SITE NATURAL HISTORY

The site is located on the shortgrass steppe approximately 60 km northeast of Fort Collins at an elevation of approximately 1525 m. The average frost-free period is 133 days, and average annual precipitation is 325 mm, of which 50-80% occurs during the growing season.

Regional vegetation biomass is 80% grasses (70% warm-season species and 10% cool-season species), 10% forbs, sedges, and prickly pear, and 10% shrubs. Warm season (C₄) grasses include the shortgrasses blue grama (the dominant species) (Bouteloua gracilis) and buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides) and the midgrass red threeawn (Aristida longiseta). Cool-season (C₃) midgrasses include western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii) and needle-and-thread (Stipa comata). Other gramminoids include needleleaf sedge (Carex eleocharis), bottlebrush squirreltail (Elymus elymoides), and sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus). The cactus, plains pricklypear (Opuntia polyacantha) is extremely abundant. Fringed sagewort (Artemisia frigida) is the most common semi-shrub, and scarlet globemallow (Sphaeralcea coccinea) is the most common perennial forb.

Site soil types are Olney fine sandy loam (mixed mesic, Ustic Haplargid), Renohill fine sandy loam (smectitic mesic, Ustic Haplargid), and Renohill-Shingle complex of fine sandy loam and clay loam (a complex of smectitic mesic, Ustic Haplargid and mixed mesic Ustic Torriorthent). However, the Renohill-Shingle complex is limited to the upland areas where Shingle clay loam is common.

The potential plant species on the Olney and Renohill fine sandy loam are blue grama, western wheatgrass, sedges, and buffalograss. The potential plant species on the Shingle clay loam are western wheatgrass, blue grama, sideoats grama, and alkali sacaton (Sporobolus airoides).

References:

Hart, R.H., 2001. Plant biodiversity on shortgrass steppe after 55 years of zero, light, moderate, or heavy cattle grazing. Plant Ecology 155:111-118.

Reeder, J.H. and G.E. Schuman, 2002. Influence of livestock grazing on C sequestration in semi-arid mixed-grass and shortgrass rangelands. Environmental Pollution 116:457-463.

Soil Series Classification, USDA-NRCS Soil Survey Division, http://ortho.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/cgi-bin/sc/scname.cgi.