ECOLOGICAL SITES: DEVELOPMENT AND DESCRIPTION ESD Workshop Winnemuca NV 5 June 2012 Joel Brown USDA 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 Region Semidesert or desert region of plateaus, plains, basins and mountain ranges 150 – 1065 mm d frost free Overgrazing 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

Non-native grass invasion, increased fire frequency, loss of native woody plants Drought-triggered forest 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 dynamics Our challenge: to better to understand broad vegetation/disturbance/geo-physical relationships. Major Land Resource Areas of the continental USA

MLRA 24 Humboldt Area 35, 610 sq miles (92, 275 sq km) low flat coastal plains “ ( ) average annual precipitation, 60% June-Sep o F(21-24 o C) Average annual temperature MLRA EXPLORER Land Resource Regions and Major Land Resource Areas of the United States, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin

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 and grass loss: vulnerable/restorable Clayey soil (basin floor) Receives water and sediment: low risk Limestone Grass protected by rocks, 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. R024XY003NV SILTY 4-8 P.Z. R024XY004NV DROUGHTY LOAM 8-10 P.Z. R024XY020NV STREAMBANK P.Z. R029XY025NV ECOLOGICAL SITE CHARACTERISTICS Site Type: Rangeland Site Name: LOAMY 5-8 P.Z. / Atriplex confertifolia - Picrothamnus desertorum / Achnatherum hymenoides ( / shadscale - bud sagebrush / Indian ricegrass) Site ID: R024XY002NV Major 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 upland Loamy upland Sandy loam Loam Clay loam 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 upland Loamy upland Sandy loam Loam Clay loam Clay

ECOLOGICAL SITES: DEVELOPMENT AND DESCRIPTION “A Common Way to Describe Ecological Sites” for Rangelands The Interagency ESD Manual The Interagency ISD Handbook (hopefully) Development of Standards and Process – (2013 Goal)

A Common Way to Describe Ecological Sites ESD 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

Implement The Plan Evaluate the Plan Inventory Resources Analyze Resource Data Identify Problems Determine Objectives Formulate Alternatives Evaluate Alternatives Make Decisions How do ESDs Support Planning?