Foothills Fescue Range Plant Community Guide - Sustainable ...

Smooth Brome Northern and Western Wheatgrass - FFA26
(Bromus inermis Agropyron dasystachyum and smithii) Herbaceous
n=9 This is a highly disturbed mid-seral plant community on black loamy soils in the Foothills Fescue
prairie in the Cardston Plain and Del Bonita Plateau, particularly in the eastern portions adjoining the
mixedgrass prairie. Soils are medium textured, well drained with Orthic Black Chernozems and surface
Ah horizons less than 20 cm in thickness (often 10 - 15 cm). This community type occurs on very similar
soils to FFA1 and in close transition to the Mixedgrass subregion. In this community, disturbance pressure
from heavy grazing has resulted in a major decline in rough fescue, a significant increase in disturbance
species like Smooth brome, Western wheatgrass which appears to be somewhat better adapted to
disturbance than Northern wheatgrass. This plant community has more soil exposure than the reference
plant community FFA24. This community type has diminished value for winter grazing but can still be
managed for vigor and productivity and to protect the soil against accelerated erosion. Litter management
will be more of challenge as the proportion of native species declines and are replaced by “soft” grasses like
Smooth brome that are prone to weathering loss from the elements.
Soil Exposure: 18 % (2-43) Moss/Lichen Cover: 2 % (0-4) Total Vegetation: 85% (65-98)
PLANT COMPOSITION CANOPY COVER(%)
MEAN RANGE CONST
SHRUBS
PRAIRIE ROSE
(Rosa arkansana) 2 0-14 33
FORBS
PASTURE SAGEWORT
(Artemisia frigida) 3 0-8 89
ALFALFA
(Medicago sativa) 2 0-10 22
HOARY CRESS
(Cardaria chalepensis) 1 0-4 22
GRASSES
AWNLESS BROME
(Bromus inermis) 30 17-62 100
UNDIFFERENTIATED WHEATGRASS
(Agropyron) 23 7-40 100
GREEN NEEDLE GRASS
(Stipa viridula) 16 0-41 89
JUNE GRASS
(Koeleria macrantha) 6 0-20 89
KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS
(Poa pratensis) 5 0-17 67
WESTERN PORCUPINE GRASS
(Stipa curtiseta) 1 0-4 22
UNDIFFERENTIATED SEDGE
(Carex) 1 0-3 44
THREAD-LEAVED SEDGE
(Carex filifolia) 1 0-3 22
Environmental Variables
RANGE SITE:
LOAMY 4 AND CLAYEY
SOILS:
ORTHIC BLACK (BEAZER, COWLEY)
ELEVATION (M):
1250 TO 1300
SOIL DRAINAGE:
WELL DRAINED
SLOPE :
LEVEL TO STRONGLY SLOPING
ASPECT:
VARIABLE
FORAGE PRODUCTION (LB/AC)
GRASS NOT AVAILABLE
FORB NOT AVAILABLE
SHRUB NOT AVAILABLE
LITTER NOT AVAILABLE)
TOTAL NOT AVAILABLE
Ecologically Sustainable Stocking Rate
0. 32 AUM/ac
49