Foothills Fescue Range Plant Community Guide - Sustainable ...

Foothills Rough Fescue - Parry Oat Grass - June Grass FFA17
(Festuca campestris - Danthonia parryi - Koeleria macrantha) Herbaceous
n=6 This is the reference plant community for thin break sites associated with loamy soils on strong
to very strong slopes and mainly south and west aspects. Rough fescue is far less dominant, Parry Oatgrass,
June grass, Idaho fescue and western porcupine grass indicate the drier and more exposed character of the
site type. Heavy grazing pressure will increase the abundance of the subdominant grazing-resistant grasses
and forbs. These sites are particularly vulnerable to hoof shearing from both livestock and wildlife species
like elk. Expected soil exposure on healthy sites is close to 5%.
Soil Exposure: 4 % (1-11) Moss/Lichen Cover: 10 % (0-37) Total Vegetation: 84 % (50-98)
PLANT COMPOSITION CANOPY COVER(%)
MEAN RANGE CONST
SHRUBS
PRAIRIE ROSE
(Rosa arkansana) 1 0-4 67
FORBS
GOLDEN BEAN
(Thermopsis rhombifolia) 5 1-8 100
SILKY PERENIAL LUPINE
(Lupinus sericeus) 3 0-6 83
NORTHERN BEDSTRAW
(Galium boreale) 3 2-4 100
GRASSES
FOOTHILLS ROUGH FESCUE
(Festuca campestris) 25 19-34 100
PARRY OAT GRASS
(Danthonia parryi) 22 10-31 100
JUNE GRASS
(Koeleria macrantha) 7 2-16 100
IDAHO FESCUE
(Festuca idahoensis) 4 1-11 100
WESTERN POCUPINE GRASS
(Stipa curtiseta) 3 0-16 50
AWNED WHEAT GRASS
(Agropyron subsecundum)3 0-7 83
SEDGE
(Carex spp.) 3 2-5 100
KENTUCKY BLUE GRASS
(Poa pratensis) 2 0-11 67
ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES
RANGE SITE:
THIN BREAKS
SOILS:
ORTHIC BLACK (OCKEY, OWENDALE)
ORTHIC EUTRIC BRUNISOL (NORTH FORK)
ORTHIC REGOSOL (MOKOWAN)
ELEVATION (M):
SOIL DRAINAGE:
RAPIDLY DRIANED
WELL DRAINED
SLOPE :
STRONG
ASPECT:
SOUTHERLY
WESTERLY
FORAGE PRODUCTION (LB/AC)
GRASS NOT AVAILABLE
FORB NOT AVAILABLE
SHRUB NOT AVAILABLE
LITTER NOT AVAILABLE
TOTAL NOT AVAILABLE
Ecologically Sustainable Stocking Rate
.35 AUM/ac
43