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12/9/2019 ESD Printable Report <br /> economic/ecological threshold is crossed.The at-risk community phase is vulnerable to degradation.It is most vulnerable to exceeding the <br /> resilience limits of the state and transitioning to an alternative state.This community phase is considered to be a stage in a transition process <br /> that is reversible if the ecological processes that caused the shift are changed. <br /> Key species such as western wheatgrass,alkali sacaton,green needlegrass,sideoats grama,American vetch,fourwing saltbush and <br /> winterfat have been reduced in amounts.Blue grama and galleta have increased in abundance in the community.Red threeawn,bottlebrush <br /> squirreltail,ring muhly and hairy goldaster have also increased.This plant community is at risk of losing western wheatgrass,green <br /> needlegrass,American vetch,fourwing saltbush and winterfat. <br /> Continuous spring grazing with summer deferment will reduce the cool season component(western wheatgrass,green needlegrass&sun <br /> sedge)of this plant community and increase the warm season component.Continuous summer grazing with spring deferment will reduce the <br /> warm season component(sideoats grama&alkali sacaton)of this plant community and increase the cool season component. <br /> The risk of reducing losing key warm/cool season grasses,important forbs and shrubs is a major concern.Prescribed grazing with adequate <br /> recovery periods between grazing events together with proper stocking will enable the land user to maintain the vegetation or move it toward <br /> the reference state.Continuous grazing will take this plant community past an ecological/economic threshold resulting in costly revegetation <br /> practices or require many years of prescribed grazing to reverse the process. <br /> Blue grama is increasing at the expense of the dominant grasses and deep-rooted shrubs.Water cycle,nutrient cycle and energy flow are <br /> becoming impaired do to a shift in root structure and species composition.Less litter is being produced.Total aboveground carbon has been <br /> reduced due to decreases in forage and litter production.Reduction of rhizomatous wheatgrass,nitrogen fixing(orbs,shrub component and <br /> increased warm season short-grasses has begun to alter the biotic integrity of this community.Water and nutrient cycles are becoming <br /> impaired. <br /> Total annual production,during an average year,ranges from 150 to 600 pounds per acre air-dry weight and will average 300 pounds. <br /> Plant Growth Curve <br /> Growth curve number: C06903 <br /> Growth curve name: Warm season dominant,cool season sub-dominant;MLRA-69;upland fine textured soils. <br /> Growth curve description: <br /> Percent Production by Month <br /> Jan Feb Mar Air May Jun J u-I Aug Sep Q_Q_t Nov D-e-Q <br /> 0 0 0 5 15 35 25 15 5 0 0 0 <br /> - ura,xn[.wvn <br /> P <br /> f <br /> 0 <br /> 0 <br /> U 17 <br /> C y <br /> 1 <br /> i - <br /> 0 <br /> n <br /> 01s- _ - «,n• Lav JLn J_, <br /> Seeded Community <br /> This plant community can vary considerably depending on how eroded the soil was,the species seeded,the stand that was established,how <br /> long ago the stand was established,and the management of the stand since establishment. <br /> The Seeded plant community is represented by applying the conservation practice of Rangeland Seeding on go-back land or recently cropped <br /> land for the purpose of converting it to permanent vegetation.Plant species native to the site are used throughout the MLRA due to their <br /> suitability to the semi-arid climate.Native species are the most adapted to site conditions and therefore can be sustained in the MLRA. <br /> Improved cultivars(named varieties)of plant materials are used to enhance seeding establishment and meet specific reclamation resource <br /> objectives. <br /> There are several factors that make seeded rangeland a different grazing resource <br /> than native rangeland.Factors such as species selected,stand density,varieties and <br /> harvest efficiency all impact the production level and palatability.This results in uneven utilization when both seeded and native rangelands <br /> are in the same grazing unit.Therefore,the seeded rangeland should be managed as a separate grazing unit <br /> if possible. <br /> Species diversity on seeded rangeland is often lower than that of the reference plant community and native forb species will generally take <br /> longer to re-establish- <br /> Low Plant Density, Excessive Litter <br /> This plant community occurs when grazing is lacking for long periods of time or in the absence of fire.Plant composition is similar to the <br /> Reference Plant Community,however individual species production and frequency will be lower. <br /> Much of the nutrients are tied up in excess litter.The semiarid environment and the absence of animal impact&herd effect to break down <br /> https://esis.sc.egov.usda.gov/ESDReport/fsReportPri.aspx?id=RO69XYO46CO&rptLevel=all&approved=yes&repType=regular&scrns=&comm= 8/16 <br />