Shallow South 9-12 PZ Snake River Warm Plains

Description

The Reference state is representative of the natural range of variability in pristine conditions (Stringham et al., 2019). This state has no introduced plant species. Disturbance patterns reflect historic return cycles or increased return has not reduced the site's resistance and resilience to disturbance. The Reference state has two communities: a grass shrub community and a perennial grass community. Community dynamics are controlled primarily by fire and time. All functional groups are present, and a diverse forb component exists although it is not the dominant component. At the time of this writing, one site was considered to be in the Reference state so the bulk of community information is inferred from current potential sites and historical data.

Characteristics and indicators

•No introduced plant species
•All functional groups present
•High plant vigor and reproductive capacity

Resilience management

Reference sites should be prioritized for protection whenever possible. Management should focus on conservation and protection above other uses. Surrounding landscapes should be managed to reduce non-native species introductions and other impacts (Maestas et al., 2022).

Submodel

Description

This state is similar to the Reference state but some amount of nonnative species occur and species composition has been somewhat altered. Ecological functions often remain intact but due to the presence of these non-native species, resistance and resilience to disturbance have been reduced (Stringham et al., 2016). This state has three communities: a grass-shrub community, a shrub-grass community, and a perennial grass community. The latter two represent two different at-risk communities; at risk of converting to the Shrubland state and at risk of converting to the Annual state, respectively.

Characteristics and indicators

•Low cover of introduced plant species (commonly less than fifteen percent total)
•Deep-rooted perennial grass cover at or above twenty percent
•All functional groups present with no significant decrease in reproductive capability

Resilience management

Sites in the current potential state should be prioritized for protection wherever possible, especially when in good quality condition (Maestas et al., 2022). Management activities should focus on limited seed sources of invasive annual grasses and promote perennial plant vigor and reproduction.

Submodel

Description

This state is dominated by shrubs and shallow-rooted perennial grasses and is a result of overgrazing especially during key growth periods of cool-season bunchgrasses. Deep-rooted perennial grasses have been reduced or completely excluded, rarely exceeding five percent foliar cover. This state consists of one community, the Shrubs and Shallow-rooted Grass community (Hanna and Fulgham, 2015). Although highly variable, invasive annual grass cover is often higher than in the current potential state. Without deep-rooted perennial grasses, this state is more prone to erosion than the Current Potential state.

Characteristics and indicators

•Typically, less than five percent foliar cover of deep-rooted perennial grasses.
•High cover of shallow-rooted perennial grass
•Increased invasive annual grass but not enough to become a dominant component.

Resilience management

Management actions should focus on reintroduction of deep-rooted perennial grasses. Invasive annual grass control may also be a priority to avoid transitioning to an annual state.

Submodel

Description

This state is dominated by invasive annual grasses. These grasses increase litter amounts which inhibit deep-rooted perennial grass recruitment and increase fire frequency. These two effects create a positive feedback loop that increases invasive annual grass populations (Reisner et al., 2013).

Characteristics and indicators

•Annual grass foliar cover greater than 25 percent
•Sagebrush cover is variable but even when common, interspaces dominated by invasive annual grasses.
•Herbaceous litter cover can be higher than other states

Resilience management

Any management actions should focus on reducing the annual grass cover and limiting its spread to other areas (Smith et al., 2022).

Submodel

Description

This state is characterized by the co-dominance or dominance of young junipers at the site. Sagebrush and deep-rooted perennial grasses may be present but no longer control site resources and are likely declining. Bare ground is expected to increase and on sites with higher slopes erosion may become a significant issue.

Characteristics and indicators

• Western juniper canopy cover above ten percent
• Bare ground increasing possibly showing signs of soil erosion such as grass pedestals
• Shrubs showing signs of decreasing

Resilience management

Management should focus on young juniper removal and either preservation or reintroduction of deep-rooted perennial grasses. Before treatment, sites should be examined closely as success or failure depends on many factors (Miller et al. 2005). See state transition pathways for more details.

Submodel