Foothills Fescue Range Plant Community Guide - Sustainable ...

Beaked Willow/Sedge - Tufted Hair Grass FFC2
(Salix bebbiana / Carex - Deschampsia cespitosa) Herbaceous Shrub
n=6 This is a late seral to reference plant community for wetlands and subirrigated range sites in the
Foothills Fescue grassland. This community is more common in the adjoining foothills parkland Natural
Subregion, but can be found in wetland and moist valley bottom locations in the Foothills Fescue. The
moist rich growing conditions of the site are easy to recognize given the presence of beaked willow and the
dominance of sedges and tufted hair grass. Heavy grazing can modify the plant community and reduce the
depth and quality of the turfy surface layer. This in turn reduces the potential moisture holding capacity
and soil moisture infiltration and increases overall runoff. The range site may appear to be more of a loamy
upland site when the dominance of riparian species is diminished. This is a highly productive plant
community that can be maintained with rotational grazing practices. Season long grazing, even at proper
stocking rates for the overall pasture will allow this type to become preferred range leading to declines in
range health and productivity over time.
Soil Exposure: 0 % (0-1) Moss/Lichen Cover: 2% (0-9) Total Vegetation: 97% (96-98)
PLANT COMPOSITION CANOPY COVER(%)
MEAN RANGE CONST
SHRUBS
BEAKED WILLOW
(Salix bebbiana) 3 0-15 17
UNDIFFERENTIATED WILLOW
(Salix) 2 0-5 67
FORBS
CANADA THISTLE
(Cirsium arvense) 2 0-9 83
COMMON DANDELION
(Taraxacum officinale) 2 0-3 100
GRASSES
UNDIFFERENTIATED SEDGE
(Carex) 25 16-37 100
TUFTED HAIR GRASS
(Deschampsia cespitosa) 17 10-25 100
UNDIFFERENTIATED REED GRASS
(Calamagrostis) 8 0-25 33
NARROW REED GRASS
(Calamagrostis
stricta) 7 0-27 50
WIRE RUSH
(Juncus balticus) 7 2-14 100
KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS
(Poa pratensis) 5 0-10 83
TIMOTHY
(Phleum pratense) 5 0-13 83
ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES
RANGE SITE:
SUB-IRRIGATED, WETLAND
OVERFLOW
SOILS:
ORTHIC HUMIC GLEYSOL
ORTHIC BLACK CHERNOZEM
ELEVATION:
SOIL DRAINAGE:
POORLY DRAINED
IMPERFECTLY DRAINED
SLOPE :
GENTLE, LEVEL
VERY GENTLE
NEARLY LEVEL
ASPECT:
SOUTHERLY
FORAGE PRODUCTION (LB/AC)
GRASS NOT AVAILABLE
FORB NOT AVAILABLE
SHRUB NOT AVAILABLE
LITTER NOT AVAILABLE
TOTAL NOT AVAILABLE
Ecologically Sustainable Stocking Rate
1.3 AUM/ac
58