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Ecological Site Descriptions Foundation for Resource Management Decisions

Ecological Site Descriptions Foundation for Resource Management Decisions. George Peacock Grazing Lands Technology Institute USDA-NRCS. Looking across any landscape it is not difficult to recognize that. some parts are different from other parts in the kinds and amount of vegetation.

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Ecological Site Descriptions Foundation for Resource Management Decisions

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  1. Ecological Site Descriptions Foundation for Resource Management Decisions George Peacock Grazing Lands Technology Institute USDA-NRCS

  2. Looking across any landscape it is not difficult to recognize that some parts are different from other parts in the kinds and amount of vegetation

  3. Question: Information on native plant communities for Ecological Restoration

  4. Question: Information for predicting change in plant communities due to disturbances

  5. Question: Information on hydrologic changes as plant community composition changes • Infiltration rates • Aquifer recharge • Surface runoff • Downstream flooding

  6. Ecological Site Descriptions

  7. Ecological Site Descriptions From an ecological perspective: Understand the past Understand present ecological dynamics Discuss future possibilities

  8. RELEASE OF NATIONAL FORESTRY MANUAL (1997) AND NATIONAL RANGE AND PASTUREHANDBOOK (1997) • RANGE SITES TO ECOLOGICAL SITES • WOODLAND SUITABILITY GROUPS TO ECOLOGICAL SITES

  9. ECOLOGICAL SITE DEFINITION: A distinctive kind of land with specific physical characteristics that differs from other kinds of land in its ability to produce a distinctive kind and amount of vegetation.

  10. ECOLOGICAL SITE Product of all environmental factors • Soils • Topography • Climate • Natural Disturbances • Herbivory • Fire • Drought

  11. ECOLOGICAL SITE WHAT HAS CHANGED?

  12. RANGE SITE DESCRIPTIONS • ADAPTATION OF CLIMATIC CLIMAX THEORY • GRAZING INTERPRETATIONS • PLANT COMMUNITY SCALE • SOIL MAP UNIT COMPONENTS

  13. ECOLOGICALSITE DESCRIPTIONS • STATE AND TRANSITION MODEL • MULTIPLE BENEFIT INTERPRETATIONS • PLANT COMMUNITY SCALE • SOIL MAP UNIT COMPONENTS

  14. ECOLOGICAL SITE DESCRIPTION • PHYSIOGRAPHIC FEATURES • CLIMATE FEATURES • WATER FEATURES • SOIL FEATURES • PLANT COMMUNITIES • SITE INTERPRETATIONS • SUPPORTING INFORMATION

  15. ECOLOGICAL SITE DESCRIPTION PHYSIOGRAPHIC FEATURES • LANDFORM • ASPECT • ELEVATION • SLOPE • WATER TABLE DEPTH • FLOODING (frequency and duration) • PONDING (duration and depth) • RUNOFF CLASS

  16. ECOLOGICAL SITE DESCRIPTION CLIMATE FEATURES • FROST FREE PERIOD • FREEZE FREE PERIOD • MEAN ANNUAL PRECIPITATION • MONTHLY PRECIPITATION • MONTHLY TEMPERATURE

  17. ECOLOGICAL SITE DESCRIPTION WATER FEATURES • COWARDIN WETLAND CLASSIFICATION • ROSGEN STREAM CLASSIFICATION

  18. ECOLOGICAL SITE DESCRIPTION SOIL FEATURES • PARENT MATERIAL (kind and origin) • SURFACE TEXTURE AND MODIFIERS • SURFACE FRAGMENTS • SUBSURFACE FRAGMENTS • DRAINAGE CLASS • PERMEABILITY CLASS • SOIL DEPTH

  19. ECOLOGICAL SITE DESCRIPTION SOIL FEATURES - continued • ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY • SODIUM ADSORPTION RATIO • SOIL REACTION (pH) • AVAILABLE WATER HOLDING CAPACITY • CALCIUM CARBONATE EQUIVALENT

  20. ECOLOGICAL SITE DESCRIPTION PLANT COMMUNITIES • ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS OF SITE • STATE AND TRANSITION DIAGRAM • PLANT COMMUNITIES • COMMUNITY NARRATIVE • ANNUAL PRODUCTION • SPECIES COMPOSITION • GROWTH CURVES • COVER AND STRUCTURE • PHOTO

  21. Deep Redland Ecological Site - Draft MLRA 81C OAK SAVANNA

  22. OAK / GRASSLAND

  23. Deep Redland Ecological Site - Draft MLRA 81C

  24. OAK / JUNIPER/GRASSLAND

  25. Deep Redland Ecological Site - Draft MLRA 81C

  26. OAK / JUNIPER COMPLEX

  27. Deep Redland Ecological Site - Draft MLRA 81C

  28. Deep Redland Ecological Site - Draft MLRA 81C Oak/Juniper Complex 20 ft + Ashe juniper 20 + Year old stand 30% + Canopy NF-INV Oak Savanna BM-S-PB-PG Legend BM - Brush Management PB - Prescribed Burning INV - Invasion PG - Prescribed Grazing NF - No Fire S - Seeding

  29. Deep Redland Ecological Site - Draft MLRA 81C Oak Savanna NF-INV PB-PG Oak/Juniper Complex 20 ft + Ashe juniper 20 + Year old stand 30% + Canopy Oak/Grassland <3 ft + Ashe juniper <5% Canopy NF-INV BM-S-PB-PG Legend BM - Brush Management PB - Prescribed Burning INV - Invasion PG - Prescribed Grazing NF - No Fire S - Seeding

  30. Deep Redland Ecological Site - Draft MLRA 81C Oak Savanna NF-INV PB-PG BM-PB-PG Oak/Juniper/ Grassland 8-12 ft Ashe juniper 5-20 Year old stand 10-20% Canopy Oak/Grassland <3 ft + Ashe juniper <5% Canopy NF-INV NF-INV BM-S-PB-PG Oak/Juniper Complex 20 ft + Ashe juniper 20 + Year old stand 30% + Canopy Legend BM - Brush Management PB - Prescribed Burning INV - Invasion PG - Prescribed Grazing NF - No Fire S - Seeding

  31. Deep Redland Ecological Site - Draft MLRA 81C Oak Savanna NF-INV PB-PG BM-PB-PG Oak/Juniper/ Grassland 8-12 ft Ashe juniper 5-20 Year old stand 10-20% Canopy Oak/Grassland <3 ft + Ashe juniper <5% Canopy NF-INV NF-INV BM-S-PB-PG BM-S-PG Oak/Juniper Complex 20 ft + Ashe juniper 20 + Year old stand 30% + Canopy Open Grassland BM-S-PG Legend BM - Brush Management PB - Prescribed Burning INV - Invasion PG - Prescribed Grazing NF - No Fire S - Seeding

  32. Deep Redland Ecological Site - Draft MLRA 81C Oak Savanna NF-INV PB-PG BM-PB-PG Oak/Juniper/ Grassland 8-12 ft Ashe juniper 5-20 Year old stand 10-20% Canopy Oak/Grassland <3 ft + Ashe juniper <5% Canopy NF-INV NF-INV BM-S-PB-PG BM-S-PG Oak/Juniper Complex 20 ft + Ashe juniper 20 + Year old stand 30% + Canopy Open Grassland BM-S-PG NF-INV PB-PG Open Grassland Juniper Invasion Legend BM - Brush Management PB - Prescribed Burning INV - Invasion PG - Prescribed Grazing NF - No Fire S - Seeding

  33. ECOLOGICAL SITE DESCRIPTION PLANT COMMUNITIES • ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS OF SITE • STATE AND TRANSITION DIAGRAM • PLANT COMMUNITIES • COMMUNITY NARRATIVE • ANNUAL PRODUCTION • SPECIES COMPOSITION • GROWTH CURVES • COVER AND STRUCTURE • PHOTO

  34. ECOLOGICAL SITE DESCRIPTION SITE INTERPRETATIONS • ANIMAL COMMUNITY • HYDROLOGY • RECREATIONAL USES • WOOD PRODUCTS • OTHER PRODUCTS • OTHER INFORMATION • SPECIES PREFERENCES • FOREST SITE PRODUCTIVITY

  35. ECOLOGICAL SITE DESCRIPTION HYDROLOGY INFORMATION LOAMY SITE MLRA 102A Nebraska and Kansas Loess-Drift Hills • PLANT COMMUNITY I • Mixture of native grasses • PLANT COMMUNITY II • Kentucky bluegrass - 75% • Smooth bromegrass - 25% • PLANT COMMUNITY III • Kentucky bluegrass - 25% • Smooth bromegrass - 75%

  36. ECOLOGICAL SITE DESCRIPTION HYDROLOGY INFORMATION LOAMY SITE MLRA 102A Nebraska and Kansas Loess-Drift Hills I II III Precipitation 25” 25”25” Interception .13 .10 .15 Surface Runoff 5.00 11.25 7.50 Infiltration 19.25 13.00 17.00 Deep Percolation .63 1.00 .50

  37. ECOLOGICAL SITE DESCRIPTION SUPPORTING INFORMATION • ASSOCIATED SITES • SIMILAR SITES • INVENTORY DATA REFERENCES • STATE CORRELATION • TYPE LOCALITY • RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER CLASSIFICATIONS • OTHER REFERENCES • SITE DESCRIPTION APPROVAL

  38. ECOLOGICAL SITE DESCRIPTIONS How do we utilize in conservation planning process?

  39. 1 2 X Sandy X 3 X Sandy Loam Loamy

  40. DESIRED PLANT COMMUNITY • Plant community that has been identified to provide uses and values desired for the site. • Must provide adequate protection for the site.

  41. Deep Redland Ecological Site - Draft MLRA 81C Oak Savanna NF-INV PB-PG BM-PB-PG Oak/Juniper/ Grassland 8-12 ft Ashe juniper 5-20 Year old stand 10-20% Canopy Oak/Grassland <3 ft + Ashe juniper <5% Canopy NF-INV NF-INV BM-S-PB-PG BM-S-PG Oak/Juniper Complex 20 ft + Ashe juniper 20 + Year old stand 30% + Canopy Open Grassland BM-S-PG NF-INV PB-PG Open Grassland Juniper Invasion Legend BM - Brush Management PB - Prescribed Burning INV - Invasion PG - Prescribed Grazing NF - No Fire S - Seeding

  42. MEETING MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES • Similarity Index Rating indicating how nearly the present vegetation resembles desired plant community. • Trend Indicates direction of plant community change. Range trend Planned trend • Rangeland Health Indicator of how the ecological processes of the site are functioning.

  43. Ecological Site Descriptions Provide: • A common framework for communication of resource information among disciplines, agencies, and organizations. • Information describing the interactions among soils, vegetation, and land management. • A foundation to assess the condition of current resources and monitor changes. • A framework to assess management opportunities and predict the outcome of management decisions. • A framework for transferring experience and knowledge.

  44. Thanks!?! Thanks!?!

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