Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site R239XY032AK
Crowberry (Upland)
Accessed: 11/21/2024
General information
Provisional. A provisional ecological site description has undergone quality control and quality assurance review. It contains a working state and transition model and enough information to identify the ecological site.
Table 1. Dominant plant species
| Tree |
Not specified |
|---|---|
| Shrub |
Not specified |
| Herbaceous |
Not specified |
Physiographic features
Occurs on shoulders and back-slopes of ridges associated with volcanic cones and on very steep side-slopes of ridges associated with volcanic cones.
Table 2. Representative physiographic features
| Landforms |
(1)
Hillside
|
|---|---|
| Elevation | 120 – 300 ft |
| Slope | 120% |
Climatic features
Table 3. Representative climatic features
| Frost-free period (average) | 120 days |
|---|---|
| Freeze-free period (average) | 100 days |
| Precipitation total (average) | 24 in |
Figure 1. Monthly precipitation range
Figure 2. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature
Influencing water features
Soil features
Soils are moderately deep and well drained. Surface textures are gravelly silt loam and overlie gravel-sized scoria. Soil pH is moderately acid. Runoff is very low and permeability is rapid to very rapid.
Table 4. Representative soil features
| Surface texture |
(1) Gravelly silt loam |
|---|---|
| Family particle size |
(1) Loamy |
| Drainage class | Well drained |
| Permeability class | Rapid to very rapid |
| Soil depth | 20 – 40 in |
| Surface fragment cover <=3" | Not specified |
| Surface fragment cover >3" | Not specified |
| Available water capacity (0-40in) |
2.5 – 2.7 in |
| Calcium carbonate equivalent (0-40in) |
Not specified |
| Electrical conductivity (0-40in) |
Not specified |
| Sodium adsorption ratio (0-40in) |
Not specified |
| Soil reaction (1:1 water) (0-40in) |
5.6 – 6 |
| Subsurface fragment volume <=3" (Depth not specified) |
Not specified |
| Subsurface fragment volume >3" (Depth not specified) |
Not specified |
Ecological dynamics
State and transition model
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Ecosystem states
State 1 submodel, plant communities
State 1
Crowberry
Community 1.1
Crowberry
Shrubs make up about 75% of the composition, sedges and grasses 20% and forbs about 5% of the composition. Total annual vascular herbage production is 840 pounds/acre. Total live lichen biomass is 3,000 pounds/acre. Moss biomass is high and suppresses production of this site.
Figure 3. Annual production by plant type (representative values) or group (midpoint values)
Additional community tables
Table 5. Community 1.1 plant community composition
| Group | Common name | Symbol | Scientific name | Annual production (lb/acre) | Foliar cover (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Shrub/Vine
|
||||||
| 1 | 600–650 | |||||
| black crowberry | EMNI | Empetrum nigrum | 600–650 | – | ||
|
Grass/Grasslike
|
||||||
| 1 | 150–170 | |||||
| longawn sedge | CAMA11 | Carex macrochaeta | 150–170 | – | ||
| Bering hairgrass | DEBR2 | Deschampsia brevifolia | 5–15 | – | ||
| bluegrass | POA | Poa | 10–15 | – | ||
| wideleaf polargrass | ARLA2 | Arctagrostis latifolia | 0 | – | ||
|
Forb
|
||||||
| 1 | 20–30 | |||||
| Nootka lupine | LUNO | Lupinus nootkatensis | 20–25 | – | ||
| cloudberry | RUCH | Rubus chamaemorus | 0–5 | – | ||
| saxifrage | SAXIF | Saxifraga | 0 | – | ||
| seacoast angelica | ANLU | Angelica lucida | 0 | – | ||
| mountain harebell | CALA7 | Campanula lasiocarpa | 0 | – | ||
|
Lichen
|
||||||
| 1 | 20–30 | |||||
| whiteworm lichen | THAMN3 | Thamnolia | 25–30 | – | ||
| cup lichen | CLAM60 | Cladonia amaurocraea | 0–5 | – | ||
| reindeer lichen | CLAR60 | Cladina arbuscula | 0–5 | – | ||
| greygreen reindeer lichen | CLRA60 | Cladina rangiferina | 0–5 | – | ||
Interpretations
Animal community
Because of the high subsistence value and use of black crowberry berries, this site should only be lightly grazed. Reindeer have a tendency to concentrate on this site because they are attracted to the lichens during winter.
Recreational uses
Traditional Mossberry picking, hiking
Supporting information
Contributors
Swanson
Rangeland health reference sheet
Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health is a qualitative assessment protocol used to determine ecosystem condition based on benchmark characteristics described in the Reference Sheet. A suite of 17 (or more) indicators are typically considered in an assessment. The ecological site(s) representative of an assessment location must be known prior to applying the protocol and must be verified based on soils and climate. Current plant community cannot be used to identify the ecological site.
| Author(s)/participant(s) | |
|---|---|
| Contact for lead author | |
| Date | |
| Approved by | |
| Approval date | |
| Composition (Indicators 10 and 12) based on | Annual Production |
Indicators
-
Number and extent of rills:
-
Presence of water flow patterns:
-
Number and height of erosional pedestals or terracettes:
-
Bare ground from Ecological Site Description or other studies (rock, litter, lichen, moss, plant canopy are not bare ground):
-
Number of gullies and erosion associated with gullies:
-
Extent of wind scoured, blowouts and/or depositional areas:
-
Amount of litter movement (describe size and distance expected to travel):
-
Soil surface (top few mm) resistance to erosion (stability values are averages - most sites will show a range of values):
-
Soil surface structure and SOM content (include type of structure and A-horizon color and thickness):
-
Effect of community phase composition (relative proportion of different functional groups) and spatial distribution on infiltration and runoff:
-
Presence and thickness of compaction layer (usually none; describe soil profile features which may be mistaken for compaction on this site):
-
Functional/Structural Groups (list in order of descending dominance by above-ground annual-production or live foliar cover using symbols: >>, >, = to indicate much greater than, greater than, and equal to):
Dominant:
Sub-dominant:
Other:
Additional:
-
Amount of plant mortality and decadence (include which functional groups are expected to show mortality or decadence):
-
Average percent litter cover (%) and depth ( in):
-
Expected annual annual-production (this is TOTAL above-ground annual-production, not just forage annual-production):
-
Potential invasive (including noxious) species (native and non-native). List species which BOTH characterize degraded states and have the potential to become a dominant or co-dominant species on the ecological site if their future establishment and growth is not actively controlled by management interventions. Species that become dominant for only one to several years (e.g., short-term response to drought or wildfire) are not invasive plants. Note that unlike other indicators, we are describing what is NOT expected in the reference state for the ecological site:
-
Perennial plant reproductive capability:
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