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Site Type: Rangeland <br />MLRA: 69 -Upper Arkansas Valley Rolling Plains <br />Loamy <br />R069XY006CO <br />The following is the growth curve of this plant community expected during a normal year: <br />Growth curve number: CO6902 <br />Growth curve name: Warm season/cool season co-dominant, excess litter; MLRA-69; upland fine <br />textured soils. <br />JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC <br />0 0 3 7 22 33 18 12 5 0 0 0 <br />(monthly percentages of total annual growth) <br />Transitions or pathways leading to other plant communities are as follows: <br />• Prescribed grazing with adequate recovery periods between each grazing event and proper <br />stocking can restore this plant community back to the Western Wheatgrass, Blue Grama, Galleta, <br />Fourwing saltbush Plant Community (HCPC). <br />Blue Grama/Buffalograss Sod; Broom Snakeweed Plant Community <br />This plant community developed with repeated continuous grazing without adequate recovery periods <br />between grazing events and occurs frequently throughout most of MLRA-69. Galleta has been <br />reduced. Green needlegrass, American vetch, purple prairie clover, fourwing saltbush and winterfat <br />have been removed. Western wheatgrass may persist in trace amounts, in protected areas and <br />higher precipitation regimes within the MLRA. Blue grama and buffalograss dominate the community <br />and can forma "sodbound" appearance. Red threeawn, sand dropseed, tumblegrass, bottlebrush <br />squirrletail, sixweeks fescue, plains pricklypear and hairy goldaster will all increase in varying <br />degrees. In some instances, broom snakeweed will significantly increase. <br />This plant community is resistant to change due to grazing tolerance of buffalograss and blue grama. <br />A significant amount of production and diversity has been lost when compared to the HCPC. Loss of <br />cool season grasses, fourwing saltbush and winterfat, and nitrogen fixing fortis have negatively <br />impacted energy flow and nutrient cycling. Water infiltration is reduced significantly due to the <br />massive shallow root system "root pan", characteristic of sodbound blue grama and buffalograss. Soil <br />loss may be obvious where flow paths are connected. <br />It will take a very long time to restore this plant community back to the HCPC with improved <br />management. Renovation would be very costly. Desertification is advanced. <br />Production ranges from 100 to 400 pounds of air-dry vegetation per acre per year and averages 250 <br />pounds. <br />The following is the growth curve of this plant community expected during a normal year: <br />Growth curve number: CO6904 <br />Growth curve name: Warm season dominant; MLRA-69; upland fine textured soils. <br />JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC <br />0 0 0 0 15 45 25 15 0 0 0 0 <br />(monthly percentages of total annual growth) <br />Transitions or pathways leading to other plant communities are as follows: <br />• Heaw continuous grazing, excessive defoliation without adequate recovery periods following each <br />grazing event and in some cases, long-term non-use will shift this plant community (or any plant <br />community) toward the Red threeawn, Annuals, Bare Ground Plant Community. This transition <br />may take greater than 40 years. Erosion and loss of organic matter/carbon reserves are <br />concerns. <br />Technical Guide USDA NRCS <br />Section IIE 9 Rev. 3/04 <br />