Previous step

More options

Ecological site group DX035X01AESG15

Grand Staircase-Loam Soils Shrublands-Gravelly Soils

Last updated: 09/01/2021
Accessed: 05/02/2024

Home / Esg catalog / MLRA 035X / Ecological site group DX035X01AESG15

Ecological site group description

Key Characteristics

Grand Staircase-Kaiparowits
Loam Soils Shrublands
Soils are gravelly

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.

Physiography

This site occurs on alluvial fans and on steep hillsides associated with structural benches and escarpments. Slopes range from 10-80% and elevations are 4700 to 7500 feet.

Climate

The soil moisture regime is ustic aridic and the soil temperature regime is mesic.

Soil features

The characteristic soils of this site are loamy skeletal with an average of 15-35% rock fragments, by volume, in the profile. They formed in mixed alluvium or colluvium derived mainly from sandstone and shale parent materials. These soils are well drained and have surface textures ranging from loams to sandy loams.

Vegetation dynamics

This site is influenced by many of the natural disturbances typical of MLRA 35. Fire is among such disturbances. Following a burn, perennial grasses generally dominate the community. After a few years of average precipitation, Wyoming big sagebrush regains dominance of the site. In contrast, lack of fire results in juniper encroachment. Due to modern disturbances such as invasive species and OHV use, the resilience of the plant communities may be at risk. Disturbances that reduce the presence of the perennial plant community result in an opportunity for invasive annuals to enter into the system. Fire suppression has resulted in some areas trasitioning to a juniper-pinyon dominated state.

Major Land Resource Area

MLRA 035X
Colorado Plateau

Subclasses

R035XY204UT–Semidesert Gravelly Loam (Wyoming Big Sagebrush)

Stage

Provisional

Download full description

State and transition model

More interactive model formats are also available. View Interactive Models
Click on state and transition labels to scroll to the respective text

Ecosystem states

1. Current Potential State - Wyoming big sagebrush/perennial grasses dominated

2. Juniper Woodland State

3. Annual Grassland - cheatgrass/broom snakeweed

T1A	-	T = Time without natural fire
T1B	-	IF = Intense Fire
T2A	-	IF = Intense Fire

State 1 submodel, plant communities

1.1. Wyoming Big Sagebrush/Perennial Grass

1.2. Perennial Grassland

1.3. Wyoming Big Sagebrush/ Reduced Understory

1.4. Utah Juniper Encroached Shrubland

1.1a	-	BR = Brush removal F = Fire
1.1b	-	ILG = Improper livestock grazing T = Time without disturbances or fire
1.2a	-	ILG = Improper livestock grazing T = Time without disturbances or fire
1.3a	-	BR = Brush removal F = Fire
1.3b	-	T = Time without disturbances or fire

State 2 submodel, plant communities

2.1. Juniper Woodland

State 3 submodel, plant communities

3.1. Annual grasses and sprouting shrubs

State 1
Current Potential State - Wyoming big sagebrush/perennial grasses dominated

Wyoming big sagebrush dominated community with other native shrubs; Indian ricegrass, sand dropseed, other cool-season and warm-season native, perennial grasses; perennial and annual forbs. Invasive species present, but not dominant

Community 1.1
Wyoming Big Sagebrush/Perennial Grass

This community is characterized by an overstory of Wyoming big sagebrush and an understory dominated by native perennial grasses, typically Indian ricegrass, galleta, and sand dropseed.

Community 1.2
Perennial Grassland

This community is characterized by perennial grasses with minimal shrubs present. Common species are sand dropseed, Indian ricegrass, galleta. Invasive species are present but not dominant

Community 1.3
Wyoming Big Sagebrush/ Reduced Understory

This community is characterized by an overstory of Wyoming big sagebrush, broom snakeweed, prickly pear and other shrubs with minimal perennial herbaceous understory. Invasive species are present in the interspaces between shrubs.

Community 1.4
Utah Juniper Encroached Shrubland

This community is characterized by a Utah juniper/ Pinyon woodland with an understory of Wyoming big sagebrush and grasses.

Pathway 1.1a
Community 1.1 to 1.2

Fire and/or brush removal can reduce the Wyoming big sagebrush dominance of this site and result in a grass dominated community.

Pathway 1.1b
Community 1.1 to 1.3

Time without fire coupled with season long grazing providing little rest and recovery for preferred grazed plants during critical growing periods coupled with high utilization can reduce the resilience of the perennial herbaceous vegetation resulting in a shrub dominated community.

Pathway 1.2a
Community 1.2 to 1.1

Time without disturbance and/or season long grazing providing little rest and recovery for preferred grazed plants during critical growing periods coupled with high utilization results in a reduction of perennial grasses, and an increase in Wyoming big sagebrush.

Pathway 1.3a
Community 1.3 to 1.2

Fire and/or brush removal can reduce the Wyoming big sagebrush dominance of this site and result in a grass dominated community.

Pathway 1.3b
Community 1.3 to 1.4

Time without disturbance (Fire) results in a pinyon-juniper encroached shrubland.

State 2
Juniper Woodland State

This state dominated by an overstory of Utah Juniper and occurs when perennial grasses become too sparse to produce and bank sufficient seed to become dominant after fire or tree removal. Shrubs also decrease and may be unable to return following tree removal.

Community 2.1
Juniper Woodland

This community is dominateed by an overstory of Utah Juniper, two-needle pinyon may also be present. There is minimal Wyoming big sagebrush and native perenial grassses. Invasive species may be present.

State 3
Annual Grassland - cheatgrass/broom snakeweed

This state is a result of intense fire, usually in a shrub or tree dominated community, and is characterized by cheatgrass and sprouting shrubs such as broom snakeweed.

Community 3.1
Annual grasses and sprouting shrubs

This community is dominated by cheatgrass and broom snakeweed. Prickly pear may also form a major component of the community. In sandier soils, sand dropseed may be a major part of the community.

Transition T1A
State 1 to 2

This transition occurs when fire suppression extends well beyond the natural fire return interval (over 100 years), resulting in dominance by Utah juniper.

Transition T1B
State 1 to 3

This transistion occurs when intense fire burns a site that has been depleted of perennial herbaceous vegetation.

Transition T2A
State 2 to 3

This transition occurs when intense fire occurs on a juniper encroached site.

Print Options

Sections

General information
Ecological dynamics
Citations

Font

Arial
Times New Roman

Other

Two-column format
Include images

Briefcase
Add ecological site groups and Major Land Resource Areas to your briefcase by clicking on the briefcase () 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.

Ecological site groups

Major Land Resource Areas

Click on box and path labels to scroll to the respective text.

Ecosystem states

1. Current Potential State - Wyoming big sagebrush/perennial grasses dominated

2. Juniper Woodland State

3. Annual Grassland - cheatgrass/broom snakeweed

T1A	-	T = Time without natural fire
T1B	-	IF = Intense Fire
T2A	-	IF = Intense Fire

State 1 submodel, plant communities

1.1. Wyoming Big Sagebrush/Perennial Grass

1.2. Perennial Grassland

1.3. Wyoming Big Sagebrush/ Reduced Understory

1.4. Utah Juniper Encroached Shrubland

1.1a	-	BR = Brush removal F = Fire
1.1b	-	ILG = Improper livestock grazing T = Time without disturbances or fire
1.2a	-	ILG = Improper livestock grazing T = Time without disturbances or fire
1.3a	-	BR = Brush removal F = Fire
1.3b	-	T = Time without disturbances or fire

State 2 submodel, plant communities

2.1. Juniper Woodland

State 3 submodel, plant communities

3.1. Annual grasses and sprouting shrubs

Search

Ecological site group DX035X01AESG15

Grand Staircase-Loam Soils Shrublands-Gravelly Soils

Last updated: 09/01/2021 Accessed: 05/02/2024

Ecological site group description

Key Characteristics

Physiography

Climate

Soil features

Vegetation dynamics

Major Land Resource Area

Subclasses

Stage

Ecosystem states

State 1 submodel, plant communities

State 2 submodel, plant communities

State 3 submodel, plant communities

Last updated: 09/01/2021
Accessed: 05/02/2024