Choppy Sands

Description

The Grassland State is supported by empirical data and is defined by three native plant communities that are a result of periodic fire, drought, herbivore, and ungulate grazers. These events are part of the natural disturbance regime and climatic process that contribute to the development of the site. The Reference Plant Community consists of tall and mid, warm season grasses, forbs, and shrubs. Plant Community 1.2 is dominated by sandhill muhly, prairie sandreed, and combined with a minor component (2-10 percent composition by weight) of Reference Community plant species. Plant Community 1.3 is most vulnerable to exceeding the resilience limits of the grassland state. This plant community is dominated (40-100 percent composition by weight) by sand dropseed, annual grasses, and forbs.

Blowouts are sandy depressions caused by the removal of sediments by wind. Blowouts can occur in all plant communities within the Grassland State, but are most frequent to occur in community 1.3 and 1.2. A blowout forms when a patch of protective vegetation is lost, allowing strong winds to “blow out” sand and form a depression. The areas of blowing sand result in movement and possible enlargement of the dune system. The blowout site is in a primary successional stage due to steep slopes and poor soil development. These extremely sandy sites are very dynamic and result in a soil surface that resists revegetation. Protection of the blowout areas from disturbance will result in a plant community dominated by annuals. Areas of blowouts will start to revegetate with annual forbs and grasses with proper periods of recovery and protection from disturbance. These areas are still very susceptible to erosion and can regress rapidly. As blowout areas become more stable with annuals, perennials will start to reestablish. Giant sandreed, prairie sandreed, sand dropseed, sandhill muhly, and perennial forbs will start to increase if it is protected from disturbance. The Choppy Sands ecological site will only return to a productive state after many years of proper management. Range seeding may be the only practical method of returning this state to a stable condition. Shaping the site prior to seeding may be required. Application of surface mulch is necessary for grass establishment. Reseeding these sites has proven to be quite difficult and expensive with limited results.

The following paragraphs are narratives for each of the described plant communities in the Grassland State. These plant communities may not represent every possibility, but they probably are the most prevalent and repeatable plant communities that exist on this ecological site. The plant composition table shown below has been developed from the best available knowledge at the time of this revision. As more data is collected, some of these plant communities may be adjusted 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 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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