The reference community is a well-developed woodland with a rather tall, developed canopy (60 to 80 feet and 80 to 90 percent canopy closure), a complex understory and a dense herbaceous ground flora. Gaps in all three layers are common due to flash flooding. White oak and black oak dominate along with a variety of mixed hardwood tree species, including elm and hickory.
Submodel
1.1. White Oak – Black Oak/Common Serviceberry – Eastern Redbud/Virginia Wildrye – Sedge
1.2. White Oak – Black Oak/Hickory Saplings – Eastern Redbud/Virginia Wildrye – Sedge
Gravelly Upland Drainageway Woodlands subjected to repeated, high-graded timber harvests and domestic grazing transition to this state. This state exhibits an over-abundance of less desirable tree species, and weedy understory species such as coralberry. The vegetation offers little nutritional value for cattle, and excessive stocking damages tree boles, degrades understory species composition, destabilizes stream banks and results in soil compaction and accelerated erosion and runoff during flood events. Restoration of this state can be facilitated by exclusion of cattle coupled with tree planting.
Conversion of Gravelly Upland Drainageway Woodlands to non-native pasture species such as tall fescue has been common in the Springfield Plain. Frequent flooding and low available water capacity make non-native pastures difficult to maintain in a healthy, productive state on this ecological site. Restoration of this state is time consuming and costly but can be achieved over time by discontinuing grazing and active pasture management and tree planting.
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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.
) icon wherever it occurs. Drag and drop items to reorder. Cookies are used to store briefcase items between browsing sessions. Because of this, the number of items that can be added to your briefcase is limited, and briefcase items added on one device and browser cannot be accessed from another device or browser. Users who do not wish to place cookies on their devices should not use the briefcase tool. Briefcase cookies serve no other purpose than described here and are deleted whenever browsing history is cleared.
