Dry Mountain Loam

Description

This site is well suited for grazing by domestic livestock and can be found on areas that are properly managed with prescribed grazing. In some areas especially as you get close to Utah it is possible to graze out Bluebunch Wheatgrass and this functional / structural group gets replaced by Nevada Bluegrass or Sandberg Bluegrass. In areas that have a lot of Nevada or Sandberg Bluegrass, grazing history may have had an influence on these sites. As you go south of I-70, Bluebunch Wheatgrass gets replaced by Indian Ricegrass. In these areas, it doesn't appear that grazing history has a dramatic effect on the wheatgrasses. In some cases grazing helps promote the rhizomatous nature of Western Wheatgrass.

This plant community is diverse, stable, and productive. Litter is properly distributed with little movement off-site and natural plant mortality is low. Community dynamics, nutrient cycle, water cycle and energy flow are functioning properly.

Total Annual Production
Favorable years: 1000 pounds per acre
Median years: 750 pounds per acre
Unfavorable years: 500 pounds per acre

Submodel