Sands 22-25" P.Z.
Scenario model
Current ecosystem state
Select a state
Management practices/drivers
Select a transition or restoration pathway
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Transition T1A
Heavy grazing with wildfire, drought, or disturbance, wind erosion.
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Transition T1B
Heavy grazing or haying with inadequate growing season recovery periods.
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Transition T1C
Woody encroachment with no fire or brush management.
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Transition T1D
Tillage to facilitate production agriculture.
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Restoration pathway R2A
Removal of disturbance with long-term (> 10 years) prescribed grazing.
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Restoration pathway R2B
Removal of disturbance with long-term (>10 years) prescribed grazing.
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Restoration pathway R2C
Removal of disturbance with long-term (>10 years) prescribed grazing.
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Restoration pathway R3A
Long-term (> 15 years) prescribed grazing which includes adequate growing season recovery periods. This restoration may not be feasible.
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Transition T3A
Heavy grazing with drought, wildfire or other disturbance, wind erosion.
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Transition T3B
Woody encroachment with no fire or brush management.
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Transition T3C
Tillage to facilitate production agriculture.
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Restoration pathway R4A
Prescribed burning, wildfire, timber harvest, brush management.
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Restoration pathway R4B
Prescribed burning, wildfire, timber harvest, brush management.
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Restoration pathway R4C
Prescribed burning, wildfire, timber harvest, brush management.
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Transition T5A
Heavy grazing with drought, wildfire or other disturbance, wind erosion.
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Transition T5B
Woody encroachment with no fire or brush management.
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No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
Target ecosystem state
Select a state
Description
The Reference State (1) describes the range of vegetative community phases that occur on the Sands 22-25 PZ ecological site where the range of natural variability under historic conditions and disturbance regimes is mostly intact. The Reference State developed under the combined influences of climatic conditions, periodic fire activity, grazing by large herbivores, and impacts from small mammals and insects. High perennial grass cover and production allows for abundant soil moisture retention, vegetative production and overall soil quality.
The Reference State includes the Reference Community (1.1), the Degraded Native Grass Community (1.2), the At-Risk Community (1.3), and the Excessive Litter Community (1.4). The Reference Community (1.1) serves as a description of the native plant community that naturally occurs on the site when the natural disturbance regimes are intact or closely mimicked by management practices. The Degraded Native Grass (1.2) and At-Risk (1.3) Communities result from management decisions that are unfavorable for a healthy Reference Community. The Excessive Litter Community (1.4) occurs when herbivory and fire are eliminated from the landscape. All community phases are susceptible to eastern redcedar invasion and subject to crossing a threshold into the Invaded Woody State (4).
Submodel
Description
The threshold to the Eroded State (2) is crossed as a result of multiple disturbances, typically heavy grazing and multi-year drought, which causes large bare areas to develop. The resulting wind erosion produces large areas of blowing sand. The Eroded State includes the Active Blowout Community (2.1) and the Early Seral Community (2.2).
If the Eroded State transitioned from the Native/Invaded Grass State (3) or the Sodbusted State (5), the land cannot transition to the Reference State (1) as the native plant community and soils have been too severely impacted to allow the return to the Reference State.
Submodel
Description
The Reference State (1) has been degraded and transitioned to the Native/Invaded Grass State (3). Most of the native warm-season, tall- and midgrass community has been replaced by warm-season shortgrasses and non-native cool-season grass. The loss of warm-season mid- and tallgrasses has negatively impacted energy flow and nutrient cycling. Water infiltration is reduced due to the shallow root system and rapid runoff characteristics of the shortgrass sod plant community. The Native/Invaded Grass State includes the Shortgrass Sod (3.1) and the Invasive Grass (3.2) Communities.
Submodel
Description
The Invaded Woody State (4) is the result of woody encroachment. Once the tree canopy cover reaches 15 percent with an average tree height exceeding five feet, the threshold to the Invaded Woody State has been crossed. Woody species are increasing due to the lack of prescribed fire, brush management, or other woody tree removal. Typical ecological impacts are a loss of native grasses, reduced diversity of functional and structural groups, reduced forage production, and reduced soil quality.
Prescribed burning, wildfire, timber harvest and brush management will move the Invaded Woody State toward a grass dominated state. If the Invaded Woody State transitioned from the Native/Invaded Grass State (3) or the Sodbusted State (5), the land cannot return to the Reference State (1) as the native plant community, soils, and hydrologic function had been too severely impacted prior to the woody encroachment to allow the return to the Reference State through woody species removal alone. The Invaded Woody State includes one community, the Invaded Woody Community (4.1).
Submodel
Description
The threshold to the Sodbusted State (5) is crossed as a result of mechanical disturbance to facilitate production agriculture. If farming operations are suspended, the site can seeded to native grasses and forms resulting in the Reseeded Native Grass Community (5.1), be seeded to a tame pasture forage mixture resulting in the Seeded Pasture Community (5.2) or be abandoned with no seeding which will result in the Natural Reclamation Community (5.3). Permanent alterations of the soil, plant community, and hydrologic cycle make restoration to the Reference State (1) extremely difficult, if not impossible.
Submodel
Mechanism
Multiple heavy disturbances such as heavy grazing with wildfire, multi-year drought, or other disturbance will cause the Reference State (1) to transition to the Eroded State (2). These disturbances create large areas of bare ground resulting in wind erosion with areas of blowing sand called blowouts. Concentration of livestock near fence corners, mineral feeders, and water tanks or trailing can be factors in development of a blowout.
Mechanism
Heavy grazing or haying with inadequate growing season recovery periods will cause the Reference State (1) to lose a significant proportion of warm- season, tall- and midgrass species and cross a threshold to the Native/Invaded Grass State (3). Water infiltration and other hydrologic functions will be reduced due to the root-matting presence of sod-forming grasses. When warm-season, tall-and midgrasses are reduced to remnant or trace amounts, biotic integrity may degraded to the point that restoration to the Reference State is not feasible.
Mechanism
Disruption of the natural fire regime and encroachment of invasive exotic and native woody species with no woody species management will cause the Reference State (1) to transition to the Invaded Woody State (4) if woody species control measures are not implemented.
Mechanism
The Reference State (1) has been significantly altered by tillage to facilitate production agriculture. When the land is no longer cropped, the resulting state is the Sodbusted State (5). The disruption to the plant community, the soil, and the hydrology of the system make restoration to a true Reference State unlikely.
Mechanism
Removal of the disturbance accompanied by prescribed grazing that includes short periods of concentrated short-term animal impact (such as feeding hay on the blowout) and adequate, growing season recovery periods will return the Eroded State (2) to the Reference State (1). This restoration is a long-term process and will typically take more than ten years to develop a plant community of the Reference State.
Land that entered the Eroded State from the Native/Invaded Grass State (3) or the Sodbusted State (5) cannot return to the Reference State as the plant community has been too significantly altered.
Mechanism
Removal of the disturbance accompanied by prescribed grazing that includes short periods of concentrated short-term animal impact (such as feeding hay on the blowout) and adequate, growing season recovery periods will return the Eroded State (2) to the Native/Invaded Grass State (3). This restoration is a long-term process and will typically take more than ten years to achieve.
Land that entered the Eroded State from the Native/Invaded Grass State or the Sodbusted State (5) cannot return to the Reference State (1) as the plant community has been too significantly altered.
Mechanism
Removal of the disturbance accompanied by prescribed grazing that includes short periods of concentrated short-term animal impact (such as feeding hay on the blowout) and adequate, growing season recovery periods will return the Eroded State (2) to the Sodbusted State (5). This restoration is a long-term process and will typically take more than ten years to achieve.
Land that entered the Eroded State from the Native/Invaded Grass State (3) or the Sodbusted State cannot return to the Reference State (1) from the Eroded State as the plant community has been too significantly altered.
Mechanism
The Native/Invaded Grass State (3) may be restored to the Reference State (3) with long-term prescribed grazing which includes adequate growing season recovery periods (deferment). This process will take a significant amount of time (more than fifteen years) and will only occur If adequate numbers of native, warm-season, tall- and midgrasses and cool-season remnants are present. If these plants have been removed from the community, this restoration may not be feasible.
Mechanism
Multiple heavy disturbances such as heavy grazing with wildfire, multi-year drought, or other disturbance will cause the Native/Invaded Grass State (3) to transition to the Eroded State (2). These disturbances create large areas of bare ground resulting in wind erosion with areas of blowing sand called blowouts. Concentration of livestock near fence corners, mineral feeders, and water tanks or trailing can be factors in development of a blowout.
Mechanism
Disruption of the natural fire regime and the encroachment of invasive exotic and native woody species can cause the Native/Invaded Grass State (3) to transition to the Invaded Woody State (4) if woody species control measures are not implemented.
Mechanism
The Native/Invaded Grass State (3) has been significantly altered by mechanical tillage to facilitate production agriculture. When the land is no longer cropped, the resulting state is the Sodbusted State (5). The disruption to the plant community, the soils, and the hydrology of the system make restoration to the Native/Invaded Grass State unlikely.
Mechanism
Prescribed burning, wildfire, harvest, and brush management will move the Invaded Woody State (4) toward the Reference State (1). The forb component may initially increase following tree removal. Ongoing brush management such as hand cutting, chemical spot treatments, or periodic prescribed burning is required to prevent a return to the Invaded Woody State. The heavier the existing canopy cover, the greater the energy input required to return to the Reference State by management practices. The amount of time required for this restoration to occur depends on the severity and duration of the encroachment.
Land that transitioned to the Invaded Woody State (4) from the Native/Invaded Grass State (3) or the Sodbusted State (4), cannot be restored to the Reference State through removal of woody species as the native plant community, soils, and hydrologic function have been too severely impacted for that restoration to occur.
Mechanism
Prescribed burning, wildfire, harvest, and brush management will move the Invaded Woody State (4) toward the Native/Invaded Grass State (3). The forb component may initially increase following tree removal. Ongoing brush management such as hand cutting, chemical spot treatments, or periodic prescribed burning is required to prevent a return to the Invaded Woody State. The heavier the existing canopy cover, the greater the energy input required to return to the Reference State by management practices. The amount of time required for this restoration to occur depends on the severity and duration of the encroachment.
Land that transitioned to the Invaded Woody State from the Native/Invaded Grass State or the Sodbusted State (5), cannot be restored to the Reference State (1) through removal of woody species as the native plant community, soils, and hydrologic function have been too severely impacted for that restoration to occur.
Mechanism
Prescribed burning, wildfire, harvest, and brush management will move the Invaded Woody State (4) toward the Sodbusted State (5). The forb component may initially increase following tree removal. Ongoing brush management such as hand cutting, chemical spot treatments, or periodic prescribed burning is required to prevent a return to the Invaded Woody State. The heavier the existing canopy cover, the greater the energy input required to return to the Reference State by management practices. The amount of time required for this restoration to occur depends on the severity and duration of the encroachment.
Land that transitioned to the Invaded Woody State from the Native/Invaded Grass State (3) or the Sodbusted State, cannot be restored to the Reference State (1) through removal of woody species as the native plant community, soils, and hydrologic function have been too severely impacted for that restoration to occur.
Mechanism
The Sodbusted State (5) crosses the threshold to the Eroded State (2) with a series of heavy disturbances such as heavy grazing with wildfire, multi-year drought, or other disturbance. These multiple disturbances create large areas of bare ground resulting in wind erosion with areas of blowing sand called blowouts. Concentration of livestock near fence corners, mineral feeders, and water tanks or trailing can be factors in development of a blowout.
Mechanism
Disruption of the natural fire regime and encroachment of invasive exotic and native woody species with no woody species management will cause the Sodbusted State (5) to transition to the Invaded Woody State (4) if woody species control measures are not implemented.
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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.