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U 'S. UEPANTNtN'I' Ur AURICULTU Nt taut r ur ,
<br />NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SEAYICE • • 11/21!98
<br />End note -- fILDLIFE HABITAT
<br />11LDLIFE HABITAT
<br />Soils effect the kind and amount of vegetation that is available to mildlife as food and corer. They also affect
<br />the coastrmction of rater impomndmenta. The kind amd abmmdaace of rildlife depend largely on the amoont sad
<br />distribution of food, corer, and rater. ~ildlite habitat can be created or improved by planting appropriate
<br />regetetioa, by meiataiaiog the ezisting plant corer, or by promoting the netmral eatabliahment of desirable plants.
<br />In this report the soils are rated eccordiag [o their potential for prmviding habitat tar various kinds of
<br />rildlife. This iaformatioa cea be used .ia planning parks, mildlife refugee, nature atady areas, sad other developments
<br />far rildlife; in aelectimg soils that are surta6le for establishing, improving, or maiataiming specific elemeats of
<br />rildlife habitat; and in deteniairtg the intensity of management aeaded far each element of the habitat. The
<br />potential at the soil is rated 'Good,' 'Fair,' 'Poor,' or 'Very poor.' A rating of 'Good' indicates that the element
<br />or kind of habitat ie easily established, improved, or maintained. Fer or no limitations affect menagaeat, sad
<br />satisfactory results can be erpected. A rating at 'Fair' indicates that the element or kind of habitat can be
<br />established, improved, or maintained is most places. Moderately intensive management is regmired for satisfactory
<br />results. A rating of 'Poor' indicates that limitations are severe for the deaigaated element or triad of habitat.
<br />Habitat cea be created, imprm-ed, or maintained in most places, bmt mamagemeat ie difficult end must be intensive.
<br />A rating of 'Very poor' indicates that realrictions for the element or kind of habitat are very severe sad that
<br />unsatisfactory reaolta can be ezpected. Creating, improving, or maintaining habitat is impractical or
<br />impassible. The elemeats of mildlife habitat are described in the lolloming paragraphs.
<br />BRAIN AND SEED CROPS ere domestic grains and seed-producing herbaceous plaata. Soil properties sad features that affect
<br />the gromth of grim end seed crops are depth of the root tone, testate of the sorfate layer, available mater
<br />;opacity, metness, elope, surface stoniness, and flood hazard. Soil teeperature sad soil moisture are elan
<br />:onsideretions. Eramplea of grain and seed crops are corn, cheat, oats, and barley.
<br />•;RASSES AND LEGUMES are domestic perennial greases and herbaceous legumes. Soil properties and features that
<br />affect the grorth of grasses and legumes are depth of the root zone, tartars of the surface layer, available rater
<br />capacity, retnees, emrface atortiness, flood hazard, end slope. Soil teeperature and soil moisture are also
<br />:onsideretione. Ezamples of grasses and legumes are fescue, lovegrass, bromegresa, clover, end alfalfa.
<br />mILD BERBACEOUS PLANTS ere nati-e or nnturallp established grasses and (orbs, imcluding meads. Soil properties sad
<br />ieaturea that effect the grorth of these plants are depth of the root tone, teztare of the surface layer, aveilable refer
<br />:opacity, retnees, surface stoniness, sad flood hazard. Soil temperature and soil moisture are elan considerations.
<br />Eramples of mild herbaceous plants are bluestem, goldenrod, beggarreed, mheatgresa, and grams.
<br />HARDIOOD TREES end moody uaderstory produce nuts or other fruit, buds, catkins, taiga, bark, and foliage. Soil
<br />properties and features that affect the gromth of hardmood trees and shrubs are depth of the root zone, available rater
<br />capacity, and retnees. Ezamples of these plants are pal, poplar, cherry, sreetgum, apple, harthorn, dogrood, hickory,
<br />blackberry, and blueberry. Ezamples of fruit-producing shrubs that are suitable for planting on soils rated
<br />are Russian-olive, autumn-olive, and crabapple.
<br />ONIFEROUS PLANTS furnish brorse end seeds. Sail properties and features that affect the grorth of conit¢rous tries.
<br />shrubs, and ground corer are depth of the root zone, available mater capacity, amd metness. Eramples of
<br />,uniferous plants are pine, spruce, fir, cedar, and lunrper.
<br />SHRUBS are bushy roody plants that produce fruit. Duds. trigs, bark, and iolrage. Soil properties and features that
<br />affect the grorth of ehruos are depth of the root zone, available rater capacity, salinity, and soii moisture.
<br />rumples of shrubs are moumtainmahogany, bitterbrush, snorberry, end big sagebrush.
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