Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site R239XY060AK
Sedge Meadow (Lowland)
Accessed: 05/02/2024
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
This site occupies coastal and inland areas on the west coast of St. Paul Island, on gently sloping plains and uplands slopes.
Table 2. Representative physiographic features
| Landforms |
(1)
Plain
|
|---|---|
| Elevation | 60 – 200 ft |
| Slope | 6 – 15% |
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 moderately well to well drained. Textures are fine to medium and soil pH is strongly to moderately acid. Runoff is low to medium and permeability is moderately slow to moderately rapid.
Table 4. Representative soil features
| Surface texture |
(1) Very cobbly silt loam (2) Medial |
|---|---|
| Family particle size |
(1) Loamy |
| Drainage class | Moderately well drained to well drained |
| Permeability class | Moderately slow to moderately rapid |
| Soil depth | 20 – 40 in |
| Surface fragment cover <=3" | Not specified |
| Surface fragment cover >3" | Not specified |
| Available water capacity (0-40in) |
9.5 – 9.7 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) |
5.1 – 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
Carex podocarpa/Salix cyclophylla
Community 1.1
Carex podocarpa/Salix cyclophylla
Sedges and grasses make up about 45% of the composition. Forbs make up 30% and shrubs 25% . Total annual vascular herbage production is1610 pounds/acre.
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 | 350–400 | |||||
| oval-leaf willow | SAOVC | Salix ovalifolia var. cyclophylla | 185–195 | – | ||
| netleaf willow | SARE2 | Salix reticulata | 90–95 | – | ||
| arctic willow | SAAR27 | Salix arctica | 55–65 | – | ||
| black crowberry | EMNI | Empetrum nigrum | 30–35 | – | ||
|
Grass/Grasslike
|
||||||
| 1 | 750–775 | |||||
| shortstalk sedge | CAPO | Carex podocarpa | 195–205 | – | ||
| sedge | CAREX | Carex | 180–200 | – | ||
| Bering's tufted hairgrass | DEBE2 | Deschampsia beringensis | 70–80 | – | ||
| bluegrass | POA | Poa | 60–70 | – | ||
| showy sedge | CASP5 | Carex spectabilis | 45–55 | – | ||
| red fescue | FERU2 | Festuca rubra | 30–35 | – | ||
| spike trisetum | TRSP2 | Trisetum spicatum | 20–30 | – | ||
| alpine timothy | PHAL2 | Phleum alpinum | 15–25 | – | ||
| Alaska fescue | FEBR2 | Festuca brevissima | 5–15 | – | ||
| Kentucky bluegrass | POPR | Poa pratensis | 5–15 | – | ||
| curved woodrush | LUAR5 | Luzula arcuata | 5–15 | – | ||
| Aleutian wormwood | ARAL6 | Artemisia aleutica | 10–15 | – | ||
| Alaska curved woodrush | LUARU | Luzula arcuata ssp. unalaschcensis | 0–5 | – | ||
| common woodrush | LUMU2 | Luzula multiflora | 0–5 | – | ||
| woodrush | LUZUL | Luzula | 0–5 | – | ||
| alpine fescue | FEBR | Festuca brachyphylla | 0–5 | – | ||
|
Forb
|
||||||
| 1 | 450–500 | |||||
| Nootka lupine | LUNO | Lupinus nootkatensis | 60–70 | – | ||
| seacoast angelica | ANLU | Angelica lucida | 55–65 | – | ||
| captiate valerian | VACA3 | Valeriana capitata | 50–55 | – | ||
| boreal yarrow | ACMIB | Achillea millefolium var. borealis | 45–55 | – | ||
| Tilesius' wormwood | ARTI | Artemisia tilesii | 30–35 | – | ||
| boreal yarrow | ACMIB | Achillea millefolium var. borealis | 15–25 | – | ||
| Lehmann's rockjasmine | ANCHL | Androsace chamaejasme ssp. lehmanniana | 15–25 | – | ||
| weaselsnout | LAGL2 | Lagotis glauca | 20–25 | – | ||
| field horsetail | EQAR | Equisetum arvense | 5–15 | – | ||
| Aleutian violet | VILA6 | Viola langsdorffii | 5–15 | – | ||
| mountain harebell | CALA7 | Campanula lasiocarpa | 5–15 | – | ||
| boreal sagebrush | ARAR9 | Artemisia arctica | 0–10 | – | ||
| larkspurleaf monkshood | ACDEP | Aconitum delphiniifolium ssp. paradoxum | 0–10 | – | ||
| arctic stitchwort | MIAR3 | Minuartia arctica | 5–10 | – | ||
| arctic sweet coltsfoot | PEFR5 | Petasites frigidus | 5–10 | – | ||
| heartleaf saxifrage | SANEN | Saxifraga nelsoniana ssp. nelsoniana | 0–10 | – | ||
| tall Jacob's-ladder | POAC | Polemonium acutiflorum | 3–8 | – | ||
| sulphur buttercup | RASU2 | Ranunculus sulphureus | 2–8 | – | ||
| arctic raspberry | RUAR | Rubus arcticus | 0–5 | – | ||
| arctic raspberry | RUARS | Rubus arcticus ssp. stellatus | 0–5 | – | ||
| stiffstem saxifrage | SAHI5 | Saxifraga hieraciifolia | 0–5 | – | ||
| sudetic lousewort | PESU | Pedicularis sudetica | 0–5 | – | ||
| whorled lousewort | PEVE | Pedicularis verticillata | 0–5 | – | ||
| Bering chickweed | CEBE2 | Cerastium beeringianum | 0–5 | – | ||
| Bering chickweed | CEBEG3 | Cerastium beeringianum ssp. beeringianum var. grandiflorum | 0–5 | – | ||
| Alaska springbeauty | CLSA2 | Claytonia sarmentosa | 0–5 | – | ||
| larkspurleaf monkshood | ACDEC | Aconitum delphiniifolium ssp. chamissonianum | 0–5 | – | ||
| common dandelion | TAOFC | Taraxacum officinale ssp. ceratophorum | 0–2 | – | ||
| arctic starflower | TREUA | Trientalis europaea ssp. arctica | 0–2 | – | ||
| dandelion | TARAX | Taraxacum | 0–1 | – | ||
| alpine bistort | POVI3 | Polygonum viviparum | 0–1 | – | ||
| umbel bittercress | CAOLK | Cardamine oligosperma var. kamtschatica | 0–1 | – | ||
| villous cinquefoil | POVI4 | Potentilla villosa | 0 | – | ||
| moss campion | SIAC | Silene acaulis | 0 | – | ||
| common chickweed | STME2 | Stellaria media | 0 | – | ||
|
Lichen
|
||||||
| 1 | 0–5 | |||||
| whiteworm lichen | THAMN3 | Thamnolia | 0–2 | – | ||
| whiteworm lichen | THSU60 | Thamnolia subuliformis | 0–2 | – | ||
| lung lichen | LOLI60 | Lobaria linita | 0–1 | – | ||
Interpretations
Animal community
Sedges and shrubs both provide high quality forage during both the winter and spring seasons.
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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