Loamy Foothill
Circle-spoke model
Scenario model
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Management practices/drivers
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No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
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Description
The Reference State is characterized by three distinct plant community phases; Reference Plant Community, At Risk Plant Community, and Increased Litter/Low Plant Density. These plant communities, and the various successional stages between them, represent the natural range of variability due to the disturbance regimes applicable to this site. This site has a rolling grassland aspect with mid-grasses dominating. Western wheatgrass clearly dominates the plant community. Green needlegrass is also abundant. Western wheatgrass and green needlegrass produce about 55-60% of the total vegetation on this site. Plants such as blue grama, muttongrass, Sandberg bluegrass, sun sedge, and winterfat are secondary in the plant community. Indian ricegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, threeawn, scarlet globemallow, slimflower scurfpea and prairie sagewort (fringed sagebrush) occur in small amounts in scattered distribution.
Following is the narrative for the reference plant community. This plant community may not represent every possibility, but it probably is the most prevalent and repeatable plant community. As more data are collected, some of these plant communities may be revised or removed, and 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 and Pasture Handbook, Desired Plant Communities will be determined by the decision- makers and will meet minimum quality criteria established by the NRCS. The main purpose for including any description of a plant community here is to capture the current knowledge and experience at the time of this revision.
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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.