Mollic Clayey Upland
Scenario model
Current ecosystem state
Select a state
Management practices/drivers
Select a transition or restoration pathway
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Transition T1A
Suppression of fire
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Restoration pathway R2A
Return of fire and/or large grazers to the landscape.
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Transition T2A
Continued fire suppression for over 20 years
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Transition T2B
Removal of forest/shrub cover and tilling for agricultural crop production.
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Transition T3A
Cutting, fire, or blowdown removing existing tree canopy.
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Restoration pathway R4A
Low intensity moderate return interval fire removing fire intolerant species and regeneration
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Restoration pathway R4B
Deciduous forest community is slowly invaded by conifers.
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Transition T5A
Removal of forest/shrub cover and tilling for agricultural crop production.
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No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
Target ecosystem state
Select a state
Description
The Reference State is a grassland state dominated by big bluestem, but also includes Indian grass, and little bluestem. Sunflowers are common. The reference state for this ES is very rare today and was maintained by frequent fire removing the encroachment of tree and shrub species.
Submodel
Description
A mostly open grassland with sporadic shrubs and trees. As soon as fire is suppressed tree and shrub species invade this ES and various tree and shrub species may take hold resulting in a grassland with sparse and sporadic tree and shrub cover.
Submodel
Description
Stable Forest state is a forest community dominated by sugar maple (Acer saccharum) with American basswood (Tilia americana), and a mixture of Ashes (Fraxinus spp.), and Oaks (Quercus spp.). Depending on history of disturbance, two community phases can be distinguished largely by differences in dominance of tree species and community age structure. In some places sugar maple seed source may be missing leading to other dominant canopy species.
Submodel
Description
Post disturbance pioneer community of aspen and paper birch with mixtures of other species from available seed sources.
Submodel
Mechanism
Suppression of fire leading to the encroachment of wood species. Continued suppression for 10+ years required for the establishment of woody species.
Mechanism
Reintroduction of fire causing the mortality of encroaching trees and shrubs. This fire must then return at relatively short intervals to continue to suppress the growth of woody vegetation.
Mechanism
Continued fire suppression for several decades will lead to a dominant woody cover on the site.
Mechanism
Removal of forest cover and tilling for agricultural crop production
Mechanism
Major stand-replacing disturbance. In pre-European settlement time, the event was most often a severe blow down, sometimes followed by fires. Such blow downs have been estimated to occur in this part of Wisconsin every 300 to 400 years (Schulte and Mladenoff, 2005). In post settlement virtually every acre has been logged either by clear cutting or successive cuts targeting species marketable at that time. Post logging slash fires also have been a significant factor in most areas. These disturbances created the environment suitable for natural regeneration of many shade-intolerant species and for commercial planting.
Mechanism
Reintroduction of low intensity fire that kills fire intolerant species and most regeneration.
Mechanism
A period of some 70-100 years without major stand disturbance, especially fire, leads to decreased presence, through natural mortality, of early successional species and the dominance of shade tolerant sugar maple with less tolerant associates of red oak and white ash.
Model keys
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Ecological sites
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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.