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Ecological Site Descriptions Foundation for Resource Management Decisions

This document explores ecological site descriptions (ESDs) as critical tools for resource management decisions. It examines how different parts of the landscape support varied vegetation communities, aiding in ecological restoration and predicting changes due to disturbances. Key features covered include hydrologic changes, vegetation dynamics, and soil characteristics. With insights into past, present, and future ecological conditions, this resource aims to inform land managers about effective practices for sustainable grazing and land use in diverse ecosystems like the Oak/Juniper complex.

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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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