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Rangeland Productivity and Plant Composition--Elbert County,Colorado,Western Part <br /> Rangeland Productivity and Plant Composition <br /> In areas that have similar climate and topography,differences in the kind and <br /> amount of rangeland or forest understory vegetation are closely related to the <br /> kind of soil. Effective management is based on the relationship between the soils <br /> and vegetation and water. <br /> This table shows,for each soil that supports vegetation suitable for grazing,the <br /> ecological site; the total annual production of vegetation in favorable, normal, and <br /> unfavorable years;the characteristic vegetation; and the average percentage of <br /> each species. An explanation of the column headings in the table follows. <br /> An ecological site is the product of all the environmental factors responsible for <br /> its development. It has characteristic soils that have developed over time <br /> throughout the soil development process; a characteristic hydrology, particularly <br /> infiltration and runoff that has developed over time; and a characteristic plant <br /> community(kind and amount of vegetation).The hydrology of the site is <br /> influenced by development of the soil and plant community. The vegetation, soils, <br /> and hydrology are all interrelated. Each is influenced by the others and <br /> influences the development of the others. The plant community on an ecological <br /> site is typified by an association of species that differs from that of other <br /> ecological sites in the kind and/or proportion of species or in total production. <br /> Descriptions of ecological sites are provided in the Field Office Technical Guide, <br /> which is available in local offices of the Natural Resources Conservation Service <br /> (NRCS). <br /> Total dry-weight production is the amount of vegetation that can be expected to <br /> grow annually in a well managed area that is supporting the potential natural <br /> plant community. It includes all vegetation,whether or not it is palatable to <br /> grazing animals. It includes the current year's growth of leaves, twigs, and fruits <br /> of woody plants. It does not include the increase in stem diameter of trees and <br /> shrubs. It is expressed in pounds per acre of air-dry vegetation for favorable, <br /> normal, and unfavorable years. In a favorable year, the amount and distribution <br /> of precipitation and the temperatures make growing conditions substantially <br /> better than average. In a normal year, growing conditions are about average. In <br /> an unfavorable year, growing conditions are well below average, generally <br /> because of low available soil moisture. Yields are adjusted to a common percent <br /> of air-dry moisture content. <br /> Characteristic vegetation(the grasses,forbs, and shrubs that make up most of <br /> the potential natural plant community on each soil) is listed by common name. <br /> Under rangeland composition, the expected percentage of the total annual <br /> production is given for each species making up the characteristic vegetation. The <br /> amount that can be used as forage depends on the kinds of grazing animals and <br /> on the grazing season. <br /> i Y)\ Natural Resources Web Soil Survey 4/16/2018 <br /> NOW Conservation Service National Cooperative Soil Survey Page 1 of 6 <br />