Foothills Fescue Range Plant Community Guide - Sustainable ...

Kentucky Bluegrass - Fringed Sage FFB2
(Poa pratensis - Artemisia frigida) Shrub Herbaceous
n= 3 This community is a highly modified plant community found on loamy range sites in the Cardston
Plain in the Foothills Fescue Natural Subregion. This plant community is the product of long-term heavy
grazing, where rough fescue and Parry oatgrass have been gradually replaced by Kentucky bluegrass and
disturbance induced increasers like pasture sage. Further indicators of degradation include bare soil at 36%
and vegetation canopy at about 44%. Risk of soil loss from this site will be significantly increased. With
proper stocking levels and appropriate rotational grazing practices, the plant community can be quite
productive but many values normally associated the native rough fescue communities are diminished
including drought resistance and suitability for winter grazing. Based on existing information, there appears
to be limited potential for recovery from this community type to one dominated by native graminoids. The
suggested stocking rate will allow the range health of the plant community to improve. Stocking at .4 to
.55 AUM/ac will serve to maintain the existing plant community.
Soil Exposure: 36% (15-48) Moss/Lichen Cover: 1 % (1 - 2)Total Vegetation: 44% (35 - 53%)
PLANT COMPOSITION CANOPY COVER(%)
MEAN RANGE CONST
SHRUBS
PRAIRIE ROSE
(Rosa arkansana) 1 0-3 33
FORBS
PASTURE SAGE
(Artemisia frigida) 16 12-19 100
LEAFY SPURGE
(Euphorbia esula) 2 0-6 33
COMMON DANDELION
(Taraxacum officinale) 2 0-5 33
COMMON YARROW
(Achillea millefolium) 1 0-2 33
GRASSES
KENTUCK BLUEGRASS
(Poa pratensis) 65 52-78 100
NORTHERN WHEATGRASS
(Agropyron dasystachyum)4 0-6 67
AWNLESS BROME
(Bromus inermis) 4 0-7 67
JUNE GRASS
(Koeleria macrantha) 1 0-2 67
WESTERN PORCUPINE GRASS
(Stipa curtiseta) 0 0-1 67
ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES
RANGE SITE:
LOAMY 2
SOILS:
ORTHIC BLACK CHERNOZEM (BEAZER,
STANDOFF,CARDSTON)
ELEVATION:
M
SOIL DRAINAGE:
WELL DRAINED
SLOPE :
VERY GENTLE
GENTLE
ASPECT:
VARIABLE
FORAGE PRODUCTION (LB/AC)
GRASS NOT AVAILABLE
FORB NOT AVAILABLE
SHRUB NOT AVAILABLE
LITTER NOT AVAILABLE
TOTAL NOT AVAILABLE
Suggested Grazing Capacity
0.3 AUM/ac
54