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<br />~" <br />UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE <br />"Soil Conservation Service. Colorado <br />• ~ Technical Guide RANG E. SITE N0..24] <br />Section ll E Field Office <br />.: August 1975' . <br />RANGE SITE DESCRIPTION , ~ '. <br />.for " . <br />• ~ MOUNTAIN MEADOW <br />• ~ Land-Resource Area: Southern Rocky Mountains (48) <br />. .. - - <br />~• A. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS ,:, <br />• 1. Physiographic Features .. ;_ " <br />" ", The site occurs in mountain,valleys, swales.; parks, and around <br />...potholes. Topography.is nearly level to fairly steep. Thee <br />_ ~, may be slight irregulariEles, but the terrain is generally <br />smooth: Slopes are mostly 0 to 3~, but are steeper in a few ~ . <br />• places: They have no'significant influence on plant growth. •~ <br />Elev%~tfon ranges.firom about-7000 feet to 11,500 feet. - <br />~-.. <br />'` 2. Climatic Features <br />. Average annual precipitation is mostly :from .15 inches to more <br />' than 40 i.hches, half or more coming in .the form of snow. Mow^ <br />'. : ever, the lcey. to. existence of the site is natural.subirrigation <br />• in. a cool mountain climaYe,.rather than:amount•of precipitation. <br />~. The site may therefore exist on drier areas (down to about 10 - <br />• ~ inches annual .precipitation) where summers are short and cool - - <br />", enough. <br />~. .. Major native plants start the m main growth.f~om'mid-May to early-~ <br />.. - June and continue through mid-July or August., The growing season <br />_ varies because of:the'wide range In elevation over which the site <br />". occurs. - - <br />:. Mean annual temperatures range from about 30° to"44° f.. Average <br />. frost-free period is less 'than 50 days and may be extremely short' ' <br />at upper elevations. It .is about 100 days at lowest elevations. <br />Evaporation rates are moderate to low, There is snow cover through <br />winter and early spring (often into late spring at some locations): <br />Some plants start growth under the snow and develop rapidly <br />following snowmelt. This, with a low or non-existent moisture <br />...~ deficit, seems to favor certain characteristic plants that are . <br />scarce or absent. on similarly we[ soils in drier climates. <br /> <br />96 <br />