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4/2009_13:45 7205442964 NRCS METRO PAGE 03 <br />UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Soil Conservation Service Colorado <br />NGE SITE N 23i <br />?? yield Office <br />Technical Guide <br />Section 11 E Au ust 1975 <br />RANGE SITE DESCRIPTION <br />for <br />STONY LOAM <br />Land Resource Area: Southern Rocky Mountains (48) <br />A. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS <br />1. Physiographlc Feat_u_res <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 />2. Climatic features <br />The average annual precipitation is 15 to 20 inches with half <br />or more of the moisture in the form oj. snow. <br />The shrubs optimuotheowing <br />season for the site is May 1 to July <br />deep rooting plants of this site are favored by readily available <br />moisture from accumulated snow. <br />3. Native (potentia)) Vegetation <br />Serviceberry, antelope bitterbrush, big sagebrush, snowberry, and <br />Douglas rabbitbrush give this site the appearance of a shrub plant <br />community. Grasses and forbs, however, comprise a significant <br />percentage of the annual yield. Bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho/Arizona <br />fescue, muttongrass, Indian ricegrass, needle-and-thread, needle- <br />grasses (plne, Letterman, Scribner, and Columbia), Junegrass, western <br />wheatgrass, spike fescue along with sedges are frequent in occurrence. <br />bal- <br />Forbs of this site are tapertip hawksbeard, holly-leaf clover, <br />samroot, paintbrush, pussytoes, stonecrop and geranium. <br />In general this site is devoid of trees but a lone pine, Douglas <br />fir, Rocky Mountain juniper or aspen may grow on a soil inclusion <br />associated with the site. <br />The approximate ground cover of the potential plant community 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 ue invade thistle, cover deteriorates are <br />hound's tongue, <br />weed, and other similar species. <br /> <br />