Loamy Sand
Scenario model
Current ecosystem state
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Management practices/drivers
Select a transition or restoration pathway
- Transition T1A More details
- Transition T1B More details
- Restoration pathway R2A More details
- Transition T2A More details
- Restoration pathway R3A More details
- Transition T3A More details
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No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
Target ecosystem state
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Submodel
Mechanism
The transition from the Grassland State (1) to the Mixed Brush Complex (2) can happen relatively quickly if conditions favor woody plant seedlings. The shortgrass plant community is an at risk phase of the Grassland State. As bare ground increases and competition from grasses decrease, woody plants have a chance to germinate. Within as little as five years after seedling establishment, mesquite may grow too large to be effectively managed with grazing or fire, especially if the fine fuel needed to carry an effective burn is not being produced. Other brush species native to this ecological site will take significantly longer to grow out of the fire control range, but mesquite acts as a nursery plant which speeds up the transition process. Discrete mottes of brush will begin to develop as the woody plants grow, pushing the plant community into a Mixed Brush Complex (2).
Mechanism
Land managers may want to utilize this ecological site as pastureland. After the land has been cleared and an appropriate seedbed prepared, the land can be planted to introduced grasses for pasture.
Mechanism
Land managers may want to restore this ecological site to the Native Grassland State (1). Once in the Mixed Brush Complex (2) mechanical or chemical brush control will be necessary to make the transition. The restoration process is heavily dependent on favorable weather and patience. Land managers can plant native seed to speed up restoration efforts or can rely on seed that is already in the soil. Grazing pressure on restoration sites should be deferred for a minimum of one growing season, but it is often necessary to defer livestock grazing completely or carefully graze for years before the desired plant community can develop.
Mechanism
Land managers may want to utilize this site as pastureland or more rarely cropland. Once in the Mixed Brush Complex (2), mechanical brush control will be necessary. Many species of brush on this site are capable of re-sprouting after top removal, which is an important factor to consider when deciding how to clear the land to plant pasture. After the land has been cleared and an appropriate seedbed prepared, the land can be planted to crops such as watermelon, sorghum, or introduced grasses for pasture.
Mechanism
The transition from the Converted Land State (3) to the Grassland State (1) will take time and patience. In the seeded phase, Planted Pasture (3.1), if practices such as fertilizer application and weed control are stopped, prescribed grazing is applied, woody seedlings are managed, and prescribed burning is applied, this ecological site will begin the reversion back to the Grassland State (1) as seedlings of native species become established. Introduced grass species are very resilient and competitive. They can maintain dominance in a pasture for a very long time after they are planted even without careful management. In these cases, management practices such as disking or applying herbicide to kill or suppress introduced species will be necessary to achieve the transition from an introduced pasture to a native pasture. This transition may occur very slowly because introduced grasses will remain competitive and will probably always be present. This transition may also require brush management practices and the reintroduction of desirable native species through range planting.
Mechanism
In time, this ecological site will revert to the Mixed Brush Complex (2) on its own, but usually this timeline is impractical for landowners. Prescribed grazing along with various brush management practices will be necessary to achieve this transition and allow the mixed brush community to develop. This phase is very unproductive for herbaceous plants and it could take years for desirable plant species to begin to reestablish.
Model keys
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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.