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.'%^. <br />,'~ <br />,t <br />,, ., _ . <br />: ~ _. <br />UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE =~'_ <br />Soil Conservation Service, Colorado <br />Technical Guide RANGE SITE N0. 237 - <br />Section II E Field Office ' _ <br />August 1975 <br />RANGE SITE DESCRIPTION <br />for <br />STONY LOAM <br />Land Resource Area: Southern Rocky Mountains (48)' <br />A. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS ~ . <br /> <br />' 1 <br />.`r. <br /> <br /> <br />-. 2 <br />~; , <br />In general this site is devoid of trees bu[ a lone pine, Douglas <br />fir, Rocky Mountain juniper or aspen may grow on a soil inclusion <br />associated with the site. <br />Physiographic Features - ' ;:`~ <br />_ ...., <br />Stony hills and mountain sides are typical of the landscape of _ - <br />this range site. Slopes are from steep to very steep - as steep .':~;'?_'° <br />as 60$. Elevations range between 7000 and 9000 feet. <br />,:<..; <br />CI imatic Features ~' '~ '-=°`' <br />~: <br />The average annual precipitation is 15 [0 20 inches with half -`i-~?~.`'f ~ . <br />or more of the moisture in the form of snow. The o timum irowln .~,.s <br />season for the site is May 1 to July 1. The shrubs and tithe rv'' ~, <br />deep rooting plants of this site are favored by readily available ~ T <br />moisture from accumulated snow. ~}~ <br />Native (potential) Vegetation "! " `~'^'~ <br />Serviceberry, antelope bitterbrush, big sagebrush, snowberry;:.and...~.;~i'''~_~~'~? <br />Douglas rabbitbrush give this site the appearance of a shrub plant,-., -- <br />community. Grasses and fortis, however, comprise a significant <br />percentage or the annual yield. Bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho/Arizona! <br />fescue, muttongrass; Indian ricegrass, needle-and-thread, needle- '~_; <br />grasses (pine', Letterman, Scribner, and Columbia), Junegrass, western..~Y``"~'1 <br />wheatgrass, spike fescue along with sedges are frequent in occurrence.: , <br />Fortis of this site are tapertip hawks beard, holly-leaf clover, bal- - <br /><_amroot, paintbrush, pu_s;rtc__, stonecrop and tier=_nlum. _. <br />The approximata ground cover of the petential plant comml!nity is 30$. ' <br />Much of the land surface is occupied by stones but the spaces between '~ <br />them are well filled with plant cover. Plants not a part of the commu=.. <br />nity that are likely to invade when the cover deteriorates are cluster <br />tarweed, hound's tongue, Canada thistle, cheatyrass, stickseed, knot- <br />weed, and other similar species. <br />