Mountain Valley
Scenario model
Current ecosystem state
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Management practices/drivers
Select a transition or restoration pathway
- Transition T1A More details
- Restoration pathway R2A More details
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No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
Target ecosystem state
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Description
This ecological 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, rest, and fire. The removal or alteration of these processes can cause a shift to an alternative ecological state. A system of deferred grazing, which varies the time of grazing and rest in each pasture during consecutive years, is needed to maintain or to improve upon a healthy well-balanced plant community.
Submodel
Description
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.
Also likely to increase significantly are sagebrush, oak, white sagebrush,, vetches and herbaceous cinquefoils. Western wheatgrass may hold its own initially but eventually break up into weak remnants. Most of the bunchgrass species listed will disappear as deterioration advances. In this condition, shrubby cinquefoils are often dominant or there are patches of sleepygrass and various annual and perennial forbs.
Mechanism
Removal of periodic fire may result in an increase in woody canopy across the site. Improper grazing practices can limit the amount of fine fuel and further reduce the effectiveness of fire on suppressing woody species. Long term drought can also have an impact on the shifting structure and composition of the plant community.
Mechanism
Re-introduction of fire, wetter climatic cycles and or proper grazing can reduce the amount of woody canopy and favor herbaceous species. In some instances, site-specific alternative brush management practices may be needed to facilitate this restoration.
Model keys
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Ecological sites
Major Land Resource Areas
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.