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Rangeland Productivity--Elbert County,Colorado,Western Part <br /> Rangeland Productivity <br /> In areas that have similar climate and topography, differences in the kind and <br /> amount of vegetation produced on rangeland are closely related to the kind of <br /> soil. Effective management is based on the relationship between the soils and <br /> vegetation and water. <br /> This table shows, for each soil that supports rangeland vegetation, the ecological <br /> site and the potential annual production of vegetation in favorable, normal, and <br /> unfavorable years.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 a site is influenced <br /> by development of the soil and plant community. The vegetation, soils, and <br /> hydrology are all interrelated. Each is influenced by the others and influences the <br /> development of the others. The plant community on an ecological site is typified <br /> by an association of species that differs from that of other ecological sites in the <br /> kind and/or proportion of species or in total production. Descriptions of ecological <br /> sites are provided in the Field Office Technical Guide, which is available in local <br /> offices of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (MRCS). <br /> Total dry-weight production is the amount of vegetation that can be expected to <br /> grow annually on well managed rangeland 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 /> Range management requires knowledge of the kinds of soil and of the potential <br /> natural plant community. It also requires an evaluation of the present range <br /> similarity index and rangeland trend. Range similarity index is determined by <br /> comparing the present plant community with the potential natural plant <br /> community on a particular rangeland ecological site. The more closely the <br /> existing community resembles the potential community,the higher the range <br /> similarity index. Rangeland trend is defined as the direction of change in an <br /> existing plant community relative to the potential natural plant community. Further <br /> information about the range similarity index and rangeland trend is available in <br /> the"National Range and Pasture Handbook,"which is available in local offices of <br /> NRCS or on the Internet. <br /> i Natural Resources Web Soil Survey 4/16/2018 <br /> Conservation service National Cooperative Soil Survey Page 1 of 2 <br />