Ecological site group DX035X03CESG01
Defiance Plateau - Sodic
Last updated: 09/02/2021
Accessed: 05/02/2024
Ecological site group description
Key Characteristics
- Defiance Plateau
- Soils sodic
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
These sites occurs on risers of fan terraces, hills, steep escarpments, and shoulders of broad, stable landslides. Soils are shallow to very deep. Slopes range from 15-70%.
Climate
Late spring is usually the driest period, and early fall moisture can be sporadic. Summer rains fall from June through September; moisture originates in the Gulf of Mexico and creates convective, usually brief, intense thunderstorms. Cool season moisture from October through May tends to be frontal; it originates in the Pacific and the Gulf of California and falls in widespread storms with longer duration and lower intensity. Precipitation generally comes as snow from December through February. Accumulations above 12 inches are not common but can occur. Snow usually lasts for 3-4 days, but can persist much longer. Summer daytime temperatures are commonly 95 - 100 F and on occasion exceed 105 F. Winter air temperatures can regularly go below 10 F and have been recorded below - 28 F.
Soil features
Soils are shallow to very deep. Surface textures are very cobbly fine sandy loam & extremely gravelly sandy loam. Subsoil coarse fragments range from gravelly to very cobbly to stoy with textures of sand, fine sandy loam to clay loam. Water erosion hazard is moderate. Wind erosion hazard is slight to moderate. Soils are sodic.
Vegetation dynamics
Please see associated ecological sites under subclasses to view state and transition models.
These sites are grasslands with minor to relatively large percentages of shrubs. The plant community is a mixture of both cool and warm season grasses. The introduction of non-native annual grasses, drought, unmanaged grazing and the lack of fire/exclusion can lead to states with increased non-native annual grasses and increased shrubs. Perennial grass composition is reduced by competition with shrubs and annuals.
Major Land Resource Area
MLRA 035X
Colorado Plateau
Subclasses
Stage
Provisional
Click on box and path labels to scroll to the respective text.