. Hillery is also above 40 inches of precipitation which is higher than the concept of this site. Surface soil textures are silt loam, and stony loam.

R048AY003NM

Mountain Valley

This site is in mountain valleys in the ponderosa pine zone. It has gentle to moderate slopes and receives occasional light overflow from the stream course or adjacent side slopes. The alluvial slopes immediately adjacent to the stream are also included in this site. Slopes are 0-5%. Along valley bottoms where drainage is poor, it may blend with the Mountain Meadow ecological site. This site differs from the Mountain Meadow ecological site in the lack of high-water table. Elevation ranges from 7,000 to 9,000 feet above sea level. Soils on this site are well drained and deep to very deep. The surface layer is loam, sandy loam or fine sandy loam with subsoil of loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam. These soils have moderate to moderately high permeability. Runoff is medium. Available water-holding capacity is high. Effective rooting depth is 20 inches to more than 60 inches. Severe gullying can carry off most of the water, and a loss of topsoil greatly reduces water intake. Gullies that carry off extra water will drastically alter the moisture-plant relationship in many areas.

R048AY001NM

Subalpine Grassland

This site takes in mountain parks and other open grasslands generally within the spruce-fir zone. In some places it is interspersed with aspen groves. This site is located near timberline extending down to the ponderosa pine zone. Topography is mostly rolling to moderate slopes, but some areas are steep. Slopes are between 2 to 20 percent, but can range up to 40 percent. Elevation ranges from 9,000 feet to near timberline, which is approximately 11,400 feet above sea level. The soils are well drained, deep to very deep. The surface texture is loam, cobbly loam or gravelly loam. There may be large numbers of rock fragments throughout the profile as this soil has multiple soil family particle sizes correlated to it. The soils have moderate to moderately slow permeability. Runoff is moderate. Available water-holding capacity is low to medium. The effective rooting depth is 20 inches or more. On the soil Hillery which is correlated to this site, it occurs on lava flows, mesas and plains. Hillery is also above 40 inches of precipitation which is higher than the concept of this site. Surface soil textures are silt loam, and stony loam.

Table 1. Dominant plant species

Tree	Not specified
Shrub	Not specified
Herbaceous	(1) Festuca arizonica (2) Muhlenbergia montana

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Physiographic features

Table 2. Representative physiographic features

Landforms	(1) Hillslope (2) Mesa (3) Alluvial fan (4) Mountain valley (5) Hill (6) Fan (7) Plain
Runoff class	Medium to very high
Flooding frequency	None
Ponding frequency	None
Elevation	7,000 – 9,000 ft
Slope	15%
Aspect	Aspect is not a significant factor

Climatic features

Annual precipitation varies from 17 to 25 inches for this site and of this amount approximately 30 percent occurs in the form of winter snows. Variation in both winter and summer precipitation may be quite extreme, ranging from rather open dry winters to winters during which several feet of snow are accumulated. Summer thunderstorm activity is greater during July and August. Although more dependable than the sites at lower elevations, it may be very sporadic.

The air temperature varies from well below zero to about 70 degrees F. and the frost-free period lasts for 3 to 4 months depending upon elevation. Dates of the last killing frost may range from June 1st to June 15th and the first killing frost from September 15th to October 1st.

The freeze-free period ranges from 90 to 120 days. Some cool-season species begin their growth almost with the snow recession and also enjoy a brief growing period in the fall. Evaporation rates vary with elevations within the site. Rates are generally lower at higher elevations and increase at lower elevations, particularly on the southern and western exposures. Forage production is dependent upon both winter and summer moisture and therefore, yields of forage fluctuate directly with amount of precipitation. This site is a critical one also from the standpoint of watershed problems. It constitutes one of the storage facilities for winter moisture that will later be converted to stream flow for domestic and irrigation use.

Table 3. Representative climatic features

Frost-free period (characteristic range)	36-65 days
Freeze-free period (characteristic range)	86-98 days
Precipitation total (characteristic range)	17-25 in
Frost-free period (actual range)	33-77 days
Freeze-free period (actual range)	86-104 days
Precipitation total (actual range)	17-25 in
Frost-free period (average)	52 days
Freeze-free period (average)	93 days
Precipitation total (average)	22 in

Characteristic range

Actual range

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Figure 2. Monthly precipitation range

Characteristic range

Actual range

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Figure 3. Monthly minimum temperature range

Characteristic range

Actual range

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Figure 4. Monthly maximum temperature range

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Figure 5. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature

Figure 6. Annual precipitation pattern

Figure 7. Annual average temperature pattern

Climate stations used

(1) GASCON [USC00293488], Mora, NM
(2) ANGEL FIRE 1S [USC00290407], Cimarron, NM
(3) EAGLE NEST [USC00292700], Eagle Nest, NM

Soil features

These soils are well drained, deep to very deep. The surface layer are loam, silt loam or sandy loam. Gravel or stones are often present on the soil surface and throughout the profile, but is not skeletal. These soils have a moderate permeability. Available water-holding capacity is moderate to high. Effective rooting depth is 40 inches to more than 60 inches.

Characteristic Soils Are:
Barela, Brycan, Hesperus, Kunz Moreno, Morval, and Yankee

Table 4. Representative soil features

Parent material	(1) Alluvium – sandstone and shale (2) Alluvium – igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rock (3) Alluvium – basalt (4) Residuum – basalt (5) Eolian deposits – basalt
Surface texture	(1) Loam (2) Silt loam (3) Sandy loam
Family particle size	(1) Fine (2) Fine-loamy
Drainage class	Well drained
Permeability class	Slow to moderate
Soil depth	40 – 80 in
Surface fragment cover <=3"	10%
Surface fragment cover >3"	10%
Available water capacity (Depth not specified)	4.5 – 8 in
Calcium carbonate equivalent (Depth not specified)	15%
Electrical conductivity (Depth not specified)	2 mmhos/cm
Sodium adsorption ratio (Depth not specified)	2
Soil reaction (1:1 water) (Depth not specified)	6.6 – 8.4
Subsurface fragment volume <=3" (Depth not specified)	10%
Subsurface fragment volume >3" (Depth not specified)	15%

Ecological dynamics

Continuous grazing during the entire season will cause the more desirable species, such as Arizona fescue, mountain muhly, prairie junegrass and oatgrass to decrease. Species most likely to invade this site or increase form trace amounts are Kentucky bluegrass, sleepygrass and low-vigor blue grama. Other plants of generally low grazing value, such as ring muhly, threeawns, fringed sagewort, cudweed sagewort, pingue and rabbitbrush will increase.

To maintain or improve the healthy well-balanced plant community, grazing needs to be delayed until the soils are firm after winter snows and when plants have had an opportunity to make good growth. Rapid growth of plants in the spring may temporarily deplete food reserves. Delaying grazing until the plants have had an opportunity to restore these food supplies is advisable. A system of deferred grazing, which varies the time of grazing and rest in a pasture during successive years, is needed to maximize forage production and to maintain a healthy well-balanced plant community. Grazing pressure from domestic livestock needs to be reduced during the spring and fall to reduce the competition that the livestock will have with the elk in competing for forage during this period of time.

Below is a State and Transition Model diagram to illustrate the “phases” (common plant communities), and “states” (aggregations of those plant communities) that can occur on the site. Differences between phases and states depend primarily upon observations of a range of disturbance histories in areas where this ESD is represented. These situations include tree harvest, grazing gradients to water sources, fence-line contrasts, patches with differing dates of fire, herbicide treatment, tillage, and kinds and times of timber harvest, etc. Reference State 1 illustrates the common plant communities that probably existed just prior to European settlement.

The major successional pathways within states, (“community pathways”) are indicated by arrows between phases. “Transitions” are indicated by arrows between states. The drivers of these changes are indicated in codes decipherable by referring to the legend at the bottom of the page and by reading the detailed narratives that follow the diagram.

The plant communities shown in this State and Transition Model may not represent every possibility but are probably the most prevalent and recurring plant communities. As more monitoring data are collected, some phases or states may be revised, removed, and/or new ones may be added. None of these plant communities should necessarily be thought of as “Desired Plant Communities.” According to the USDA NRCS National Range & Pasture Handbook (USDA-NRCS 2003), Desired Plant Communities (DPC’s) will be determined by the decision-makers and will meet minimum quality criteria established by the NRCS. The main purpose for including descriptions of a plant community is to capture the current knowledge at the time of this revision.

The state and transition model was added to fill the provisional ecological site (PES) instruction. It is a very general model.

State and transition model

More interactive model formats are also available. View Interactive Models
Click on state and transition labels to scroll to the respective text

Ecosystem states

1. Grassland

2. Degraded State

State 1 submodel, plant communities

1.1. Grassland

1.2. Grassland with Scattered Shrubs

State 1
Grassland

This state represents the natural range of variability on the site. The plant communities within the reference state were shaped and maintained by disturbances such as grazing, browsing, drought, wet years, and fire. The removal or alteration of these processes can cause a shift to an alternative state.

Community 1.1
Grassland

This site is a grassland dominated by cool-season bunch grasses. Grasses make up approximately 75 percent of the composition of the plant community. A variety of forbs are conspicuous when in bloom and make up approximately 15 percent of the annual yield. Small amounts of shrubs are widely scattered throughout the site and along the fringes bordering the woodland sites. Tree species usually associated with this site and often seen scattered throughout the site are ponderosa pine and Douglas fir. The overstory canopy is less than 5 percent.

Figure 8. 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	450	975	1350
Forb	90	195	270
Shrub/Vine	60	130	180
Total	600	1300	1800

Table 6. Ground cover

Tree foliar cover	5%
Shrub/vine/liana foliar cover	5%
Grass/grasslike foliar cover	0%
Forb foliar cover	0%
Non-vascular plants	0%
Biological crusts	0%
Litter	30%
Surface fragments >0.25" and <=3"	0%
Surface fragments >3"	0%
Bedrock	0%
Water	0%
Bare ground	25%

Figure 9. Plant community growth curve (percent production by month). NM3102, R048AY002NM Mountain Grassland HCPC. R048AY002NM Mountain Grassland HCPC Cool-season bunch grass grassland with minor components of forbs and shrubs. .

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
0	0	3	5	10	10	25	30	12	5	0	0

Community 1.2
Grassland with Scattered Shrubs

Pathway 1.1A
Community 1.1 to 1.2

Lack of fire, improper grazing of herbaceous species, and/or drought.

Pathway 1.2A
Community 1.2 to 1.1

Proper grazing, browsing of shrubs, fire and/or wet climatic cycles.

State 2
Degraded State

This state represents a shift from the reference state. The site has crossed a threshold that will require significant inputs to return to reference conditions, if possible. This has altered the hydrology and energy flow of the plant community. Kentucky bluegrass, sleepygrass and/or blue grama have increased to dominants on the site. Other plants of such as ring muhly, threeawns, fringed sagewort, cudweed sagewort, pingue, sagebrush, and/or rabbitbrush maybe present in significant numbers.

Transition T1A
State 1 to 2

Excessive drought periods may also favor certain species. Improper grazing will cause desirable species to decrease and less desirable species to increase. Fire exclusion may lead to an increase in woody canopy scattered across the site.

Restoration pathway R2A
State 2 to 1

Fire, wetter climatic cycles, and/or proper grazing management can help return the plant community back to grassland. Shrub management may be needed to decrease shrubs.

Additional community tables

Table 7. Community 1.1 plant community composition

Group	Common name	Symbol	Scientific name	Annual production (lb/acre)	Foliar cover (%)
Grass/Grasslike
1				156–195
	Arizona fescue	FEAR2	Festuca arizonica	156–195	–
2				156–195
	mountain muhly	MUMO	Muhlenbergia montana	156–195	–
3				104–130
	prairie Junegrass	KOMA	Koeleria macrantha	104–130	–
4				104–130
	oatgrass	DANTH	Danthonia	104–130	–
5				104–130
	needlegrass	ACHNA	Achnatherum	104–130	–
6				104–130
	sideoats grama	BOCU	Bouteloua curtipendula	104–130	–
	little bluestem	SCSC	Schizachyrium scoparium	104–130	–
7				39–65
	western wheatgrass	PASM	Pascopyrum smithii	39–65	–
8				39–65
	blue grama	BOGR2	Bouteloua gracilis	39–65	–
9				39–65
	pine dropseed	BLTR	Blepharoneuron tricholepis	39–65	–
10				39–65
	big bluestem	ANGE	Andropogon gerardii	39–65	–
11				39–65
	mountain brome	BRMA4	Bromus marginatus	39–65	–
12				39–65
	sedge	CAREX	Carex	39–65	–
13				39–65
	Graminoid (grass or grass-like)	2GRAM	Graminoid (grass or grass-like)	0–15	–
	common wolfstail	LYPH	Lycurus phleoides	0–15	–
	squirreltail	ELEL5	Elymus elymoides	0–15	–
	muttongrass	POFE	Poa fendleriana	0–15	–
Forb
14				39–65
	common yarrow	ACMI2	Achillea millefolium	39–65	–
15				39–65
	Rocky Mountain iris	IRMI	Iris missouriensis	39–65	–
	lupine	LUPIN	Lupinus	39–65	–
16				39–65
	buckwheat	ERIOG	Eriogonum	39–65	–
	beardtongue	PENST	Penstemon	39–65	–
17				39–65
	Forb (herbaceous, not grass nor grass-like)	2FORB	Forb (herbaceous, not grass nor grass-like)	39–65	–
	vetch	VICIA	Vicia	0–15	–
Shrub/Vine
18				39–65
	Gambel oak	QUGA	Quercus gambelii	39–65	–
19				39–65
	alderleaf mountain mahogany	CEMO2	Cercocarpus montanus	39–65	–
	snowberry	SYMPH	Symphoricarpos	39–65	–
20				39–65
	Shrub, deciduous	2SD	Shrub, deciduous	39–65	–
	white sagebrush	ARLU	Artemisia ludoviciana	39–65	–
	rubber rabbitbrush	ERNA10	Ericameria nauseosa	39–65	–
	currant	RIBES	Ribes	39–65	–
	big sagebrush	ARTR2	Artemisia tridentata	39–65	–
Tree
21				0–25
	twoneedle pinyon	PIED	Pinus edulis	0–50	–
	ponderosa pine	PIPO	Pinus ponderosa	0–50	–

Interpretations

Animal community

Grazing: Approximately 85 percent of the annual yield are from species that furnish forage for grazing animals. This site is suitable for grazing during the late spring, summer and early fall. The length of the grazing season varies with elevation. At lower elevations, the grazing season can be extended from May 1st to October 15th. At higher elevations, the grazing season is normally from June 1st to September 15th. The site can be used by all classes of livestock however; it is better suited for steers or sheep due to the short grazing season. To reduce spot grazing and overgrazing of the flatter slopes, herding of livestock is needed, especially when grazing sheep.

Habitat for Wildlife:
This site provides habitats, which support a resident animal community that is characterized by elk, northern pocket gopher, least chipmunk, western bluebird and bullsnake. There is seasonal use by mule deer and blue grouse.

Hydrological functions

Hydrology Functions:
The runoff curve numbers are determined by field investigations using hydrologic cover conditions and hydrologic soil groups.

Hydrologic Interpretations
Soil Series-------------Hydrologic Group
Barela---------------------------C
Brycan---------------------------B, C
Hesperus-------------------------B
Moreno---------------------------C
Yankee---------------------------D,C

Recreational uses

This site offers recreation potential for hiking, horseback riding, nature observation, photography of large game animals, small animals and wildflowers, hunting for elk, deer and turkey. At higher elevations during some years, this site can be used for winter sports. The natural beauty of the site is enhanced by the variety of forbs that become conspicuous when in bloom from July through August.

Wood products

Some ponderosa pine and Douglas fir can be cut from the widely scattered trees located throughout the site. Some Christmas trees can be cut in the fringe areas along the adjacent woodland sites.

Other information

Guide to Suggested Initial Stocking Rate Acres per Animal Unit Month

Similarity Index-------------Ac/AUM
100 - 76-------------------2.7 – 4.8
75 – 51--------------------3.4 – 5.6
50 – 26--------------------4.3 – 10.7
25 – 0---------------------10.7+

Supporting information

Inventory data references

Data collection for this site was done in conjunction with the progressive soil surveys within the State of New Mexico. This site is found in the following soil surveys: Colfax, Taos, Mora, and San Miguel.

These site descriptions were developed as part of a Provisional ESD project using historic soil survey manuscripts, available range site descriptions.

Other references

United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2006. Land Resource Regions and Major Land Resource Areas of the United States, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin. U.S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 296.

Contributors

Don Sylvester
Elizabeth Wright

Approval

Kirt Walstad, 3/05/2024

Acknowledgments

Site Development and Testing Plan:

Future work, as described in a Project Plan, to validate the information in this Provisional Ecological Site Description is needed. This will include field activities to collect low, medium and high-intensity sampling, soil correlations, and analysis of that data. Annual field reviews should be done by soil scientists and vegetation specialists. A final field review, peer review, quality control, and quality assurance reviews of the ESD will be needed to produce the final document. Annual reviews of the Project Plan are to be conducted by the Ecological Site Technical Team.

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	03/12/2024
Approved by	Kirt Walstad
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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Natural ResourcesConservation Service

Ecological site R048AY002NM

Mountain Grassland

Last updated: 3/05/2024 Accessed: 05/02/2024

General information

Figure 1. Mapped extent

MLRA notes

LRU notes

Classification relationships

Ecological site concept

Associated sites

Similar sites

Table 1. Dominant plant species

Ecosystem states

State 1 submodel, plant communities

Natural Resources
Conservation Service

Last updated: 3/05/2024
Accessed: 05/02/2024