Foothills Fescue Range Plant Community Guide - Sustainable ...

Parry Oatgrass - Foothills Rough Fescue - Western Porcupine Grass FFA18
(Danthonia parryi - Festuca campestris - Stipa curtiseta) Herbaceous
n=7 This can be both a reference plant community and a grazing influenced successional community
on thin break sites with strong and very strong slopes in the Foothills Fescue grassland. Moss and Campbell
(1947) and Willoughby et al. (2001) suggest that Parry oatgrass may be dominant due to grazing pressure
and may increase in abuncance on steep, exposed and windswept slopes, making evaluation of ecological
status difficult. Like FFA17, expected soil exposure is about 5%, the site type is vulnerable to hoof
shearing from livestock and ungulates.
Soil Exposure: 5 % (1-14) Moss/Lichen Cover: 7 % (1-19) Total Vegetation: 91 % (81-98)
PLANT COMPOSITION CANOPY COVER(%)
MEAN RANGE CONST
SHRUBS
SHRUBBY CINQUEFOIL
(Potentilla fruticosa) 1 0-5 43
CREEPING JUNIPER
(Juniperus horizontalis) 4 0-19 43
FORBS
GOLDEN BEAN
(Thermopsis rhombifolia)2 0-4 86
SILKY PERENNIAL LUPINE
(Lupinus sericeus) 1 0-2 71
GRASSES
PARRY OAT GRASS
(Danthonia parryi) 51 38-75 100
FOOTHILLS ROUGH FESCUE
(Festuca campestris) 11 0-32 86
WESTERN PORCUPINE GRASS
(Stipa curtiseta) 5 0-19 86
SEDGE
(Carex spp.) 5 0-14 86
JUNE GRASS
(Koeleria macrantha) 3 0-9 71
IDAHO FESCUE
(Festuca idahoensis) 2 0-6 86
NORTHERN WHEAT GRASS
(Agropyron dasystachyum) 1 0-8 57
AWNED WHEAT GRASS
(Agropyron subsecundum) 1 0-3 57
ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES
RANGE SITE:
THIN BREAK
SOILS:
ORTHIC BLACK (OCKEY, OWENDALE)
ORTHIC EUTRIC BRUNISOL (NORTH FORK)
ORTHIC REGOSOL (MOKOWAN)
ELEVATION (M):
SOIL DRAINAGE:
WELL DRAINED
RAPIDLY DRAINED
SLOPE :
STRONG
VERY STRONG
ASPECT:
WESTERLY
SOUTHERLY
FORAGE PRODUCTION (LB/AC)
GRASS NOT AVAILABLE
FORB NOT AVAILABLE
SHRUB NOT AVAILABLE
LITTER NOT AVAILABLE
TOTAL NOT AVAILABLE
Suggested Carry Capacity
0.30 AUM/ac
44