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ECOLOGICAL SITES: DEVELOPMENT AND DESCRIPTION
ESD WorkshopWinnemuca NV
5 June 2012
Joel BrownUSDA NRCS
National Soil Survey Center /Jornada Experimental Range
A climate, a plant community or a soil, in the sense of an individual, is a ... section of the landscape with a range in characteristics set by our logic, not by nature. (Dyksterhuis 1958)
Early forest and range site applications were explicitly designed to divide the landscape as a means of predicting production and restoring production post-disturbance
As site, landscape and regional scale ecosystem services expand, change and become more fluid, ecological site descriptions need to become more robust
FAO.org
A climate, a plant community or a soil, in the sense of an individual, is a ... section of the landscape with a range in characteristics set by our logic, not by nature. (Dyksterhuis 1958)
A distinctive kind of land with specific physical characteristics that differs from other kinds of land in its ability to produce a distinctive kind and amount of vegetation, and in its ability to respond to management actions and natural disturbances.
HOW DO WE SYSTEMATICALLY SUBDIVIDE THE LANDSCAPE AND INTERPRET THOSE DIVISIONS?
Geographic areas with similar soils
Similar landscape patterns
Groups of Ecological Sites that share landscapes
Intermingled ecological sites or single site
One individual representative of the site
An observation of plant-soil relationships
Regions with similar climate, land use
Geographic areas with similar soils
Similar landscape patterns
Groups of Ecological Sites that share landscapes
Intermingled Ecological Sites
Single individual representative of the site
Point scale plant-soil relationships
Regions with similar climate, land use
LAND RESOURCE REGIONS
LRR D – Western Range and Irrigated RegionSemidesert or desert region of plateaus, plains, basins and mountain ranges150 – 1065 mm105-260 d frost freeOvergrazing is a concern on rangelands
Basics of ecological sites: spatial scales
Geographic areas with similar soils
Similar landscape patterns
Groups of Ecological Sites that share landscapes
Intermingled ecological sites or single site
One individual representative of the site
An observation of plant-soil relationships
Regions with similar climate, land use
35
43B
3
42 133A
8
5
30136
54
72
58A
40
25
48A
52
73
29
47
28A
23
6534A
133B103
98
36
56
38
17
143
43A
116A
140
27
131A
112
53B
41
28B 147
77C
125
105
7
58B
153A
67B
78C
127
55B
22A
69
80A
126
2
78B
109
21
31
24
55A
86A
102A
104
7175
90A
74
70C
139
55C
85
95B
119130B
106107B
121
63A32
79
53A
12143
81B
94A
43A
77A
102C
113
150A
Non-native grass invasion,increased fire frequency,loss of native woody plants
Drought-triggeredforest dieback
Non-native grass invasion,altered surface hydrology, reduced productivity
Perennial grass loss, soil erosion, native woody plant dominance
Nonnative woody plant invasion
Native woody plant thickening, reduced fire frequency
MLRAs distinguish broad differences in potential and types of ecological dynamicsOur challenge: to better to understand broad vegetation/disturbance/geo-physical relationships.
Major Land Resource Areas of the continental USA
MLRA 24 Humboldt Area35, 610 sq miles (92, 275 sq km)low flat coastal plains44-59 “ (1120-1500) average annual precipitation, 60% June-Sep70-75o F(21-24o C) Average annual temperature
MLRA EXPLORERLand Resource Regions and Major Land Resource Areas of the United States, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin http://www.cei.psu.edu/mlra/
Basics of ecological sites: spatial scales
Geographic areas with similar soils
Similar landscape patterns
Groups of Ecological Sites sharing landscapes
Intermingled ecological sites or single site
One individual representative of the site
An observation of plant-soil relationships
Regions with similar climate, land use
Loamy soil (active piedmont)Susceptible to water erosion andgrass loss: vulnerable/restorable
Clayey soil (basin floor)Receives water and sediment: low risk
Limestone Grass protected byrocks, higher rainfall,good water capture: low risk
Soil mapping units of the Jornada Basin (15 km)
Gravelly soil (shallow, relict piedmont)Surface soil water limited, high risk for grass loss and erosion: vulnerable/restorable
Sandy soil (relict basin floor)Erodible surface soils once grasses removed: vulnerable/hard to restore
The MLRA-level “model” is filtered by soils/topography and local climate (LRU) Our challenge: to begin to sample/model and understand finer vegetation/disturbance/geo-physical relationships.
Basics of ecological sites: spatial scales
Geographic areas with similar soils
Similar landscape patterns
Groups of Ecological Sites that share landscapes
Intermingled ecological sites or single site
One individual representative of the site
An observation of plant-soil relationships
Regions with similar climate, land use
Associated Sites:SODIC TERRACE 6-8 P.Z. R024XY003NVSILTY 4-8 P.Z. R024XY004NVDROUGHTY LOAM 8-10 P.Z. R024XY020NVSTREAMBANK 10-14 P.Z. R029XY025NV
ECOLOGICAL SITE CHARACTERISTICSSite Type: RangelandSite Name: LOAMY 5-8 P.Z./ Atriplex confertifolia - Picrothamnus desertorum / Achnatherum hymenoides( / shadscale - bud sagebrush / Indian ricegrass)Site ID: R024XY002NVMajor Land Resource Area: 024-Humboldt Area
Basics of ecological sites: spatial scales
Geographic areas with similar soils
Similar landscape patterns
Groups of Ecological Sites that share landscapes
Intermingled ecological sites or single site
One individual representative of the site
An observation of plant-soil relationships
Regions with similar climate, land use
Sandy loam uplandLoamy upland
Sandyloam
LoamClayloam
Clay
Basics of ecological sites: spatial scales
Geographic areas with similar soils
Similar landscape patterns
Groups of Ecological Sites that share landscapes
Intermingled ecological sites or single site
One individual representative of the site
An observation of plant-soil relationships
Regions with similar climate, land use
Sandy loam uplandLoamy upland
Sandyloam
LoamClayloam
Clay
ECOLOGICAL SITES: DEVELOPMENT AND DESCRIPTION
“A Common Way to Describe Ecological Sites”for Rangelands
• The Interagency ESD Manual - 2010• The Interagency ISD Handbook- 2012 (hopefully)
• Development of Standards and Process – (2013 Goal)
A Common Way to Describe Ecological SitesESD Project Plans
• An ESD Project Plan is the main tool for analyzing workload (planning, scheduling, and coordinating activities) and tracking progress of ES activities.
• The scope of ESD project plans will vary. A project plan may simply involve the collection of additional data for inclusion in an existing ESD or may involve going through the entire development process for a new ecological site.
Goals
To increase the understanding of ecological dynamics to landscapes
To better catalogue expert knowledge and data-driven processes
To use common process for defining the ecological site concept
To develop ecological site products that meet the needs of multiple users
To develop products that are management tools
Establish priorities for development
Assemble existing resource material
Select locations for reconnaissance
Establish local working group
Resource allocation
Planning Phase
Build your Local
Working Groups
DATA and DOCUMENTATION COLLECTION PHASE
Important to have draft STM developed prior to sampling design and data collection
Level III sampling should be dependent on Level II results
Basics of ecological sites: spatial scales
Geographic areas with similar soils
Similar landscape patterns
Groups of Ecological Sites that share landscapes
Intermingled ecological sites or single site
One individual representative of the site
An observation of plant-soil relationships
Regions with similar climate, land use
ECOLOGICAL SITE DESCRIPTION CERTIFICATION PHASE
Peer review
Correlation of interpretations
SUMMARY
• Climate, geology, soils, vegetation occur within spatiotemporal gradients
• It is unlikely that you will be able to work with Ecological Sites that are exclusively one unit
• Understanding the hierarchical setting of an ecological site can help interpret and apply the information in an ESD to conservation problems
ImplementThe Plan
Evaluate the Plan
Inventory Resources
Analyze Resource
Data
Identify Problems
Determine Objectives
Formulate Alternatives
EvaluateAlternatives
Make Decisions
How do ESDs Support Planning?