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R069XY064CO—Gravel Breaks LRU's A&B-Reference Plant Community--Fremont County <br /> Area,Colorado <br /> R069XY064CO — Gravel Breaks LRU's A & B: <br /> Reference Plant Community <br /> Plant Community Description <br /> This plant community is the interpretive plant community for this site and is <br /> considered to be the Reference Plant Community. This community evolved with <br /> grazing by large herbivores and is suited to grazing by domestic livestock. <br /> Historically, fires likely occurred infrequently. This plant community can be found <br /> on areas that are grazed and where the grazed plants receive adequate recovery <br /> periods during the growing season. The potential vegetation is about 75-85% <br /> grasses and grass-likes, 10-15%forbs and 5-10%woody plants. <br /> The principal mid grasses are little bluestem and sideoats grama. Secondary <br /> grasses include blue grama, galleta, big bluestem, prairie sandreed, switchgrass, <br /> needleandth read, hairy grama and western wheatgrass. Threadleaf and sun <br /> sedge are common. Dominant forbs are purple prairie clover, dotted gayfeather <br /> and upright prairie coneflower. Winterfat, Bigelow sagebrush and skunkbush <br /> sumac are some of the major shrubs found on this plant community. <br /> This is a sustainable plant community in terms of soil stability, watershed function <br /> and biological integrity. Litter is properly distributed where vegetative cover is <br /> continuous. Some litter movement may occur on steeper slopes. Decadence and <br /> natural plant mortality is very low. Community dynamics, nutrient cycle, water <br /> cycle and energy flow are functioning properly. This community is resistant to <br /> many disturbances except continuous grazing, tillage and/or development into <br /> urban or other uses.Areas having lost all vegetation, such as livestock and <br /> vehicle trails are subject to high erosion rates and extreme runoff. <br /> Total annual production, during an average year, ranges from 350 to 1200 <br /> pounds of air-dry weight and will average 750 pounds. <br /> Plant Community Tables <br /> Plant Type Low Representative Value High <br /> Grass/Grasslike 245 600 1,005 <br /> Forb 70 94 115 <br /> Shrub/Vine 35 56 80 <br /> Totals 350 750 1,200 <br /> usDA Natural Resources Web Sod Survey 12/31/2018 <br /> Conservation Service National Cooperative Soil Survey Page 1 of 4 <br />