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I ," ~F^ USDA, Soil Conservation Service .-- /' Section II-E UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE T /.V/d 4 0 COLORADO FIELD OFFICE Loamy Plains 114 Range Site Description MLRA 49 6 70 July 1981 A. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS 1. Physiographic Features Topography is nearly level to gently rolling. Slopes are not oriented in any .definable direction and are generally less than ten percent but may go slightly steeper. Elevation ranges from 5000 to 6500 feet (1524 to 1981 meters). 2. Climatic Features a. Precipitation averages 14 to 16 inches (36 to 41 cm) annually, with 25 to 507, of it coming as snow or early spring rains. Amount of snowfall averages 54 inches (137 cm). b. Optimum growing season of native plants is April 15 to May for cool season plants and May for warm season plants. High inten- sity summer storms follpwed by hot dry winuy periods are a common occurrence. The average annual temperature is 52°F (11°C) with highest temperatures occurring during June, July and August. Length of growing season is 159-181 days with average frost dates occurring May 9 and October 8. There are 27 days that exceed 90°F (32°C) and 140 days that are below 32°F (0°C). 3. Native (Climax Potential) Vegetation a. The plant community is about 90-95 percent grasses, 5 to 10 percent forbs and 5 [0 10 percent shrubs. Blue grama, western wheatgrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, galleta, Junegrass and side-oats grama, make up most of the plant community which total 60 to 80Y.. Grasses such as buffalograss, three-awn, New Mexico needlegrass, wolf tail, needle-and-thread, sand dropseed and shrubs such as winterfat and fringed sage are secondary in the community. Small amounts of ring muhly, plains prickly pear, Missouri ball cactus, slimflower scurfpea, heath aster, dotted gayfeather, silky sophora, silver bluestem, scarlet globemallow, curlycup gumweed, ironplant goldenweed, upright prairieclover, and wavy-leaf thistle grow in small amounts in scattered distri- bution. Other shrubs such as small soapweed, green plume rabbitbrush, walkingstick cholla, broom snakeweed, and fourwing saltbush, occur in the community. An occasional one-seed juniper may occupy this site if adjacent to a break site.