Foothills Fescue Range Plant Community Guide - Sustainable ...

Northern and Western Wheatgrass - Green Needle Grass FFA27
(Agropyron dasystachyum and smithii - Stipa viridula) Herbaceous
n=10 This is the reference plant community for strong to steeply sloping loamy soils in the Foothills
Fescue prairie in the Cardston Plain and Del Bonita Plateau. This community is associated with the dry
transition area to the mixedgrass subregion with a variety of associated species present including green
needle grass, western porcupine grass, needle-and-thread grass and June grass. Ground juniper is an
indicator of steep slopes and sandgrass may be locally abundant where weathered sandstone has resulted
in pockets of sandy soil. With steep slopes, a higher component of exposed soil should be expected for this
plant community.
Soil Exposure: 25 % (6-46) Moss/Lichen Cover: 2 % (2-3) Total Vegetation: 75% (60-94)
PLANT COMPOSITION CANOPY COVER(%)
MEAN RANGE CONST
SHRUBS
BUCKBRUSH
(Symphoricarpos occidentalis)4 0-12 70
PRAIRIE ROSE
(Rosa arkansana) 2 0-8 80
FORBS
PASTURE SAGEWORT
(Artemisia frigida) 7 0-16 80
GRASSES
UNDIFFERENTIATED WHEATGRASS
(Agropyron) 21 7-34 100
GREEN NEEDLE GRASS
(Stipa viridula) 10 0-23 90
WESTERN PORCUPINE GRASS
(Stipa curtiseta) 8 0-30 70
JUNE GRASS
(Koeleria macrantha) 7 1-24 100
FOOTHILLS ROUGH FESCUE
(Festuca campestris) 3 0-28 50
THREAD-LEAVED SEDGE
(Carex filifolia) 4 0-11 80
NEEDLE-AND-THREAD
(Stipa comata) 4 0-22 40
KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS
(Poa pratensis) 3 0-12 50
SAND GRASS
(Calamovilfa longifolia) 2 0-16 20
ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES
RANGE SITE:
LOAMY 4 - STEEP SLOPES
SOILS:
ORTHIC BLACK CHERNOZEM (BEAZER, COWLEY,
NORTH FORK, OCKEY)
ELEVATION:
1200- 1350 M
SOIL DRAINAGE:
WELL DRAINED
RAPIDLY DRAINED
SLOPE :
STRONG TO STEEPLY SLOPING
ASPECT:
SOUTHERLY
EASTERLY
FORAGE PRODUCTION (LB/AC)
GRASS NOT AVAILABLE
FORB NOT AVAILABLE
SHRUB NOT AVAILABLE
LITTER NOT AVAILABLE
TOTAL NOT AVAILABLE
Suggested Carrying Capacity
0..32 AUM/ac
50