Ecological site group DX035X01BESG07
Circle Cliffs - Saline Hills and Badlands - saline, nongypsic
Last updated: 10/05/2022
Accessed: 05/02/2024
Ecological site group description
Key Characteristics
- Circle Cliffs
- Saline Hills and Badlands
- Soil parent material is dominated by salts other than gypsum
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 ecological site group occurs on hillslopes on mesas and structural benches, knolls and eroding shale hills, pediments, alluvial fans, and lower terraces. Typically, runoff is high to very high. Slopes typically range from 0-30% but may range to 60%. Elevations are generally 3500-6600 ft.
Climate
The climate of this site is characterized by hot summers and cool winters. Average annual precipitation ranges from 5 to 13 inches. About half of the precipitation occurs as convective thunderstorms from July through October. June is typically the driest month during the growing season. Large fluctuations in daily temperature are common, and precipitation varies greatly from month to month and from year to year. Some years are so dry that little plant growth occurs, and some plants remain dormant.
Soil features
The soils are very shallow to very deep but typically are moderately deep and shallower to paralithic shale bedrock. These soils are typically strongly saline and may be sodic. The soil surface layer often looks very raw and bare, with physical crusts as the dominant feature. The soils formed in residuum, colluvium, and alluvium derived dominantly from shale. Soil textures range from silty clay loam to clay. In some areas, influenced by alluvium from mixed sedimentary sources, up to 30 percent rock fragments may be present in the soil profile and on the surface. Soils are well drained with very slow to slow permeability. The available water-holding capacity ranges from 0.7 to 3.5 inches of water in the entire profile, reduced by both restricted depth and salinity. Soil moisture regime is typic aridic or ustic aridic and the soil temperature regime is mesic.
Vegetation dynamics
The ecological sites in this group are characterized by a sparse community of low-growing saltbush species, shadscale in some places, and a variable herbaceous layer of perennial grasses.
Large gaps between plants in relic areas indicate that this site did not historically burn often enough for fire to strongly influence the ecological processes of this site. Drought can affect the vegetative production, particularly of herbaceous plants, but does not appear to alter plant community structure.
Although the ecological sites in this group provide only minimal forage, they are often easily accessible and have been grazed by domestic livestock since the 1860s. The introduction of domestic livestock and the use of fencing and reliable water sources have apparently only minimally influenced the historic disturbance regime associated with this ecological site.
Modern disturbances such as invasive species and OHV use, could lower the resilience of these ecological sites' plant communities by creating an opportunity for invasive annuals to enter into the system. Halogeton and Russian thistle are most likely to invade these sites. At this time, cheatgrass is not readily invading these sites likely due the chemical properties of the soil.
Major Land Resource Area
MLRA 035X
Colorado Plateau
Subclasses
Correlated Map Unit Components
22480210, 22966965, 22966723, 22966722, 22966837, 22966838, 22966885, 22966886, 22966839, 22966860
Stage
Provisional
Contributors
Vic Parslow
Keith Crossland
Curtis Talbot
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Ecosystem states
T1A | - | D = Drought E = Establishment of non-native invasive species HWB = Heavy wildlife browsing ILG = Improper livestock grazing |
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T2A | - | D = Drought F = Fire HWB = Heavy wildlife browsing ILG = Improper livestock grazing SD = Surface disturbances |