Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site R071XY042NE
Loess Breaks
Accessed: 12/22/2024
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.
Figure 1. Mapped extent
Areas shown in blue indicate the maximum mapped extent of this ecological site. Other ecological sites likely occur within the highlighted areas. It is also possible for this ecological site to occur outside of highlighted areas if detailed soil survey has not been completed or recently updated.
MLRA notes
Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): 071X–Central Nebraska Loess Hills
This PROVISIONAL ECOLOGICAL SITE has been developed to meet the standards established in the National Ecological Site Handbook. The information associated with this ecological site does not meet the Approved Ecological Site Description Standard, but it has been through a Quality Control and Quality Assurance processes to assure consistency and completeness. Further investigations, reviews and correlations are necessary before it becomes an Approved Ecological Site Description.
MLRA 71 is named “The Central Nebraska Loess Hills”, and is located exclusively in Nebraska. The approximately 5.3 million acre landscape covers all or parts of 21 counties, primarily Custer, Dawson, Buffalo, Sherman, Howard, Valley, Greeley and Hall. The physical appearance of the landscape is dominated by loess hills dissected by the North, Middle and South Loup Rivers and their tributaries. The Platte River defines the southern border.
The elevation in MLRA 71 ranges from over 3,000 to less than 1,700 feet above sea level, with average local relief stretching from 20 to 200 feet. The predominate soil orders are mesic, udic Mollisols and Entisols, commonly represented by the Coly, Uly, Cozad, Hord, Hall and Holdredge soil series.
Loess overlays the surface of almost all of the uplands in this MLRA. Alluvial clay, silt, sand, and gravel are deposited in the stream and river valleys, and can be extensive in the major drainages. Terraces are common in the valleys along the river systems.
Average annual precipitation ranges from 21 to 26 inches, with the number of freeze-free days averaging around 200.
The matrix vegetation type is mixed-grass prairie, with big and little bluestem, switchgrass, Indiangrass, and sideoats and blue grama making up the bulk of the warm-season species, while western wheatgrass is the dominant cool season species.
The primary large-patch vegetative component of the landscape is dominated by Needle-and-thread, prairie sandreed, sand and little bluestem, and blue grama grass.
The majority of the small-patch communities are associated with upland playas and the wetter sites found along the floodplains.
Forty four percent of the land in this MLRA has been broken out of native prairie and farmed; mostly corn, alfalfa and some soybeans, while 48 percent of the grasslands remain intact. Livestock grazing, primarily cattle, is a major industry here.
Wildlife flourishes in this combination of crop and grassland environment, with both mule and white-tailed deer being the most abundant wild ungulate. A variety of smaller species, including coyote, raccoon, opossum, porcupines, muskrat, beaver, squirrel and mink thrive in the region, as well as a suite of grassland and upland birds.
The rivers, streams and lakes harbor excellent fisheries.
This landscape developed under Northern Great Plains climatic conditions, light to severe grazing by bison and other large herbivores and repeated natural or man-caused wildfire. Other biotic and abiotic factors also typically influence soil/site development. This is a disturbance driven ecosystem, evolving under the influences of herbivory, fire, and variable climate. Historically, these processes created a heterogenous mosaic of plant communities and structure heights across the region. Any given site in this landscape experienced fire every 7 to 9 years. The fires were caused both by lightning strikes, and were set by native Americans, who used fire for warfare, signaling, and to refresh the native grasses. These people understood the value of fire as a tool, and that the highly palatable growth following a fire provided both excellent forage for their horses, and attracted grazing game animals such as bison and elk.
Even as post European settlement's alteration of the fire regime allows the expansion of the woody component of the native prairie, introduction of eastern red cedar as a windbreak component further facilitates invasion by this species.
While eastern red cedar is native to Nebraska, the historic population in MLRA 71 was limited to isolated pockets in rugged river drainages that were subsequently insulated from fire, or non-existent. Widespread plantings of windbreaks with eastern red cedar as a primary component has provided a seed source for the aggressive woody plant. The ensuing encroachment into the native grasslands degrades the native wildlife habit and causes significant forage loss for domestic livestock. However, since it is not a root sprouter, eastern red cedar is very susceptible to fire when under six feet tall. Management with prescribed fire is exceedingly effective if applied before this stage.
Larger cedars can also be controlled with fire, but requires the use of specially designed ignition and suppression techniques.
Fragmentation of the native grasslands by conversion to cropland, transportation corridors and other development by European man has effectively disrupted the natural fire regime of this ecosystem. This has allowed encroachment by native and introduced shrubs and trees into the remnants of the native prairie throughout the MLRA. Aggressive fire suppression policies have exacerbated this process to the point that shrub and tree encroachment is a major ecological issue in the majority of both native and re-seeded grasslands.
Classification relationships
Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): Major Land Resource Area (MLRA)71 (USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, 2006)
Level IV Ecoregions of the Conterminous United States
Revision Notes:
A PROVISIONAL ECOLOGICAL SITE is a conceptual grouping of soil map unit components within a Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) based on the similarities in response to management. Although there may be wide variability in the productivity of the soils grouped into a Provisional Site, the soil vegetation interactions as expressed in the State and Transition Model are similar and the management actions required to achieve objectives, whether maintaining the existing ecological state or managing for an alternative state, are similar. Provisional Sites are likely to be refined into more precise group during the process of meeting the APPROVED ECOLOGICAL SITE DESCRIPTION criteria.
Ecological site concept
This ecological site is an upland site located in a run-off position with slopes greater than 30 percent. Slip slopes and cat-steps are evident.
Associated sites
| R071XY036NE |
Loamy Upland Loamy Upland is adjacent to and usually below the Loess Breaks. |
|---|---|
| R071XY037NE |
Limy Upland Limy Upland is located adjacent to and often below the Loess Breaks site. |
Similar sites
| R071XY036NE |
Loamy Upland Loamy Uplands are differentiated from the Loess Breaks by being non-effervescent, occupying slopes of less than 30 percent, and have no catsteps. |
|---|---|
| R071XY037NE |
Limy Upland Limy Upland has an effervescent soil, but is located on slopes of less than 30 percent. Slip slopes or cat steps are not present. |
Table 1. Dominant plant species
| Tree |
Not specified |
|---|---|
| Shrub |
Not specified |
| Herbaceous |
(1) Andropogon gerardii |
Click on box and path labels to scroll to the respective text.