1. Describing and Monitoring Rangelands:
Ecological Sites

2. Both influence rangeland ecosystems
Composition
Biotic Factors
Abiotic Factors
Both influence rangeland ecosystems

3. Both influence rangeland ecosystems
Composition
Abiotic Factors
Slope
Aspect
Minerals
Moisture
Temperature
Biotic Factors
Plants
Animals
Bacteria
Fungi
Both influence rangeland ecosystems

4. Describing
Being able to describe and monitor rangelands requires a solid foundation and understanding in abiotic and biotic factors
Ecological Sites
Soils
Typography & Watersheds
Uplands vs. Riparian

5. Ecological Site
“An Ecological Site is defined as a distinctive kind of land, with specific physical characteristics which differ from other kinds of land in its ability to produce a distinctive kind and amount of vegetation, and in its response to management.”

6. Ecological Site
When the NRCS documents an ecological site. They have 4 major components.
Site Characteristics - Describes the physiographic (topography of the area, altitude, drainage conditions, degree of erosion, slope of the land, etc.), climate, soil, and water features associated with the site.
Plant Communities - Describes the ecological dynamics and the common plant communities comprising the various vegetation states of the site. The disturbances that cause a shift from one state to another are also described.
Site Interpretations - The use and management of the site and its related resources.
Supporting Information – Sources of information and data utilized in developing the site description and the relationship of the site to other ecological sites.
botanydictionary.org/physiographic-factor.html

7. MT’s current ecological site descriptions are in five major units.
“…management decisions require the knowledge of these individual sites and their interrelationships to one another on the landscape.”
MT’s current ecological site descriptions are in five major units.

8. Ecological Site Description