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Ecological site F062XB052SD

Highland Hills Pine Forest(0-15% Slope)

Last updated: 2/06/2025
Accessed: 03/08/2025

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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.

MLRA notes

Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): 062X–Black Hills

The Black Hills (MLRA 62) is a unique, low lying mountain range situated in the midst of a mixed short and mid-grass prairie. It is a true Island in the Plains, as it has geophysical and biological attributes that are unlike the surrounding area. The Black Hills have strong floristic ties to four of the North American biomes: Cordilleran (Rocky Mountain) Forest, Northern Coniferous Forest, Eastern Deciduous Forest, and Grasslands.

MLRA 62 is approximately 3,040 square miles in size; 74 percent is located in South Dakota, and 26 percent is in Wyoming. The towns of Lead, Deadwood, Hill City, and Custer, South Dakota, are in this area. U.S. Highways 16 and 385 cross the MLRA. The Black Hills National Forest, Custer State Park, Mt. Rushmore National Monument, Jewel Cave National Monument, and Wind Cave National Park are located in this MLRA.

This area forms the core of the Black Hills and the Bear Lodge Mountains where the elevation ranges between 3,600 to 6,565 feet, however, Black Elk Peak (Harney Peak) rises to 7,242 feet. Slopes range from moderately sloping on some of the high plateaus to very steeply sloping along drainageways and on peaks and ridges. Narrow valleys generally are gently sloping to strongly sloping.

The Black Hills uplift is the product of the Laramide mountain-building episodes that produced most of the ranges in the Rocky Mountains. Uplift began near the end of the Cretaceous period, 65 million years ago and ended by 35 million years ago (Froiland 1999). The core of the Black Hills is a plutonic mass of granite with steeply dipping metamorphic rocks, primarily slate and schist, which directly surrounds the granite core. A plateau of Mississippian limestone surrounds the igneous and metamorphic rock core. The Madison limestone is broken around the outer edges of the uplifted area. The Permian Minnekahta limestone forms the outermost boundary of the area. Many other tilted sandstone, shale, and limestone units are exposed like a bathtub ring inside the steeply dipping Madison limestone.

The dominant soil orders in this MLRA are Alfisols (forest soils) and Mollisols (grassland soils). The soils in the area have a frigid or cryic soil temperature regime, a udic or ustic soil moisture regime, and mixed, micaceous, or smectitic mineralogy. They are shallow to very deep, generally well drained, and loamy in texture.

The Black Hills MLRA supports open to dense forest vegetation. Ponderosa pine is the dominant species across the Black Hills. White spruce grows at the higher elevations and along the major drainageways. Bur oak is found intermixed with pine in the northern and eastern fringes of the Black Hills, and Rocky Mountain Juniper is most common in the southern portion of the Black Hills. Aspen is of minor extent throughout the Black Hills area. Roughleaf ricegrass, slender wheatgrass, bearded wheatgrass, poverty oatgrass, Richardson’s needlegrass, and mountain ricegrass are the most common native grasses under open forest stands. The most common native shrubs are common snowberry, bearberry, common juniper, Oregon grape, and Saskatoon serviceberry.

MLRA 62 land ownership is approximately 47 percent private and 53 percent federal. Rangeland and forestland are split almost equally between private and federal ownership (47 percent each). Minor areas of land are privately owned cropland and urban development. The forestland in this area is used mainly for timber production, recreation, and grazing.

The major resource concerns are soil erosion and surface compaction caused by logging, mining, wildfires, grazing, and urban expansion. The quality of ground and surface water is another concern, especially in the northern part of the Black Hills. The primary cause is contamination from mine waste and septic systems in areas of rural development and urban expansion (USDA-NRCS Ag Handbook 296).

LRU notes

For development of ecological sites, MLRA 62 is divided into three Land Resource Units (LRU’s) or physiographic zones (A, B, C, and Y). Each LRU has a set of ecological sites that represents these zones.

The LRU is identified in the Ecological Site ID: R062XY000SD; “062X” identifies the MLRA, the next letter “Y” identifies the LRU. Note: The organization of Ecological Site ID’s will likely change in the future.

LRU-A includes the northern Black Hills and Bear Lodge Mountains (22-30” PZ); LRU-B includes the high elevation central core of the Black Hills (25-35” PZ); and LRU-C includes the southern portion of the Black Hills (17-21” PZ).

The Forest ecological sites are representative of sites in the Black Hills, Bear Lodge Mountains (MLRA-62), and the surrounding Dakota Hogback (MLRA-61). These sites are separated by elevation, soil temperature regimes, and slope.

The Low Mountain area includes all of the Black Hills, Bear Lodge Mountains, and Dakota Hogback below 6,200 feet in elevation (LRU’s A and C). The soils in this area have a frigid soil temperature regime.

The High Mountain area includes all of the Black Hills above 6,200 feet elevation (LRU-B). The soils in this area have a cryic soil temperature regime.

Classification relationships

USDA Land Resource Region G—Western Great Plains Range and Irrigated Region:
Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 61—Black Hills Foot Slopes
Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 62—Black Hills

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Level IV Ecoregions of the Conterminous United States:
Black Hills Foothills—17a
Black Hills Plateau—17b
Black Hills Core Highlands—17c

USDA Forest Service Ecological Subregions: Sections and Subsections of the Conterminous United States:
Black Hills Coniferous Forest Province—M334:
Black Hills Section—334A
Black Hills Foothills Subsection—M334Aa
Black Hills Limestone Plateau-Core Highlands Subsection—M334Ab

Ecological site concept

The Highland Hills Pine Forest (0-15% Slope) ecological site is a large extent forest site found in the Black Hills, Bear Lodge Mountains, and the surrounding Dakota Hogback. This site is found above 6,200 feet in elevation. The slopes range from 0-15 percent. There will typically be a light-colored leached “E” horizon positioned above an argillic horizon of translocated clay.

Vegetation in the Reference State (1.0) consists of a ponderosa pine overstory with a mixed shrub and herbaceous understory.

Associated sites

F062XY057SD	Cool Fringe Mixed Hardwood Forest This site occurs adjacent and is often found on the fringes of meadows, valleys, or areas of increased soil moisture.

F062XY057SD

Cool Fringe Mixed Hardwood Forest

This site occurs adjacent and is often found on the fringes of meadows, valleys, or areas of increased soil moisture.

Similar sites

F062XB052SD	Highland Hills Pine Forest(0-15% Slope) This site occurs in the higher elevations, so cooler temperatures allow for a larger shrub component understory.
F062XC053SD	Low Elevation Dry Southern Hills Pine Forest This site is warmer and occurs in the southern reach of the Black Hills, often with a larger grass component.

F062XB052SD

Highland Hills Pine Forest(0-15% Slope)

This site occurs in the higher elevations, so cooler temperatures allow for a larger shrub component understory.

F062XC053SD

Low Elevation Dry Southern Hills Pine Forest

This site is warmer and occurs in the southern reach of the Black Hills, often with a larger grass component.

Table 1. Dominant plant species

Tree	(1) Pinus ponderosa (2) Populus tremuloides
Shrub	(1) Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (2) Juniperus communis
Herbaceous	(1) Nassella (2) Astragalus

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Physiographic features

The Highland Hills ecological site occupies elevation ranging from 6200-7200 feet across a wide variety of landforms from 0-15% slope encompassing the central region of the Black Hills known as LRU B and the High Limestone Plateau.

Table 2. Representative physiographic features

Landforms	(1) Hills > Hillslope (2) Ridge (3) Hill
Runoff class	Medium to very high
Flooding frequency	None
Ponding frequency	None
Elevation	6,200 – 7,200 ft
Slope	15%
Water table depth	80 in
Aspect	Aspect is not a significant factor

Climatic features

MLRA 62 is in a microclimate caused by the influence of increased elevation which leads to increased precipitation, moderate air temperature, and lower wind velocities compared to the surrounding Great Plains. In general, the Black Hills climate is a continental type, cold in the winter and hot in the summer.

Growth of cool-season plants begins in April, slowing or ceasing growth by mid-August. Warm-season plants begin growth in May and continue to mid-September. Regrowth of cool-season plants may occur in September and October, depending upon soil moisture availability.

Table 3. Representative climatic features

Frost-free period (characteristic range)	79-110 days
Freeze-free period (characteristic range)	112-130 days
Precipitation total (characteristic range)	18-22 in
Frost-free period (actual range)	62-114 days
Freeze-free period (actual range)	106-134 days
Precipitation total (actual range)	18-30 in
Frost-free period (average)	94 days
Freeze-free period (average)	121 days
Precipitation total (average)	21 in

Characteristic range

Actual range

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Figure 1. Monthly precipitation range

Characteristic range

Actual range

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Figure 2. Monthly minimum temperature range

Characteristic range

Actual range

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Figure 3. Monthly maximum temperature range

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Figure 4. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature

Figure 5. Annual precipitation pattern

Figure 6. Annual average temperature pattern

Soil features

This site is represented by the Riflepit and Stovho Soils in this region that were historically forest often show evidence of an “E” eluviated horizon from decades of eluviation of acidic materials from needle and leaf litter. Acidity at the surface is often in the range of 5.0-6.5 PH, to depth of 40 inches the pH ranges 5.1 to 8.4, and a thin organic horizon is commonly present at the surface.

More information regarding the soil is available in soil survey reports. Contact the local USDA Service Center for details specific to your area of interest, or go online to access USDA’s Web Soil Survey.

Table 4. Representative soil features

Parent material	(1) Residuum – limestone and sandstone (2) Colluvium – schist (3) Alluvium – rhyolite
Surface texture	(1) Loam (2) Channery silt loam (3) Very gravelly sandy loam (4) Clay
Family particle size	(1) Loamy
Drainage class	Well drained
Permeability class	Very slow to rapid
Depth to restrictive layer	20 – 80 in
Soil depth	20 – 80 in
Surface fragment cover <=3"	5%
Surface fragment cover >3"	5%
Available water capacity (0-40in)	1 – 8.5 in
Calcium carbonate equivalent (0-40in)	40%
Electrical conductivity (0-40in)	2 mmhos/cm
Sodium adsorption ratio (0-40in)	2
Soil reaction (1:1 water) (0-40in)	5.1 – 8.4
Subsurface fragment volume <=3" (0-40in)	65%
Subsurface fragment volume >3" (0-40in)	65%

Ecological dynamics

Dominated by ponderosa pine, the Highland Hills Pine Forest (0-15% Slope) ecological site occupies much of the area of LRU B. There exists a historic reference state and a managed timber/invaded state. Given the history of intensive use of the Black Hills and its forestry resources, much of the area today would be found in a managed state with few areas remaining in either the native or native/invaded states. This LRU is defined by the cooler temperatures, increased moisture, and a long stretching portion of limestone as the base parent material over much of the area. Natural disturbances such as fire, wind, ice storms, and pests determined the structure and appearance of this ecological site. Fires in this region occurred less often than the surrounding areas due to the increased moisture and cooler temperatures.

Due to an increase in elevation and moisture this ecological site will maintain a hardwood component such as quaking aspen and paper birch and will have a component of white spruce in some communities. The herbaceous layer is the most important undergrowth lifeform in this habitat type. Often found on this site are native cool season bunchgrasses such as needlesgrasses, oatgrasses, along with rough-leaf ricegrass. This site has one of the most diverse assemblages of forbs where no one species dominates. Common forbs may include many different species of vetches (Astragalus spp), goldenrods (Solidago spp), fleabanes, asters including arrowleaf balsamroot, and more. A variety of shrubs and subshrubs are also present which include common juniper, bearberry, Oregon grape, prickly rose, shrubby cinquefoil and white coralberry.

Ponderosa pine is the dominant tree species in the Black Hills and tends to have dark colored bark (blackjacks) until it reaches 75 to 100 years of age, after which the bark progressively changes to a buff or orange color. Morphologically older trees are marked by the presence of thinning foliar and flat-topped crowns. Additional morphology includes larger lower branching with higher crown- based heights and furrowed or very smooth bark.

Historically the Black Hills consisted of a diverse landscape mosaic that varied from grasslands, open stands of ponderosa pine forest with small numbers of large trees, and dense stands of ponderosa pine, with many similar-sized and -aged trees. Spatial heterogeneity was present not only across the Black Hills but also within the smaller dense pine patches (Brown, 2006). This variation of structure consisted of a diverse landscape mosaic that varied from grasslands and stands of ponderosa pine forest with variation in forest structure due to topographically driven soils and microclimates. Resulting in variation of total tree density, tree group size, proportion of trees in groups versus single random trees, and openness.

Fires in this region occurred less often than the surrounding areas due to the increased moisture and cooler temperatures, often with an interval ranging from 30-33 years (Hunter et al. 2007). Prior to Euro-American settlement, the Black Hills fire regime was mixed-severity, with both surface and crown fires being components of the ecosystem (Hunter et al. 2007). "Long fire-free periods were historically common in the Black Hills (Brown and Sieg 1996), which may have led to fuel build-up and high tree density - conditions conducive to crown fire spread (Hunter et al. 2007)". "The occurrence of surface fires and stand-replacing fires, coupled with other disturbance agents, led to a complex mosaic of forest structure composed of dense forests, moderately stocked forests, and treeless openings (Hunter et al. 2007)".

In addition to variable fire- pests, disease, and other natural disturbances played a role in the overall maintenance of forest diversity, structure, and density in the Black Hills. The mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) is an important driver of forest structure. The mountain pine beetle was first described in the Black Hills in 1901 by Andrew D. Hopkins and the first documented epidemic of bark beetles in the Black Hills occurred in 1895 (Graham et al. 2016). These beetles are native in the Black Hills and have cyclical life cycle and emergence, with a continuous endemic and less frequent epidemics in the Black Hills over the last 129 years (Graham et al. 2016). "Mountain pine beetle outbreaks in the Black Hills from 1894 through 2014 had a mean return interval of 20 years and a mean duration of 13 years" (Graham et al. 2016).

At a variable and localized scale, additional disturbances include pine engraver beetles and armillaria root rot. Pine engraver beetles are non-aggressive and breed in windthrown ponderosa pine trees, tree's damaged by ice storms, or other non-standing trees. Armillaria (Armillaria ostoyae) has been noted across soil types and locations within the Black Hills (Boldt and Van Deusen 1974; Holah1993; Lundquist 1991; Shepperd, Wayne D.; Battaglia, Michael A. 2002).

Studies have shown the current forest contains about the same basal area (ft2/ac) on average as the historic forest. The difference, however, is that the historic forest was dominated by fewer, but much larger trees, than those present today. This suggests that there has been a simplification in structure at stand to landscape scales, with increased tree density leading to fewer gaps and more even spacing and size distributions within groups (Brown, 2008).

Relative increases in tree density and simplification of structure have contributed to greater vertical and horizontal fuel continuity, and thus increased likelihood for incidence and extent of crown fires. More pole-sized trees (5-to-9-inch DBH) within stands also increases the likelihood of bark beetle outbreaks. This is a concern in the Black Hills where pine beetle outbreaks have been a major disturbance agent during the 20th and early 21st centuries.

It is also important to note the change in composition in recent decades of ponderosa pine stands, whereby mainly through the mechanism of fire suppression, the dominance of white spruce has grown by an estimated 5% or more from the original 1.5% composition covered historically (Tatina R.E., Hanberry B.B., 2022).

Due to the spread and establishment of non-native cool-season grasses and other anthropogenic disturbances in MLRA 62, the Reference Plant Community (1.1) will only be a close analogy of the pre-settlement plant community.

The following state-and-transition diagram illustrates the common plant communities on the site and the transition pathways between communities. The ecological processes are discussed in more detail in the plant community descriptions following the diagram.

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. Reference State

2. Timber Managed and Invaded Herbaceous Sod State

T1A	-	Introduction of invasive non-native cool season grasses

State 1 submodel, plant communities

1.1. Reference Community

1.2. Post Large Patch Disturbance Community

1.3. Successional Pine Community

1.4. No Disturbance Community

1.1A	-	Infrequent large patch disturbance.
1.1B	-	60+ years no disturbance.
1.2A	-	30+ years no disturbance.
1.3A	-	Small patch disturbance.
1.3B	-	Infrequent large patch disturbance.
1.4A	-	Infrequent large patch disturbance.

State 2 submodel, plant communities

2.1. Managed Forest

2.2. Invaded Herbaceous

2.1A	-	Logging and clearing
2.2A	-	Early season grazing in combination with tree planting, seeding, or prescribed fire

State 1
Reference State

The Reference State represents what is believed to show the natural range of variability that dominated the dynamics of the high elevation Black Hills forested ecosystem. The Reference State (1.0) is dominated by a ponderosa pine overstory with possible quaking aspen, paper birch and white spruce. The hardwood and white spruce components will be present in younger stands and eventually be out competed by the pine and become less prevalent as the stand ages. The understory consists of shrubs, forbs, cool-season bunchgrasses and sedges. Predominant shrubs will include common juniper, white coralberry, shrubby cinquefoil, Oregon grape. Forbs are common and diverse. Dominant cool-season bunchgrasses will include rough-leaved ricegrass, needlegrasses, and oatgrasses. Sedges will include Hood’s sedge, dryspike sedge, and Richardson’s sedge. Structural variation within this reference state is driven by available moisture and the length of time since disturbance. On the warmer more xeric sites pine will assume dominance over the spruce, but these processes will take longer on northern and western slopes and draw bottoms which hold moisture longer. When there is a longer time between disturbances more trees are able to grow, reducing the number of single trees and increasing the size of tree groups. Heterogeneity at the landscape level (100-1000 acres) is largely dictated by a combination of precipitation from snowfall, spring and fall rains, and climatic variation including multiple wet years to drought years. This effects the resulting disturbance regimes namely mixed severity disturbances with either small or large patches over time that yield variation in tree densities. When there are multiple wet years there are fewer disturbances, hence increasing tree densities. When the wet periods are prolonged and followed by a drought period the disturbances have a greater likelihood of being higher severity and creating larger patch disturbances. Primary disturbance mechanisms for this site are relatively moderate frequency (30-to-33-year interval) of mixed severity small patch (0-20 acre) disturbances, and rare (>100-year interval) mixed severity large patch (20-200 acre) disturbances. Variation of type, size, and frequency of disturbances contribute to dynamic stand maintenance or transitions. The small and large patchy nature of disturbances and longer intervals between disturbances dictate the dynamics that can occur within the natural range of variability of this site including variation in diameters at breast height (DBH) and amounts of trees per acre (TPA). The main disturbances that drive forest structure are wildfire and mountain pine beetle infestations, both endemic and epidemic populations. Severe weather events in the Black Hills are also a significant disturbance that can result in overstory damage and treefall. Events include hailstorms, heavy snow fall, tornados, and microbursts. Due to the pervasiveness of non-native cool-season grasses, timber management, and long-term fire suppression in the region, the true Reference State (1.0) is nearly non-existent.

Dominant plant species

ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), tree
quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), shrub
paper birch (Betula papyrifera), shrub
common juniper (Juniperus communis), shrub
kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), shrub
creeping barberry (Mahonia repens), shrub
Woods' rose (Rosa woodsii), shrub
shrubby cinquefoil (Dasiphora fruticosa), shrub
coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus), shrub
green needlegrass (Nassella viridula), grass
roughleaf ricegrass (Oryzopsis asperifolia), grass
oatgrass (Danthonia), grass
milkvetch (Astragalus), other herbaceous
goldenrod (Solidago), other herbaceous
fleabane (Erigeron), other herbaceous
aster (Aster), other herbaceous
arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata), other herbaceous

Community 1.1
Reference Community

The reference community for this ecological site would be considered a highly variable uneven-aged structure moderately dense, ponderosa pine forest with scattered hardwoods and spruce. This community evolved with periodic severe drought, mixed severity small patch (0-20 acres) disturbances with a return interval of 30 to 33 years, rare mixed severity high patch (20-200 acres) disturbances that occurred on a greater than 100-year interval, disturbances include fire, insect and disease outbreaks, severe weather events that include hailstorms, heavy snow fall, tornados, and microbursts. Light to moderate levels of wildlife browsing and grazing also occurred on this site prior to European-American Settlement. The expected forest canopy cover ranges from 30-60% with approximately 84 TPA around 13 inches DBH. The spatial arrangement of ponderosa pine consists of 36% groupings, 8% individual trees, and 58% openings. The dominant grasses and grass-like species include green needlegrass (Nasella viridula), rough-leaved ricegrass (Oryzopsis asperifolia), oatgrass (Danthonia), and upland sedges. The dominant shrubs include white coralberry and Oregon grape. Forbs are common and very diverse. As the canopy cover increases the herbaceous understory will decrease in production and species diversity. Shrubs may tend to increase initially then decrease as the canopy closes (South Dakota Guide for Grazable Woodlands,1993). This plant community is diverse, stable, productive, and is well adapted to the high elevation Black Hills. Community dynamics, nutrient cycle, water cycle, and energy flow are functioning properly. Plant litter is properly distributed with very little movement offsite, and natural plant mortality is very low. This is a sustainable plant community in terms of soil stability, watershed function, and biologic integrity. This community self sustains itself with moderate frequency mixed severity small patch disturbance or moderate frequency low severity disturbance.

Dominant plant species

ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), tree
quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), tree
common juniper (Juniperus communis), shrub
creeping barberry (Mahonia repens), shrub
common snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus), shrub
oatgrass (Danthonia), grass
needlegrass (Nassella), grass
roughleaf ricegrass (Oryzopsis asperifolia), grass
goldenrod (Solidago), other herbaceous
milkvetch (Astragalus), other herbaceous

Community 1.2
Post Large Patch Disturbance Community

This plant community is a successional phase of a post-fire ponderosa pine forest resulting in fairly uniform structure, even aged, young dense hardwood forest with remnant large overstory pines. It evolved with natural disturbances including episodic insect and disease outbreaks in ponderosa pine, mixed severity large patch (20-200 acre) fires, or severe weather events. This plant community is usually of small extent. This is a young stand that is over 85% quaking aspen or paper birch and the ponderosa pine and white spruce component often less than 15% of the forest community. This community having a higher number of deciduous trees makes it more open and cooler, contains higher amounts of cool season bunchgrasses, sedges, pioneer forbs, and shrubs.

Dominant plant species

ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), tree
quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), tree

Figure 7. Plant community growth curve (percent production by month). SD6211, Black Hills, heavy conifer canopy. Mature ponderosa pine overstory.

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
1	3	7	11	24	27	12	5	4	3	2	1

Community 1.3
Successional Pine Community

This community is succession from a younger aged pine stand. It has a fairly uniform even aged immature conifer forest dominated by pines with a strong hardwood component. Canopy cover greater than 50% with pole sized (5-9 inches in diameter at breast height) trees approximately 40+% ponderosa pine, <40% white spruce, and less than 30% quaking aspen and/or paper birch. Due to the success of the conifer species the hardwood species have declined as they are less shade tolerant. The understory consists of Cool season bunchgrasses, upland sedges, diverse forbs, and shrubs.

Dominant plant species

ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), tree
white spruce (Picea glauca), tree
common juniper (Juniperus communis), shrub
needlegrass (Nassella), grass
sedge (Carex), grass

Community 1.4
No Disturbance Community

This community evolved with a prolonged absence of insect and disease outbreaks, fire and severe weather events that include hailstorms, heavy snow fall, tornados, and microbursts. Slightly variable structured even aged moderately dense pine forest with limited hardwoods and spruce component. Light to moderate levels of wildlife browsing and grazing also occurred on this site prior to European-American settlement. The expected forest canopy cover is greater than 60% with approximately 114 TPA around 12 inches DBH. The spatial arrangement of ponderosa pine consists of 60% groupings, 2% individual trees, and 38% openings. The tree overstory will have a canopy cover greater than 60 percent. The dominant grasses and grass-like species include green needlegrass (Nasella viridula), rough-leaved ricegrass (Oryzopsis asperifolia), oatgrass (Danthonia), and upland sedges. The dominant shrubs include common juniper (Juniperus communis) and Oregon grape. Due to the increase canopy cover the herbaceous understory will decrease in production and species diversity. Shrubs percentage will be decreased with the higher canopy cover. The dominant tree species on this site is ponderosa pine with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ranging from 9 to 14 inches. Quaking aspen, paper birch and white spruce will be less frequent but still scattered throughout the site. This is due to the higher pine density shading out the hardwoods and the white spruce being less adapted to the dryer soils and dying out. This state can be self-sustained though frequent low severity surface fire.

Dominant plant species

ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), tree
common juniper (Juniperus communis), shrub
creeping barberry (Mahonia repens), shrub
needlegrass (Nassella), grass
sedge (Carex), grass

Pathway 1.1A
Community 1.1 to 1.2

This transition between communities is a result of infrequent (>100 years) mixed severity large patch (20-200 acres) disturbance. This disturbance is often in the form of mixed severity fire with acres group torching or epidemic Mountain Pine Beetle outbreaks. Severe weather events such as hailstorms, heavy snow fall, ice storms, tornados, and microbursts can also cause large scale tree mortality leading to this transition.

Conservation practices

Prescribed Burning
Forest Stand Improvement

Pathway 1.1B
Community 1.1 to 1.3

This transition between communities is a result of the passing of time (60+ years) with no disturbance allowing for tree growth and density to increase.

Pathway 1.2A
Community 1.2 to 1.4

This transition between communities is a result of the passing of time (30-60 years) with no disturbance allowing for tree growth and density to increase.

Pathway 1.3A
Community 1.3 to 1.1

This transition between communities is a result of mixed severity small patch (1-20 acres) disturbance. This disturbance is often in the form of mixed severity fire with acres group torching or epidemic Mountain Pine Beetle outbreaks. Severe weather events hailstorms, heavy snow fall, ice storms, tornados, and microbursts can also cause large scale tree mortality leading to this transition. .

Pathway 1.3B
Community 1.3 to 1.2

This transition between communities is a result of infrequent (>100 years) mixed severity large patch (20-200 acres) disturbance. This disturbance is often in the form of mixed severity fire with acres group torching or epidemic Mountain Pine Beetle outbreaks. Severe weather events hailstorms, heavy snow fall, ice storms, tornados, and microbursts can also cause large scale tree mortality leading to this transition.

Pathway 1.4A
Community 1.4 to 1.2

This transition between communities is a result of infrequent (>100 years) mixed severity large patch (20-200 acres) disturbance. This disturbance is often in the form of mixed severity fire with acres group torching or epidemic Mountain Pine Beetle outbreaks. Severe weather events hailstorms, heavy snow fall, ice storms, tornados, and microbursts can also cause large scale tree mortality leading to this transition.

State 2
Timber Managed and Invaded Herbaceous Sod State

The Timber managed and Invaded Herbaceous Sod State is largely the result of historic early European-American settlement of the Black Hills region. Large tracts which were logged free of regulatory restraints-prior to establishment of the Forest Reserve in 1897- were commercially clear-cut and practically stripped of all trees large enough to yield a mine timber a railroad tie. (Boldt and Van Deusen 1974). Between the mid-1870s to 1890s, the Homestake Mining Company (and their half dozen subsidiary companies) alone cut upwards of 6 million board feet of timber in the Black Hills. In some areas, this ecological site was clear-cut for timber, then converted for use as ranch and farmsteads. In other cases, the pine overstory was lost to high intensity fire events followed by settlement. The cleared areas were often heavily grazed to supply beef and mutton for mining and logging communities. In later years these sites were often seeded to introduced grasses and clover to increase forage quality or farmed for grain crop production. In many cases the shift in land use from forest to livestock, forage, and crop production remains. Those areas that are not under intensive management resist transitioning back to a forest plant community, even though the soils still exhibit forest attributes. The dominant understory associated with this state are introduced sod-forming grasses, introduced legumes, and weedy forbs. This state is very resistant to change through management alone.

Dominant plant species

ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), tree
smooth brome (Bromus inermis), grass
Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), grass
timothy (Phleum pratense), grass
redtop (Agrostis gigantea), grass
red clover (Trifolium pratense), other herbaceous
white clover (Trifolium repens), other herbaceous
oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), other herbaceous
common yarrow (Achillea millefolium), other herbaceous
cinquefoil (Potentilla), other herbaceous
Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense), other herbaceous

Community 2.1
Managed Forest

This plant community is a result of forest activities focused on timber management. Virtually all of the Black Hills unreserved and operable forest acres have been cut over at least once; many acres have received multiple partial cuts. (Boldt and Van Deusen 1974). Current structure is based on the management or silvicultural system that was implemented by forestry professionals. There are a variety of forest harvest systems that have been utilized. These dictate the resulting and future forests structure of the site. One of the primary forest structures resulting from forest management is a single story of evenly spaced trees. The resulting tree size might very from saplings to larger diameter trees. Although the spacing within the site will be fairly uniform different sites will have different spacings ranging from 10ft to 150ft between trees. Generally, the larger the tree the greater the spacing will be between trees. Another common resulting structure of forest management is a site with two separate canopy layers of trees. One layer is commonly made up of lager diameter trees that have a spacing often wider then 30ft. The other layer is seedling and sapling sized trees, these trees may be at an even spacing between 10 and 16 feet apart or they may not be evenly spaced. There are other management objectives and silvicultural systems that result in different forest structures other than then ones previously listed. These structures usually include leaving trees of all sizes from seedling to large dimeter trees in varying amounts. The resulting spatial distribution is generally also uneven with areas of different forest densities. Natural regeneration is the most common following timber management changing the forest structure and need for future management throughout time. Planting of trees maybe done in large fire burn areas,

Community 2.2
Invaded Herbaceous

This plant community is a result of the loss of the overstory ponderosa pine, either from high-intensity fire or timber harvest, followed by heavy continuous grazing, invasion of non-native cool- season grasses, and in some cases seeding to forage or crop species. It is characterized by a dominance of non-native cool- season grasses including timothy, smooth brome, Kentucky bluegrass, and redtop. Forbs will include red and white clover, ox- eye daisy, western yarrow, cinquefoil, and Canada thistle. Native plants, including ponderosa pine, have great difficulty becoming established in this plant community. This site can be renovated through tillage and seeding of introduced forage species. The renovated plant community can remain productive through prescribed grazing with proper stocking rates, change in season of use, and adequate time for plant recovery following grazing event.

Pathway 2.1A
Community 2.1 to 2.2

The Timber managed and Invaded Herbaceous Sod State is largely the result of historic early European-American settlement of the Black Hills region. Large tracts which were logged free of regulatory restraints-prior to establishment of the Forest Reserve in 1897- were commercially clearcut and practically stripped of all trees large enough to yield a mine timber a railroad tie. (Boldt and Van Deusen 1974). Between the mid-1870s to 1890s, the Homestake Mining Company (and their half dozen subsidiary companies) alone cut something upwards of 6 million board feet of timber in the Black Hills. In some areas, this ecological site, was clear-cut for timber, then converted for use as ranch and farmsteads. In other cases, the pine overstory was lost to high- intensity fire events followed by settlement. The cleared areas were often heavily grazed to supply beef and mutton for mining and logging communities. In later years these sites were often seeded to introduced grasses and clover to increase forage quality or farmed for grain crop production. In many cases the shift in land use from forest to livestock, forage, and crop production remains. Those areas that are not under intensive management resist transitioning back to a forest plant community, even though the soils still exhibit forest attributes. The dominant plants associated with this state are introduced sod-forming grasses, introduced legumes, and weedy forbs. This state is very resistant to change through management alone.

Pathway 2.2A
Community 2.2 to 2.1

Early season grazing in combination with tree planting, seeding, or prescribed fire may revert this community back to a timber managed forest once canopy cover exceeds 60%.

Transition T1A
State 1 to 2

Introduction of invasive non-native cool season grasses including Kentucky bluegrass, and prolonged periods of fire suppression.

Additional community tables

Interpretations

Animal community

Wildlife Interpretations:

The Black Hills and Bear Lodge Mountains of South Dakota and Wyoming are truly a forested island in a grassland sea. To regional Native Americans, they are ‘Paha Sapa” or “hills that are black”, and from a distance, the ponderosa pine-covered slopes do appear like black hills (Larson, 1999).

The Black Hills and Bear Lodge Mountains are located in the drier areas of a northern mixed-grass prairie ecosystem in which sagebrush steppes to the west yield to grassland steppes to the east. Prior to European settlement, MLRA 62 consisted of diverse grassland, shrubland, and forest habitats interspersed with varying densities of depressional, instream wetlands and woody riparian corridors. These habitats provided critical life cycle components for many users. Many species of grassland birds, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and herds of roaming bison, elk, and pronghorn were among the inhabitants adapted to this semi-arid region. Roaming herbivores, as well as several species of small mammals and insects, were the primary consumers linking the grassland resources to large predators, such as the gray wolf, mountain lion, and grizzly bear, and to smaller carnivores, such as the coyote, bobcat, fox, and raptors.

Ponderosa pine stands provide cavity nesting sites, nesting cover, escape cover, and den sites for a variety of species. Species that increase include elk, white-footed mice, bushy-tailed woodrat, black-billed magpie, Townsend’s solitaire, western meadowlark, Bohemian waxwing, dark-eyed junco, nuthatch, black-capped chickadees, brown thrasher, lark sparrow, crows, and white-crowned sparrow. Species such as meadow voles, spotted ground squirrel, thirteen-lined ground squirrel, northern grasshopper mice, and western harvest mice do not use this site. Grassland nesting songbirds will decline as pine cover increases. Raptors, such as the long-eared owl, increase.

Beaver inhabited surface waters associated with instream wetlands and woody riparian corridors occur along streams and drainages. Beaver occupation served as a mechanism to maintain water tables along flood plains and valley floors. During pre-European times, the extent of the wet land sites was likely much more wide-spread and persistent during dry periods, however excessive trapping and removal since that time have changed the hydrology and limited the extent of these sites while drying former mesic areas throughout the MLRA.

Grazing Interpretations:

Forage production of plant communities described in the Mod Steep to Steep Low Mountain Slopes ecological site can be variable due to some of the slopes being largely inaccessible to cattle. Domestic sheep and goats would likely utilize this ecological site throughout the growing season and into fall, but are not commonly produced in the Black Hills area. Those areas that are accessible to livestock use require a complete resource inventory to document plant composition and production. Accurate estimates of carrying capacity should be calculated using vegetative clipping data, animal preference data, and actual historic stocking records.

Recreational uses

This site provides opportunities for hunting, hiking, photography, bird watching, and botanizing. The wide variety of plants that bloom from spring until fall have an aesthetic value that appeals to visitors.

Wood products

The ponderosa pine produced in the Black Hills area are marketable for saw logs and heating fuel pellets. Some of the steeper slopes on this ecological site may make this resource less accessible to modern timber harvesting equipment. Management of this forest resource for watershed protection, grazing, wildlife, recreation, and timber harvest may be the most critical issues land managers and owners currently face.

Land management specialists stress the need to create and manage fire-tolerant forests on a landscape basis. They recommend fuel-mitigation treatments through grazing management, forest thinning, prescribed burning, and timber harvest management. Fire is especially damaging in the forest/urban interface and requires the expansion of defensible space around homes and buildings, and education on “Fire Wise” practices.

Other products

Harvesting the seeds of native plants can provide additional income on this site.

Other information

Revision Notes: Provisional
This provisional ecological site description (ESD) has passed quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) to ensure that it meets the 2014 NESH standards for a provisional ecological site description. This site should not be considered an Approved ESD, as it is only the foundational site concepts and requires further data collection, site investigations, and final State-and-Transition Model (STM) reviews before it can be used as an Approved ESD meeting NESH standards.

Site Development and Testing Plan
Future work, as described in an official project plan, is necessary to validate the information in this provisional ecological site description. The plan will include field activities for low-, medium-, and high-intensity sampling, soil correlations, and analysis of the data. Annual field reviews should be done by soil scientists and vegetation specialists. Final field review, peer review, quality control, and quality assurance reviews are required to produce the final document.

Supporting information

Inventory data references

Information presented here has been derived from NRCS clipping data and other inventory data. Field observations from range-trained personnel were also used. Those involved in developing this site include: Stan Boltz, range management specialist (RMS), NRCS; Dan Brady, soil scientist (SS), NRCS; Mitch Faulkner, RMS, NRCS; Rick Peterson, (RMS), NRCS, Ezra Hoffman (Ecological Site Specialist)NRCS; and Jim Westerman, (SS), NRCS. All inventory information and data records are compiled within the Rapid City, SD USDA-NRCS Shared “S” network drive.

Other references

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F.W. 2007. A comprehensive guide to fuels treatment practices for ponderosa pine in
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Contributors

Rick L. Peterson, Rangeland Management Specialist-NRCS(Retired)
Mitch D. Faulkner, Rangeland Management Specialist-NRCS
Stan C. Boltz, Rangeland Management Specialist-NRCS
Ezra Hoffman, Ecological Site Specialist-NRCS
Laura Bosworth, State Forester, NRCS
Nancy Bayne, Silviculturist, USFS(Retired)
Kara Dunlap, Timber Program Manager, USFS
Jonas Feinstein, Regional Conservation Forester, NRCS
David Jalali, MLRA Soil Scientist, NRCS
Dan Brady, Soil Scientist, NRCS

Approval

Suzanne Mayne-Kinney, 2/06/2025

Acknowledgments

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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	02/06/2025
Approved by	Suzanne Mayne-Kinney
Approval date
Composition (Indicators 10 and 12) based on	Annual Production