Clayey
Scenario model
Current ecosystem state
Select a state
Management practices/drivers
Select a transition or restoration pathway
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Transition T1A
Heavy continuous grazing
More details -
Transition T1B
Heavy continuous grazing, non-use, no fire, invasion
More details -
Transition T1C
Conifer invasion, no fire
More details -
Transition T1D
Tillage
More details - Transition T5 More details
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Transition T2A
Tillage
More details - Transition T3A and T3B More details
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Transition T3C
Tillage
More details -
Restoration pathway T4A
Long term prescribed grazing, prescribed burning
More details -
Transition T4C
Conifer invasion, no fire
More details -
Transition T4B
Tillage
More details -
Restoration pathway T5A
Prescribed burning, brush management
More details - Restoration pathway T5B and T5D More details
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Restoration pathway T5C
Brush management
More details -
Transition T5E
Brush management, tillage
More details -
Restoration pathway T6A
Seeding
More details -
Restoration pathway T6B and T6C
Cropping followed by abandonment, seeding
More details -
No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
Target ecosystem state
Select a state
Description
The Reference State represents the natural range of variability that dominates the dynamics of this ES. This state was co-dominated by cool- and warm-season grasses. Before European settlement, the primary disturbance mechanisms included periodic fire, grazing by large herding ungulates, and fluctuations in the water table. Frequent surface fires (every 3 to 5 years) grazing, and weather events created the dynamics that occurred within the natural range of variability. In some locations, this site likely received relatively heavy grazing pressure. Tall warm-season grasses would have declined and cool-season bunchgrasses and short to mid-statured warm-season grasses would have increased. Today, a similar state, the Native/Invaded State (State 3) can be found on areas that are properly managed with grazing and/or prescribed burning and sometimes on areas receiving occasional short periods of rest.
Submodel
Description
This state is the result of heavy, continuous grazing, and the absence of periodic fire due to fire suppression. This state is dominated by blue grama, buffalograss, and western wheatgrass. The blue gama and buffalograss can form a sod-like layer that effectively blocks introduction of other plants into the system. The western wheatgrass will occur on the outer edges and is intermingled with the blue grama and buffalograss sod areas. Taller warm-season species will decline, and a corresponding increase in short statured grass will occur. Once the threshold is crossed, a change in grazing management alone cannot restore the degraded state.
Submodel
Description
This state represents the more common range of variability that exists with higher levels of grazing management but in the absence of periodic fire due to fire suppression. The Native/Invaded State is dominated by cool-and warm-season grasses. It can be found on areas that are properly managed with grazing and/or prescribed burning and sometimes on areas receiving occasional short periods of rest. Taller warm-season species can decline and a corresponding increase in short statured grasses will occur.
Submodel
Description
This state is a result of encroachment mainly by invasive introduced cool-season grasses. The ecological processes are not functioning, especially the biotic processes and the hydrologic functions. The introduced cool-season grasses cause reduced infiltration and increased runoff. Preliminary studies indicate this threshold may exist when Kentucky bluegrass exceeds 30 percent of the plant community and native grasses represent less than 40 percent of the plant community composition. The opportunity for high intensity spring burns is severely reduced by early green-up and increased moisture and humidity at the soil surface. Grazing pressure cannot cause a reduction in sod grass dominance. Production is limited to the sod forming species. Infiltration continues to decrease and runoff increases. Energy capture into the system is restricted to early season low producing species. Nutrient cycling is limited by root depth of the dominant species.
Submodel
Description
This state is dominated (canopy exceeds 20 percent of total surface area) by areas where trees have become established or have encroached onto the site due to the absence of periodic fire. This state is dominated by eastern redcedar and/or Rocky Mountain juniper with cool-season grasses being subdominant. The plant community can develop into a closed canopy that impedes the reproductive capability of the major native perennial grass species. A single eastern redcedar tree with a 7 foot crown diameter eliminates the equivalent of 3 pounds of forage. Further, the forage potential of a pasture with 250 mature eastern redcedar trees per acre (or one tree every thirteen feet) is reduce by 50 percent. It is suggested that reducing stocking rates by 10 percent for every 50 trees per acre. The increase in tree canopy which is a result of a disruption of the natural, and human related fire regimes that occurred prior to European settlement, which kept trees from encroaching much of the grasslands.
Submodel
Description
This state is characterized by the production of annual crops using a variety of tillage and cropping systems along with management practices. Cropping on this site is enabled during years with drier than normal precipitation or with artificial drainage (surface or subsurface).
Submodel
Mechanism
Heavy continuous grazing (stocking levels well above carrying capacity for extended portions of the growing season and often at the same time of year each year), typically beginning early in the season) will convert this plant community to the 2.1 Blue Grama-Buffalograss-Western Wheatgrass Plant Community Phase within the Short Grass Sod State (State 2).
Mechanism
Non-use and/or no surface fire for extended periods of time (typically for 10 or more years) causing litter levels to become high enough to reduce native grass vigor, diversity, and density, and/or heavy continuous grazing or invasion of non-native plant species will likely lead this state over a threshold resulting in the Native/Invaded State (State 3).
Mechanism
No surface fire for extended periods of time (typically for 10 or more years) causing litter levels to become high enough to reduce native grass vigor, diversity, and density, and invasion of conifer will likely lead this state over a threshold leading to the 5.1 Eastern Red Cedar-Rocky Mountain Juniper/Western Wheatgrass-Sideoats Grama Plant Community Phase within the Conifer/Invaded State (State 5).
Mechanism
Tillage will cause a shift over a threshold leading to the 6.1 Annual Crops Plant Community Phase within the Crop Production State (State 6).
Mechanism
Encroachment of non-native invasive/noxious species, abandonment of cropping, or seeding of introduced and/or native improved varieties of forage species may lead this plant community phase over a threshold to the Invaded State (State 4) and more specifically to the 4.3 Annual/Pioneer, Non-native Perennial Plant Community Phase. In the case of a seeding, refer to the corresponding Forage Suitability Group (FSG) description for adapted species and expected production (production estimates in the FSG description may be unrealistically high due to the degraded condition of the site at this phase).
Mechanism
Tillage will cause a shift over a threshold leading to the 6.1 Annual Crops Plant Community Phase within the Crop Production State (State 6).
Mechanism
Non-use and/or no surface fire for extended periods of time (typically for 10 or more years) causing litter levels to become high enough to reduce native grass vigor, diversity, and density, will likely lead this state over a threshold leading to the 4.1 Smooth Bromegrass-Kentucky Bluegrass Plant Community Phase within the Invaded State (State 4).
Heavy continuous grazing (stocking levels well above carrying capacity for extended portions of the growing season and often at the same time of year each year), will likely lead this state over a threshold leading to the 4.2 Kentucky Bluegrass-Smooth Bromegrass/Snowberry Plant Community Phase within the Invaded State (State 4). Grazing repeatedly in the early growing season can expedite this shift by causing mechanical disturbance due to trampling
Mechanism
Tillage will cause a shift over a threshold leading to the 6.1 Annual Crops Plant Community Phase within the Crop Production State (State 6).
Mechanism
Long-term prescribed grazing (moderate stocking levels coupled with adequate recovery periods, or other grazing systems such as high-density, low-frequency intended to treat specific species dominance, or periodic light to moderate stocking levels possibly including periodic rest) coupled with prescribed burning occurring at relatively frequent intervals (3 to 5 years) and a return to normal disturbance regime levels may lead this plant community phase over a threshold to the Native/Invaded State (State 3).
Relevant conservation practices
| Practice | External resources |
|---|---|
|
Prescribed Grazing |
Mechanism
No surface fire for extended periods of time (typically for 10 or more years) causing litter levels to become high enough to reduce native grass vigor, diversity, and density, and invasion of conifer will likely lead this state over a threshold leading to the 5.2 Eastern Red Cedar-Rocky Mountain Juniper/Kentucky Bluegrass Plant Community Phase within the Conifer/Invaded State (State 5).
Mechanism
Tillage will cause a shift over a threshold leading to the 6.1 Annual Crops Plant Community Phase within the Crop Production State (State 6).
Mechanism
Brush management which would include the mechanical removal of the conifers, coupled with prescribed burning occurring at relatively frequent intervals (3 to 5 years) and a return to normal disturbance regime levels may lead this 5.1 Eastern Red Cedar-Rocky Mountain Juniper/Western Wheatgrass Plant Community Phase within the Conifer/Invaded State (State 5) over a threshold to the Reference State (State 1).
Mechanism
Brush management which would include the mechanical removal of the conifers, coupled with prescribed burning occurring at relatively frequent intervals (3 to 5 years) and a return to normal disturbance regime levels may lead this 5.2 Eastern Red Cedar-Rocky Mountain Juniper/Kentucky Bluegrass Plant Community Phase within the Conifer/Invaded State (State 5) over a threshold to the Native/Invaded State (State 3).
Brush management which would include the mechanical removal of the conifers, coupled with prescribed burning occurring at relatively frequent intervals (3 to 5 years) and a return to normal disturbance regime levels may lead this 5.3 Eastern Red Cedar-Rocky Mountain Juniper Plant Community Phase within the Conifer/Invaded State (State 5) over a threshold to the Native/Invaded State (State 3).
Mechanism
Brush management which would include the mechanical removal of the conifers may lead this 5.2 Eastern Red Cedar-Rocky Mountain Juniper/Kentucky Bluegrass Plant Community Phase within the Conifer/Invaded State (State 5) over a threshold to the Invaded State (State 4).
Mechanism
Brush management which would include the mechanical removal of the conifers, coupled with tillage will cause a shift over a threshold leading to the 6.1 Annual Crops Plant Community Phase within the Crop Production State (State 6).
Mechanism
Seeding may lead this Crop Production State (State 6) over a threshold to the Native/Invaded State (State 3).
Mechanism
Seeding may lead this Crop Production State (State 6) over a threshold to the Invaded State (State 4)
Cropping followed by abandonment may lead this plant community phase over a threshold to the Invaded State (State 4) and more specifically to the 4.3 Annual Pioneer-Perennial Pioneer Plant Community Phase.
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.