PERMFILE134143 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

u i .~ i RANGE SITE N0. 289 Page 2 CLAYEY FOOTHILLS '~'~_ August 1975 j. Native (potential} Vegetation Western wheatyrass dominates the cover, although big sagebrush gives the site an open brushland aspect. Black sage is also present in places. Muttongrass, Indian ricegrass, squirrel[ail, Junegrass and other grasses combine with western wheatgrass Co make up well over half the plant community. Beardless wheatgrass is present in. northern portions of the site. Forbs are scattered through but. _ make up a minor part of the plant community. Some of the most _- common are buckwheat, globemallow, penstemon, and locos or milk-. vetches. Others which grow in parts of this community are yarrow, balsamroot, and aster. Douglas rabbitbrush and prickly pear are .. commonly occurring plants, and there may be an occasional 4-wing saltbush or winCerfat. On more moist parts of the site a few tall , shrubs common to higher elevations may be present, and pinyon .or juniper may show up. The latter are confined to occasional trees :' .~.. or patches under natural conditions, however, due to fire and other..;.,''_",. - factors. ' Native (potential) Vegetation and Guide for Determining Range - ;~ Coneition. -_ . ,. . ,, f"~ Percentage composition by Height of the principal species .may.. ~~. total as much as: ~ :=^"-'-.. ~ + .~¢7t?anon n~zed ~fl 3roS- /p Jam.-iQa rant :.a._-~:~:.: :'';,. ,'~: ~, Western wheatgrass 50 Big sagebrush iS-20 Indian ricegrass 5 Muttongrass 5 • Beardless wheatgrass 1/ 5 •`~~`•'"' ~.~` Douglas rabbitbrush 5 ~ _ Others (listed above) J 5 _ _ 1/ Not present at southern locations. - , Tree species most likely to grow on the site are Utah juniper, "'- one-seed juniper and pinyon pine. Approximate ground cover is ' 40 percent. Species most likely to invade the site or increase from trace amounts are juniper (at upper elevations), rubber rabbitbrush, Colorado rubberweed, snakeweed, cheatgrass and a-nual weeds. Shadscale and greasewood move into some drier parts of the site, especially those adjacent to salty soils. Big sagebrush commonly ., becomes dominant as the range condition deteriorates and may make _, up nearly all the vegetation. Other plants which increase in some places as the condition deteriorates are black sage and Douglas _ ~~ rabbitbrush.