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Ecological site R224XY103AK

Sand Dunes Provisional Ecological Site Group (R/F)

Last updated: 6/13/2025
Accessed: 10/19/2025

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General information

Provisional. A provisional ecological site description has undergone quality control and quality assurance review. It contains a working state and transition model and enough information to identify the ecological site.

MLRA notes

Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): 224X–Cook Inlet Lowlands

Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 224X consists of lowlands and lower mountain slopes of the Susitna and Matanuska Valleys, western Kenai Peninsula, and west side of Cook Inlet. It makes up about 10,965 square miles (28,400 square kilometers). The terrain is a broad expanse of braided flood plains, high gradient rivers, rolling plains, terraces and hills bordered by the surrounding mountains. This MLRA contains a large percentage of Alaska's total population and includes the most extensive road systems in the state. Major rivers include the Susitna, Yentna, Little Susitna, Matanuska, Kenai, and Deep Creek that all drain into Cook Inlet. The largest lakes are Tustumena, Skilak, and Beluga Lake.

Climate is highly variable ranging from temperate maritime to continental subarctic. Winter arctic weather systems are common in the northern portion of the MLRA. The average annual precipitation ranges from 15 to 60 inches (380 to 1,525 millimeters). The average annual snowfall is about 60 to 120 inches (150 to 305 centimeters). The average annual temperature is about 27 to 36 degrees F (-3 to 2 degrees C). The freeze-free period averages 65 to 160 days, decreasing with elevation.

Vegetation ranges from spruce/birch forests in the lowlands to subalpine scrubland at high elevations. Saltwater meadows along the coast and wetlands and extensive marsh occur throughout the lowlands across the valley. In most years precipitation is adequate for crops, with limited irrigation. Major rivers are affected by high sediment-laden glacial meltwater and ice dam damage and flooding is a risk during spring thaw. Water is hard or very hard, with high potential levels of iron, but is otherwise of excellent quality. Alpine vegetation is associated with the adjacent Cook Inlet Mountains MLRA (223X).

The dominant soil orders in this MLRA are Spodosols, Histosols, Entisols, and Inceptisols. Water, riverwash, beaches, and other miscellaneous (non-soil) areas are 15 percent of this MLRA. Glacial and volcanic ash wind-blown deposits influence much of the area. Glacial deposits and active fluvial deposits are common.

The MLRA is visited by a great number of migrating birds and supports large populations of waterfowl. Most of the rivers and streams are important spawning grounds for salmon (Chinook, coho, and red salmon). Peonies, hay, potatoes, and hardy vegetables are important agriculture with a few dairy and beef cattle farms present. Commercial logging and subsistence firewood gathering are locally important, as is subsistence gathering. Other major industries in the area include commercial fishing, fish processing, and oil and gas extraction. Tourism and wildland recreation are becoming increasingly important.

The major resource concerns are water erosion and water quality. Aquifers are highly susceptible to contamination from runoff. The intrusion of seawater can be a problem along Cook Inlet. Rapid development and off-road recreation are creating significant damage to the wildlands.

LRU notes

This MLRA is a transitional zone between temperate maritime and continental subarctic climatic zones. Arctic winter weather patterns are present in northern areas. With this transition, there are major variations in climatic influences and vegetative responses. With further soil survey and vegetative surveys, this MLRA will be evaluated for potential Land Resource Unit (LRU) development.

Classification relationships

Coastal Trough Province of the Pacific Mountain System

USFS Description of Ecoregions of the United States
100 Polar Domain
130 Subarctic Division
M135 Alaska Range Humid Tayga--Meadow Province

United States National Vegetation Classification
C01. Forest & Woodland Class
S15. Temperate & Boreal Forest & Woodland Subclass
F001. Boreal Forest & Woodland Formation
D014. North American Boreal Forest and Woodland Division
M156. White Spruce - Black Spruce Boreal Montane Woodland Group

LandFire BpS Model/Description Version: Nov. 2024
- 17090 North American Arctic-Subarctic Coastal Dune and Beach
- 16650 Alaskan Pacific-Aleutian Coastal Dune, Beach, and Beach Meadow
(Landfire, 2009)

Ecological site concept

- Occurs on beach dunes, ridges, sand dunes, beach terraces, plains, outwash plains, and moraines, where wind accumulated sediments will deposit.
- Soils resulting from eolian sand and silt movement and accumulation.
- No water table is associated with this ecological site and no flooding or ponding is expected.
- Vegetation is somewhat sparse on newer and more active dune locations, but vegetation cover increases with landform age and stability.
- Plant community is characterized by a salt-tolerant forb and grass dominated early successional community, then a higher diversity of grass and forbs develop on the second stage or more established dunes and dune ridges. And finally, the mature sites will have a dwarf-shrub stringers intermixed with the grass and forb established communities.

Associated sites

R224XY102AK	Tidal Basin Provisional Ecological Site Group Sand dunes ecological site group is closely associated with the tidal basins. The basins are at sea-level and have a saltwater influence and tidal influence. The dunes are a rise above this with minimal to no tidal and salt influence and run inland.

R224XY102AK

Tidal Basin Provisional Ecological Site Group

Sand dunes ecological site group is closely associated with the tidal basins. The basins are at sea-level and have a saltwater influence and tidal influence. The dunes are a rise above this with minimal to no tidal and salt influence and run inland.

Similar sites

F224XY302AK	Alluvial Uplands Provisional Ecological Site Group The sands and loess deposits are similar to the forest cover of alluvial fans. Paper birch and Aspen are common on both sites. Alluvial deposits are a true forest, with dense over story canopy, where Beach Dunes and Ridges will maintain an open forest canopy.

F224XY302AK

Alluvial Uplands Provisional Ecological Site Group

The sands and loess deposits are similar to the forest cover of alluvial fans. Paper birch and Aspen are common on both sites. Alluvial deposits are a true forest, with dense over story canopy, where Beach Dunes and Ridges will maintain an open forest canopy.

Table 1. Dominant plant species

Tree	(1) Betula papyrifera (2) Populus tremuloides
Shrub	(1) Ledum (2) Cornus canadensis
Herbaceous	(1) Leymus mollis (2) Calamagrostis canadensis

Download full description

Physiographic features

- Ecological site is on beach dunes, ridges, sand dunes, plains, outwash plains, and moraines, where wind accumulated sediments will deposit.
- Slopes range from 0 to 35 percent
- Elevations are low due to proximity to the beach/tidal complex, and range between 0 and 500 feet in elevation.
- Site concept does not consider a water table; however, associated landforms and ecological sites may have a contributing effect of a water table.

Table 2. Representative physiographic features

Landforms	(1) Hills > Moraine (2) Hills > Outwash plain (3) Hills > Plain (4) Shore complex > Dune (5) Hills > Dune
Runoff class	Medium
Flooding frequency	None
Ponding frequency	None
Elevation	330 ft
Slope	35%
Aspect	W, NW, N, NE, E, SE, S, SW

Table 3. Representative physiographic features (actual ranges)

Runoff class	Not specified
Flooding frequency	Not specified
Ponding frequency	Not specified
Elevation	500 ft
Slope	85%

Climatic features

Most weather systems originate in the North Pacific and the Gulf of Alaska. In winter, particularly in the northern part of the area, arctic weather systems are more common. In the Matanuska Valley, seasonal winds pick up fine-earth material from unvegetated flood plains and create extensive dust clouds that can reach an altitude of 5,000 feet (1,525 meters) or more. The average annual precipitation ranges from 15 to 60 inches (380 to 1,525 millimeters). It generally is higher on the southern Kenai Peninsula, in the northern Susitna Valley, and at the higher elevations along the mountains. The average annual snowfall is about 60 to 120 inches (150 to 305 centimeters). The average annual temperature is about 27 to 36 degrees F (-3 to 2 degrees C). The freeze-free period averages 65 to 160 days, decreasing in length with elevation. (USDA-NRCS 2022)

For detailed information visit the Natural Resources Conservation Service National Water and Climate Center at http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/. Point Mackenzie, Anchorage INTL AP, Talkeetna AP, Homer AP, and Kenai Muni AP are the representative climate stations. The following graphs and charts are a collective sample representing the averaged normals and 30-year annual rainfall data for the selected weather stations from 1981 to 2010.

Table 4. Representative climatic features

Frost-free period (characteristic range)	84-115 days
Freeze-free period (characteristic range)	118-142 days
Precipitation total (characteristic range)	18-25 in
Frost-free period (actual range)	81-117 days
Freeze-free period (actual range)	112-144 days
Precipitation total (actual range)	17-27 in
Frost-free period (average)	100 days
Freeze-free period (average)	130 days
Precipitation total (average)	21 in

Characteristic range

Actual range

Bar

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Figure 1. Monthly precipitation range

Characteristic range

Actual range

Bar

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Figure 2. Monthly minimum temperature range

Characteristic range

Actual range

Bar

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Figure 3. Monthly maximum temperature range

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Figure 4. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature

Figure 5. Annual precipitation pattern

Figure 6. Annual average temperature pattern

Climate stations used

(1) TALKEETNA AP [USW00026528], Talkeetna, AK
(2) POINT MACKENZIE [USC00507444], Wasilla, AK
(3) ANCHORAGE INTL AP [USW00026451], Anchorage, AK
(4) KENAI MUNI AP [USW00026523], Kenai, AK
(5) HOMER AP [USW00025507], Homer, AK

Soil features

- Soils formed in silty loess and sandy eolian deposits at times over marine deposits.
- soil surface textures will range from silty loam to loamy find sand.
- soils are typically well to excessively well drained, but there are instances where a water table may be perched on bedrock or a restrictive layer preventing water movement through the profile.
- Overall soils are deep to very deep with active dunes having minimal development through the profile.
-Soils are commonly classified as Spodosols (great group Haplocryods), Inceptisols (great group Dystrocryepts), and Entisols (great group Cryopsamments).

Table 5. Representative soil features

Parent material	(1) Loess (2) Eolian deposits (3) Marine deposits
Surface texture	(1) Silt loam (2) Loamy very fine sand
Family particle size	(1) Sandy (2) Coarse-loamy
Drainage class	Very poorly drained to somewhat excessively drained
Permeability class	Moderately slow to moderate
Soil depth	60 in
Surface fragment cover <=3"	Not specified
Surface fragment cover >3"	Not specified
Available water capacity (0-40in)	3.2 – 9.3 in
Subsurface fragment volume <=3" (0-60in)	4%
Subsurface fragment volume >3" (0-60in)	Not specified

Table 6. Representative soil features (actual values)

Drainage class	Not specified
Permeability class	Not specified
Soil depth	Not specified
Surface fragment cover <=3"	Not specified
Surface fragment cover >3"	Not specified
Available water capacity (0-40in)	3.2 – 9.4 in
Subsurface fragment volume <=3" (0-60in)	27%
Subsurface fragment volume >3" (0-60in)	8%

Ecological dynamics

Sand Dunes ecological site is a successional process from active dunes, transitioning into an associated site with stable and developed soils supporting open hardwood and shrub woodlands/shrublands on stabilized dunes and ridges.

Stabilized dunes can be transitioned into the Active Dunes state with a complex of disturbances and ground disturbances disrupting cover. Loss of tree cover and herbaceous cover exposes the loess soils allowing the dunes to be destabilized and begin to scour out again. Intense storms, frequent and intense fire, and other vegetation removing events are the initiating force. Other natural occurrences include wind and grazing.

State and transition model

More interactive model formats are also available. View Interactive Models
Click on state and transition labels to scroll to the respective text

Ecosystem states

1. Stable Sand Dunes

2. Active Dunes and Ridges

T1A	-	catastrophic events, multiple or continuous disturbances
R2A	-	time, stabilization, potential seeding and protection

State 1 submodel, plant communities

1.1. Paper Birch-Aspen/Labrador Tea-Rusty Menziesia/Bluejoint-Fireweed

1.2. Black Spruce/Mosses

CP1.1a	-	intense and long duration fire
CP1.2a	-	time without successive fire or disturbance

State 2 submodel, plant communities

2.1. American dunegrass - Slender wheatgrass

State 1
Stable Sand Dunes

The characteristic plant community or reference plant community for the Stable Sand Dunes State is an open forest of aspen-paper birch woodland and is the latest successional stage and the presumed potential vegetation. The open forest overstory community consists of birch (Betula papyrifera), and aspen (Populus tremuloides) with tree density less than 30 percent. A diverse shrub community of labrador tea and bunchberry dominate the shrub understory with high bush cranberry, prickly rose, twinflower, blue joint grass and fireweed prominent in the community. Mosses, lichens, and other bryophytes are common.

Dominant plant species

paper birch (Betula papyrifera), tree
quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), tree
black spruce (Picea mariana), tree
Labrador tea (Ledum), shrub
rusty menziesia (Menziesia ferruginea), shrub
American dunegrass (Leymus mollis), grass
bluejoint (Calamagrostis canadensis), grass
slender wheatgrass (Elymus trachycaulus ssp. trachycaulus), grass
Moss (Moss), other herbaceous
fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium), other herbaceous
Schreber's big red stem moss (Pleurozium schreberi), other herbaceous

Community 1.1
Paper Birch-Aspen/Labrador Tea-Rusty Menziesia/Bluejoint-Fireweed

The characteristic plant community for this site is the reference plant community. For this site, the open forest of aspen - paper birch is the latest successional stage and the presumed potential vegetation. The open forest overstory community consists of birch (Betula papyrifera), and aspen (Populus tremuloides) with tree density less than 30 percent. A diverse shrub community of labrador tea and bunchberry dominate the shrub understory with high bush cranberry, rose, and twinflower, blue joint grass and fireweed in the herb layer. If repetitive or catastrophic incidence occurs, a transition back to an active dune is possible.

Dominant plant species

paper birch (Betula papyrifera), tree
quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), tree
Labrador tea (Ledum), shrub
bunchberry dogwood (Cornus canadensis), shrub
squashberry (Viburnum edule), shrub
bluejoint (Calamagrostis canadensis), grass
twinflower (Linnaea borealis), other herbaceous
fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium), other herbaceous

Figure 7. Annual production by plant type (representative values) or group (midpoint values)

Figure 8. Plant community growth curve (percent production by month). AK0002, Western Kenai Uplands.

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
0	0	0	0	4	38	56	2	0	0	0	0

Community 1.2
Black Spruce/Mosses

Fire or other major disturbances will remove the hardwood overstory and opening the understory. Black spruce, taking advantage of the open canopy, quickly sprouts and prevents other species from establishing. As the black spruce matures, the canopy is easily able to shade out other tree and herbaceous species leaving a black spruce and moss dominated community. This is a late seral, aged community. As it ages, black spruce will slowly die back giving birch and aspen a chance to re-establish in the community. If repetitive or catastrophic incidence occurs, a transition back to an active dune is possible.

Dominant plant species

black spruce (Picea mariana), tree
paper birch (Betula papyrifera), tree
bunchberry dogwood (Cornus canadensis), shrub
lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea), shrub
twinflower (Linnaea borealis), shrub
splendid feather moss (Hylocomium splendens), other herbaceous
Schreber's big red stem moss (Pleurozium schreberi), other herbaceous
kidney lichen (Nephroma), other herbaceous

Pathway CP1.1a
Community 1.1 to 1.2

After an intense and long duration fire black spruce can invade the site.

Pathway CP1.2a
Community 1.2 to 1.1

Plant community 1.2 can go directly back to 1.1 with time without successive fire or disturbance.

State 2
Active Dunes and Ridges

The characteristic plant community or reference plant community for the Active Dunes and Ridges State is a sparse grass and scrub community. Mosses, lichens, and other bryophytes are minimal.

Community 2.1
American dunegrass - Slender wheatgrass

Plant Community 2.1 relates to the active beach dunes, and older dunes that have been destabilized by significant disturbance. Active dunes are the early successional stage of this ecological site and is characterized with American dunegrass, slender wheatgrass and bluejoint. The binomial name of these and other less common associated plants can be found in the below dominant plant species table.

Dominant plant species

American red raspberry (Rubus idaeus), shrub
Barclay's willow (Salix barclayi), shrub
American dunegrass (Leymus mollis), grass
slender wheatgrass (Elymus trachycaulus ssp. trachycaulus), grass
bluejoint (Calamagrostis canadensis), grass
field horsetail (Equisetum arvense), other herbaceous
arctic starflower (Trientalis europaea), other herbaceous
Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis var. lepida), other herbaceous

Transition T1A
State 1 to 2

Catastrophic events or multiple events, continuous disruption by equipment, vehicles, or recreational activities result in the loss of deep-rooted perennial vegetation, fires especially. With the loss of the stabilizing roots and vegetative cover, sands and silts are exposed to winds and water. These erosional forces can quickly start actively moving the soils and eroding a site, reactivating dunes creating blowouts.

Restoration pathway R2A
State 2 to 1

Given time without surface disturbance, successional processes will slowly stabilize the sands and silts, allowing perennial deep rooted plants to establish. In some instances, practices to reshape and manually stabilize slopes may be necessary to expedite the process. Seeding, and use protection may also be required to allow healing to begin.

Additional community tables

Table 7. Community 1.1 plant community composition

Group	Common name	Symbol	Scientific name	Annual production (lb/acre)	Foliar cover (%)
Grass/Grasslike
1				–
	bluejoint	CACA4	Calamagrostis canadensis	–	5–10
	slender wheatgrass	ELTRT	Elymus trachycaulus ssp. trachycaulus	–	0–5
Forb
2				–
	fireweed	CHAN9	Chamerion angustifolium	–	5–20
	twinflower	LIBO3	Linnaea borealis	–	5–20
	western oakfern	GYDR	Gymnocarpium dryopteris	–	0–15
	meadow horsetail	EQPR	Equisetum pratense	–	0–10
	arctic starflower	TREU	Trientalis europaea	–	0–5
	field horsetail	EQAR	Equisetum arvense	–	0–1
	dwarf scouringrush	EQSC	Equisetum scirpoides	–	0–1
	woodland horsetail	EQSY	Equisetum sylvaticum	–	0–1
	false toadflax	GELI2	Geocaulon lividum	–	0–1
	common yarrow	ACMI2	Achillea millefolium	–	0–1
	arctic lupine	LUAR2	Lupinus arcticus	–	0–1
	stiff clubmoss	LYAN2	Lycopodium annotinum	–	0–1
	running clubmoss	LYCL	Lycopodium clavatum	–	0–1
	clubmoss	LYCOP2	Lycopodium	–	0–1
	bluntleaf sandwort	MOLA6	Moehringia lateriflora	–	0–1
	wintergreen	PYROL	Pyrola	–	0–1
	liverleaf wintergreen	PYAS	Pyrola asarifolia	–	0–1
	sidebells wintergreen	ORSE	Orthilia secunda	–	0–1
Shrub/Vine
3				–
	bog Labrador tea	LEGR	Ledum groenlandicum	–	5–25
	prickly rose	ROAC	Rosa acicularis	–	0–10
	squashberry	VIED	Viburnum edule	–	0–10
	bunchberry dogwood	COCA13	Cornus canadensis	–	0–5
	Bebb willow	SABE2	Salix bebbiana	–	0–5
	devilsclub	OPHO	Oplopanax horridus	–	0–5
	red currant	RITR	Ribes triste	–	0–1
	grayleaf willow	SAGL	Salix glauca	–	0–1
	willow	SALIX	Salix	–	0–1
	Greene's mountain ash	SOSC2	Sorbus scopulina	–	0–1
	bog blueberry	VAUL	Vaccinium uliginosum	–	0–1
	lingonberry	VAVI	Vaccinium vitis-idaea	–	0–1
	black crowberry	EMNI	Empetrum nigrum	–	0–1
	mountain alder	ALVIC	Alnus viridis ssp. crispa	–	0–1
	Sitka alder	ALVIS	Alnus viridis ssp. sinuata	–	0–1
Tree
4				–
	paper birch	BEPA	Betula papyrifera	–	15–45
	quaking aspen	POTR5	Populus tremuloides	–	5–20
	white spruce	PIGL	Picea glauca	–	0–10
Moss
5				–
	Schreber's big red stem moss	PLSC70	Pleurozium schreberi	–	0–10
	dicranum moss	DICRA8	Dicranum	–	0–10
	polytrichum moss	POLYT5	Polytrichum	–	0–1
	knights plume moss	PTCR70	Ptilium crista-castrensis	–	0–1
	splendid feather moss	HYSP70	Hylocomium splendens	–	0–1
Lichen
6				–
	felt lichen	PELTI2	Peltigera	–	0–10
	reindeer lichen	CLADI3	Cladina	–	0–5

Supporting information

Inventory data references

No field plots were available for this site. A review of the scientific literature and professional experience were used to approximate the plant communities for this provisional ecological site. Information for the state-and-transition model was obtained from the same sources. All community phases are considered provisional based on these plots and the sources identified in ecological site description.

References

Viereck, L.A., C. T. Dyrness, A. R. Batten, and K. J. Wenzlick. 1992. The Alaska vegetation classification. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station General Technical Report PNW-GTR-286..

Other references

Bailey, R.G. 1995. Ecoregions of North America. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Washington, DC, map scale 1: 15,000,000. Available at https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/ecoregions/products/map-ecoregions-north-america/.

Boggs, K.W., S.C. Klein, J.E. Grunblatt, G.P. Streveler, and B. Koltun. 2008. Landcover Classes and Plant Associations of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Natural Resource Technical Report NPR/GLBA/NRTR-2008/093. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 254 pps.

Boggs, K., S.C. Klein, J. Grunblatt, T. Boucher, B. Koltun, M. Sturdy, and G.P. Streveler. 2010. Alpine and subalpine vegetation chronosequences following deglaciation in coastal Alaska. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 42: 385-395.

Boggs, K., L. Flagstad, T. Boucher, T. Kuo, M. Aisu, J. Tande, and J. Michaelson. 2016. Vegetation Map and Classification: Southern Alaska and Aleutian Islands. Alaska Natural Heritage Program, Alaska Center for Conservation Science, University of Alaska Anchorage. 90 pps.

Carsten, R. 2007. Chapter 5.2 Terrestrial habitats of Southeast Alaska. In: Schoen, J.W. and E. Dovichin (eds). The Coastal Forests and Mountains Ecoregion of Southeastern Alaska and the Tongass National Forest: A Conservation Assessment and Resource Synthesis. Audubon Alaska and The Nature Conservancy, Anchorage, AK.

Gallant, A.L., E.F. Binnian, J.M. Omernick, and M.B. Shasby. 2010. Level III Ecoregions of Alaska. Corvallis, OR, U.S. EPA, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, map scale 1: 5,000,000. Available at http://http://www.epa.gov/eco-research//ecoregion-download-files-state-region-10. (Accessed 11 September 2018).

Kauffman, D.S., N.E. young, J.P. Briner, and W.F. Manley. 2011. Alaska Palaeo-Glacier Atlas (Version 2), pps. 427-445. In: Ehlers, J., P.L. Gibbard, and P.D. Hughes (eds.). Developments in Quaternary Science, Volume 15. Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

LANDFIRE. 2009. Biophysical Setting. 16650 Alaskan Pacific-Aleutian Coastal Dune, Beach, and Beach Meadow. In: LANDFIRE National Vegetation Dynamics Models. USDA Forest Service and US Department of Interior. Washington, DC.

NatureServe. 2018. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 7.1 NatureServe, Arlington, VA. Available at http://explorer.natureserve.org. (Accessed 10 September 2018).

Peel, M.C., B.L. Finlayson, and T.A. McMahon. 2007. Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 11: 1633-1644.

United States Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS). 2006. Land Resource Regions and Major Land Resource Areas of the United States, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin. U.S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 296. 682 pps.

Wahrhaftig, C. 1965. Physiographic Divisions of Alaska. Geological Survey Professional paper 482. U.S. Department of the Interior, Geological Survey, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. 52 pps.

Contributors

Marji Patz
Jamin Johanson
Blaine Spellman
Tyler Annetts
Phil Barber

Approval

Blaine Spellman, 6/13/2025

Acknowledgments

The original site concepts for the Loamy slopes was created and published by Karin Sonnen, the State Grazing/Rangeland Management Specialist for Alaska in May of 2010.

Rangeland health reference sheet

Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health is a qualitative assessment protocol used to determine ecosystem condition based on benchmark characteristics described in the Reference Sheet. A suite of 17 (or more) indicators are typically considered in an assessment. The ecological site(s) representative of an assessment location must be known prior to applying the protocol and must be verified based on soils and climate. Current plant community cannot be used to identify the ecological site.

Author(s)/participant(s)
Contact for lead author
Date	06/15/2025
Approved by	Blaine Spellman
Approval date
Composition (Indicators 10 and 12) based on	Annual Production

Indicators

Number and extent of rills:
Presence of water flow patterns:
Number and height of erosional pedestals or terracettes:
Bare ground from Ecological Site Description or other studies (rock, litter, lichen, moss, plant canopy are not bare ground):
Number of gullies and erosion associated with gullies:
Extent of wind scoured, blowouts and/or depositional areas:
Amount of litter movement (describe size and distance expected to travel):
Soil surface (top few mm) resistance to erosion (stability values are averages - most sites will show a range of values):
Soil surface structure and SOM content (include type of structure and A-horizon color and thickness):
Effect of community phase composition (relative proportion of different functional groups) and spatial distribution on infiltration and runoff:
Presence and thickness of compaction layer (usually none; describe soil profile features which may be mistaken for compaction on this site):
Functional/Structural Groups (list in order of descending dominance by above-ground annual-production or live foliar cover using symbols: >>, >, = to indicate much greater than, greater than, and equal to):

Dominant:

Sub-dominant:

Other:

Additional:
Amount of plant mortality and decadence (include which functional groups are expected to show mortality or decadence):
Average percent litter cover (%) and depth ( in):
Expected annual annual-production (this is TOTAL above-ground annual-production, not just forage annual-production):
Potential invasive (including noxious) species (native and non-native). List species which BOTH characterize degraded states and have the potential to become a dominant or co-dominant species on the ecological site if their future establishment and growth is not actively controlled by management interventions. Species that become dominant for only one to several years (e.g., short-term response to drought or wildfire) are not invasive plants. Note that unlike other indicators, we are describing what is NOT expected in the reference state for the ecological site:
Perennial plant reproductive capability: