Wet Upland Drainageway Woodland
Scenario model
Current ecosystem state
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Management practices/drivers
Select a transition or restoration pathway
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Transition T1A
Forest management; harvesting; fire suppression
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Transition T1B
Clearing; grassland planting; prescribed grazing; grassland management
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Transition T1C
Poorly planted harvest; uncontrolled grazing; fire suppression
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Restoration pathway R2A
Forest stand improvement; long term succession (>30 years); prescribed fire.
More details -
Transition T3B
Tillage; conservation cropping system; water management.
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Transition T4C
forest stand improvement; livestock exclusion
More details -
Transition T4A
Clearing; grassland planting; prescribed grazing; grassland management
More details -
Transition T4B
Clearing; tillage; conservation cropping; water management
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Transition T5A
Grassland planting; prescribed grazing; grassland management
More details -
No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
Target ecosystem state
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Description
The historical reference state for this ecological site was old growth bottomland woodland. Natural flooding cycles were the primary processes affecting this ecologic site. The understory was complex, with multiple layers of shade-tolerant species. A highly diverse ground flora was also present. Vines were common and went well into the canopy. Scattered open areas were common. A change to more frequent, higher-intensity floods on the modern landscape creates more frequent canopy gaps, and introduces or helps to maintain more flood-tolerant species such as sycamore, eastern cottonwood, green ash and hackberry.
Over the long term, these floodplains may become more elevated and/or isolated and accumulate more fine sediments, becoming more stable and enduring. Oaks and shellbark hickory begin to accumulate in these later stages of succession. Catastrophic floods will often partially or completely knock down the early species and regenerate this site creating a mosaic of early to late successional floodplain woodlands.
Submodel
Description
Where this state remains, it has often been subjected to very selective timber harvests. While these woodland areas may resemble the reference state, the diversity of tree species has been selectively (removal of many oaks) altered.
Submodel
Description
Many acres of this ecological site have been converted to non-native grasslands of tall fescue and white clover. This state frequently transitions to a cropland state especially when commodity prices are high.
Submodel
Description
This state is subjected to uncontrolled grazing and high-graded timber harvests. The grazing will open up the understory and remove much of the diverse ground flora. This can lead to erosion of the topsoil during floods. Grazed units also often undergo timber harvest removing a wide variety of outstanding hardwood trees, further diminishing the structural and compositional diversity.
Submodel
Mechanism
This transition is the result of forest management, harvesting, and fire suppression.
Mechanism
This transition is the result of clearing, grassland planting, prescribed grazing and grassland management.
Mechanism
This transition is the result of poorly planned harvest (high-grading), uncontrolled grazing and fire suppression.
Mechanism
This restoration pathway is the result of forest stand improvement, long term succession (+30 years) and prescribed fire.
Mechanism
This transition is the result of tillage, conservation cropping system and water management.
Mechanism
This transition is the result of forest stand improvement and livestock exclusion.
Mechanism
This transition is the result of clearing, grassland planting, prescribed grazing, and grassland management.
Mechanism
This transition is the result of clearing, tillage, conservation cropping system and water management.
Model keys
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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.