Loamy Upland Prairies
Scenario model
Current ecosystem state
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Management practices/drivers
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Transition T1A
Transition to agriculture; tillage; seeding; continued management
More details -
No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
Target ecosystem state
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Description
The Loamy Upland Prairies ecological site reference plant community is a native tallgrass prairie that includes a diversity of native grasses and forbs. Community phases in the model are generally dependent upon the impacts of fire events. Fire is a trigger that promotes continued herbaceous vegetation dominance and removes dense thatch thereby allowing for seedling regeneration. Fire removes plant litter, helps cycle nutrients, and allows light to reach the seedbed. Frequent fire maintains the community in a grassland state, by keeping fire-sensitive woody species from proliferating and gaining dominance.
A secondary trigger is grazing. Intensive grazing can reduce the extent of highly palatable species thereby allowing the growth of less desirable plants to increase. Grazing management guidelines vary by site depending on specific site characteristics.
Today, reference sites are extremely uncommon. Most remaining prairie areas were once utilized for agricultural production. It is therefore likely that many historically present prairie species are extirpated even from these sites.
Resilience management
Prescribed fire and managed grazing are key resilience management practices. Prescribed grazing incorporates periods of grazing rest during the growing season which benefits tallgrass maintenance. Excessive grazing can quickly impact the vegetative composition and negatively impact soil stability. Prescribed fire is the controlled application of fire to modify vegetation structure and influence ecological processes.
Submodel
Description
In the Tillage State, the dynamic soil properties such as bulk density, structure, organic carbon content, and saturated hydraulic conductivity are altered by agricultural practices.
Certain practices can mitigate the impacts of traditional agricultural practices on soil health. Conservation tillage minimizes soil disturbance and can improve soil structure and overall soil health. Corn or soybean plantings with a cover crop rotation can build soil structure, improve infiltration rates, reduce runoff and erosion, and protect water quality.
Some areas in this ecological site are not appropriate for intensive crop production due to slope. Where the gradient exceeds 20 percent row crop production is not feasible due to limitations on farm machinery.
A few areas within the Loamy Upland Prairies ecological site have been seeded back to grass. Under conservation programs, such as the NRCS Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), previously farmed areas have been converted to warm-season grasslands. Cool-season grasses are also feasible. Species selection will depend on the landowner's objectives and site specifics.
Resilience management
Disturbance management and harvest management are resilience management practices. The maintenance of this state requires that the intensity, frequency, duration, and timing of agricultural practices be managed to control or modify vegetation structure.
Submodel
Mechanism
Transition T1A is the conversion of the reference state to agriculture. The triggers are tillage and intentional plant establishment (crop seeding). Resilience management practices include continual agricultural practices such as seeding, fertilizing, and managing invasive plants with herbicides or field cultivation. Hydrological modifications, such as ditching and tiling, may also be installed.
Constraints to recovery
Tillage and long-term intensive agricultural production generally preclude a return to State 1.
Model keys
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Ecological sites
Major Land Resource Areas
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.