Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site R058AY712MT
Panspot 10-14
Last updated: 8/29/2024
Accessed: 11/13/2024
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.
MLRA notes
Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): 058A–Northern Rolling High Plains, Northern Part
MLRA 058A, Northern Rolling High Plains (Northern Part), is an expansive and agriculturally and ecologically significant area encompassing 26 counties in southeast Montana (99 percent) and northeast Wyoming (1 percent). It stretches approximately 290 miles from east to west and 220 miles from north to south and comprises approximately 42,350 square miles (26,875,928 acres). The area is within the Missouri Plateau, Unglaciated, Section of the Great Plains Province of the Interior Plains. It is an area of old plateaus and terraces that have been eroded. Slopes generally are gently rolling to steep, and wide belts of steeply sloping badlands border a few of the larger river valleys. In some areas flat-topped, steep-sided buttes rise sharply above the general level of the plains. Elevations generally range from 1,950 to 3,280 feet, increasing from east to west and from north to south.
Tertiary continental shale, siltstone, and sandstone of the Fort Union Formation underlie the eastern one-third to one-half of this area. Marine and continental sediments of the Cretaceous Montana Group underlie the rest of the MLRA, generally at the higher elevations. There are also younger Cretaceous sediments of the Livingston Group occurring between the higher elevation Montana Group sediments and the lower elevation Tertiary sediments. The dominant soil orders in MLRA 058A are Entisols and Inceptisols. The soils in the area dominantly have a frigid soil temperature regime, an ustic soil moisture regime, and mixed or smectitic mineralogy. They range from shallow to very deep and are generally well drained and clayey or loamy in texture.
The area primarily supports native prairie vegetation characterized by a variety of cool-season and warm-season graminoids, forbs, and shrubs. In the western portion of the area, cool-season grasses such as western wheatgrass and bluebunch wheatgrass are dominant but, in the eastern portion of the area, warm-season grasses such as little bluestem and sideoats grama become dominant. Wyoming big sagebrush, silver sagebrush, and fringed sagewort are common shrub species throughout the area. Forested areas occur in rough hilly areas and river breaks, particularly in areas with higher precipitation. Common tree species are ponderosa pine and Rocky Mountain juniper with scattered pockets of Douglas fir.
More than 75 percent of this MLRA is native rangeland utilized for livestock production and more than 50 percent of the MLRA consists of privately-owned ranches. Approximately 15 percent of the MLRA is used as cropland. Other land uses including forestland, urban development, water, and other uses combine for less than 10 percent of the total land use.
Classification relationships
NRCS Soil Geography Hierarchy
• Land Resource Region: Western Great Plains
• Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): 058A Northern Rolling High Plains, Northern Part
National Hierarchical Framework of Ecological Units (Cleland et al., 1997; McNab et al., 2007)
• Domain: Dry
• Division: Temperate Steppe
• Province: Great Plains-Palouse Dry Steppe Province (331)
• Section: North Central Highlands (331K) and Powder River Basin (331G)
National Vegetation Classification Standard (Federal Geographic Data Committee, 2008)
• Class: Xeromorphic Woodland, Scrub and Herb Vegetation Class (3)
• Subclass: Cool Semi-Desert Scrub and Grassland Subclass (3.B)
• Formation: Cool Semi-Desert Scrub and Grassland Formation (3.B.1)
• Division: Cool Semi-Desert Scrub and Grassland Division (3.B.1.Ne)
• Macrogroup: Artemisia tridentata - Artemisia tripartita ssp. tripartita - Purshia tridentata Steppe and Shrubland Macrogroup (3.B.1.Ne.3)
• Group: Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis - Artemisia tridentata ssp. tridentata Steppe and Shrubland Group (3.B.1.Ne.3.a)
EPA Ecoregions
• Level 1: Great Plains (9)
• Level 2: West-Central Semi-Arid Prairies (9.3)
• Level 3: Northwestern Great Plains (9.3.3)
• Level 4: Montana Central Grasslands (43n), River Breaks (43c), and Pine Scoria Hills (43p)
Ecological site concept
This ecological site occurs on nearly level to gently sloping uplands, terraces, and fans at elevations ranging from 1,900 to 3,500 feet. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent but are generally less than 8 percent. This site occurs on all aspects, although aspect is not a significant factor. This ecological site is typically associated with Loamy, Claypan, and Thin Claypan ecological sites. The distinguishing characteristic of this site is the presence of a dense, sodium-affected (natric) horizon at a depth of 1 inch or less from the soil surface. The natric horizon exhibits columnar structure, is very hard, and severely limits both root penetration and infiltration. The soil textures are typically very fine sandy loam to loam, and the natric horizon is clay or clay loam.
Associated sites
R058AY708MT |
Loamy 10-14 This site occupies similar landscapes to the Panspot ecological site. In the natric soils complex, the Loamy ecological site is typically found on the highest micro-topography; whereas, Panspot occupies the lowest positions. |
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R058AY721MT |
Thin Claypan 10-14 This site occupies similar landscapes to the Panspot ecological site. In the natric soils complex, the Thin Claypan ecological site is typically found in mid-level micro-topography, higher than Panspot, but lower than the Claypan and the Loamy ecological sites. |
R058AY703MT |
Claypan 10-14 This site occupies similar landscapes to the Panspot ecological site. In the natric soils complex, the Claypan ecological site is typically found in mid-level micro-topography, higher than Thin Claypan and Panspot, but lower than the Loamy ecological site. |
Similar sites
R058AY703MT |
Claypan 10-14 This site differs from the Panspot ecological site in that the root restricting layer (evidenced by columnar structure) is 4 to 8 inches from the surface. |
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R058AY708MT |
Loamy 10-14 This site differs from the Panspot ecological site in that the root restricting layer (evidenced by columnar structure) is either absent or greater than 8 inches below the soil surface. Surface horizon textures are typically loam, silt loam, very fine sandy loam or sandy clay loam and contain 32 percent clay or less. |
R058AY721MT |
Thin Claypan 10-14 This site differs from the Panspot ecological site in that the root restricting layer (evidenced by columnar structure) is between 1 and 4 inches below the soil surface. Deep rooted bunchgrasses are rare or absent. |
Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree |
Not specified |
---|---|
Shrub |
(1) Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis |
Herbaceous |
(1) Bouteloua gracilis |
Click on box and path labels to scroll to the respective text.
Ecosystem states
T1A | - | Prolonged drought, improper grazing, or a combination of these factors |
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T1B | - | Introduction of non-native invasive species (annual bromes, crested wheatgrass, noxious weeds, etc.) |
T1C | - | Conversion to cropland |
R2A | - | Proper grazing management in combination with rangeland seeding, grazing land mechanical treatment, and timely moisture (management intensive and costly). |
T2A | - | Introduction of non-native invasive species (annual bromes, crested wheatgrass, noxious weeds, etc.) |
T2B | - | Conversion to cropland |
T3A | - | Conversion to cropland |
T4A | - | Cessation of annual cropping |
T5A | - | Conversion to cropland |
State 1 submodel, plant communities
1.1A | - | Prescribed fire and wildfire, mechanical and chemical treatments, and biological processes |
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1.1B | - | Drought, improper grazing management |
1.2A | - | Approximately 30 years post-fire regrowth |
1.2B | - | Drought, improper grazing management, multiple fires in close succession |
1.3B | - | Normal or above average precipitation, proper grazing management |
1.3A | - | Prescribed fire and wildfire, mechanical and chemical treatments, and biological processes. |
1.4B | - | Normal or above average precipitation, proper grazing management |
1.4A | - | Approximately 30 years post-fire regrowth |