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NRCS National Ecological Site Handbook Webinar April 18, 2013. George Peacock, Team Leader National Grazing Lands Team Central National Technology Support Center and Susan Andrews, National Leader Soil Quality and Ecosystems Branch National Soil Survey Center. ESD Standards Purpose:. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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NRCS NationalEcological Site
HandbookWebinar
April 18, 2013George Peacock, Team LeaderNational Grazing Lands Team
Central National Technology Support Centerand
Susan Andrews, National LeaderSoil Quality and Ecosystems Branch
National Soil Survey Center
ESD Standards Purpose:PURPOSE: Provide standards, guidelines, definitions, policy, responsibilities, and procedures for conducting the collaborative process of ESD development.
Interdisciplinary Interagency Non-governmental organizations Universities Other partners
NRCS National Ecological Site Handbook
(NESH)Developed cooperatively between Soil Science and Resource Assessment (SSRA) and Science and Technology (S&T) Deputy Areas
National Soil Quality and Ecosystems Branch
National Grazing Lands Team National Technology Support Centers State Staffs Soil Survey Regional Offices Other SSRA and S&T Staff
Major Sections of the NESH Section I – Policy and Procedures
Section II – ES Concept and Description Development
Section III – Delineation and Mapping, Hierarchies, and Other Vegetation Classification and Stratification Schemes
Glossary
References
Webinar OverviewBrief overview of draft NESH: Released - National
Bulletin 190-13-9 Section II – ES Concept &
Description Development Brief preview of Section III Comments due by
May 15th to [email protected] or [email protected]
NESH Section II Contents Section II – ES Concept & Description Development
Part 400 – ES Characterization ConceptsPart 500 – Steps for ES Differentiation &
DevelopmentPart 501 – Sampling Methods (reserved)Part 502 – ES Naming ProtocolsPart 503 – Ecological Site KeysPart 504 – Contents of ESDsPart 506 – Data Storage (reserved)
NESH Section II, Part 400 ES Characterization Concepts
Part 400.00 – PurposePart 400.01 – DefinitionPart 400.02 – Defining the ES Concept Identification and characterization of ESs
are based on the premise that: composition, structure, and function of plant
communities (and ecosystem functions) are regulated along energy, moisture, and nutrient gradients and disturbance regimes
Gradients occur due to differences in microclimate, geology, lithology, topography and soil characteristics
Environmental gradients
Natural disturbance regimes
ES concept is based on reference conditions (Reference State) which formed as a result of interacting
NESH Section II, Part 400.02Defining the ES Concept
Section II, Parts 400.03-400.04Part 400.03 - Interpreting Ecological Dynamics Ecological dynamics
describe changes to vegetation and soils, and the causes of those changes
State-and-Transition Models (STMs) illustrate ecological dynamics of an ES
Part 400.04 – Components of an STM
Section II, Part 400.05Role of STMs
STMs are conceptual diagrams with narratives to describe: Reference and alternative states, Processes of plant community shifts within
states, Transitions between states, and Restoration to a previous state.
The goal in producing STMs is to provide a conceptual understanding of: Ecological dynamics that can occur on an ES Drivers and mechanisms of ecosystem
change Management actions that can be used to
influence change
Section II, Parts 400.06-400.07Part 400.06 – General Guidelines for Developing STMs All states and community phases that are
typical and known to occur should be described
Include “at-risk community” phases Where time scales of community pathways or
transitions are known, they should be described
Part 400.07 - Recognizing a State Change Versus a Different ES As long as the soil and physiographic
characteristics remain unchanged, a new ES is not merited.
The inability to restore an alternative state to reference state due to lack of knowledge, technology, or cost does not warrant a new ES.
NESH Section II, Part 500Steps for ES Differentiation and Developments of ESDs
500.00 PurposeDifferentiation and description of ecological sites (ESs) involve several steps: preliminary stages, iterative stages, and final stages. Strong interdisciplinary participation is critical to the ESD development process
500.01 Preliminary Stages
Establish Local Work Groups Define Geographic/Ecological Extent Gather Background Information Evaluate Existing Data Conduct Reconnaissance (Low
Intensity Traverses) Develop STMs Develop Sampling Strategy Sampling Methods
500.02 Iterative Stages Data Collection (Medium Intensity
Sampling) Data Analysis Define Differentiating Characteristics of
ES Field Test the ES Concept
500.03 Final Stages Data Collection (High Intensity
Sampling) Type Location Data Develop Management Interpretations Correlation (process)
NESH Section 2, Part 501Sampling Methods
Part 501 – RESERVED Will provide sampling design, methods,
and attributes recommended for data collection
Will differentiate between methods at various levels of data collection intensity
NESH Section 2, Part 502ES Naming Protocols
502.00 Instructions for a standardized naming 502.01 Common name
Unique to MLRA or LRU Minimum number of descriptors (e.g., soil, landscape,
climate) 502.02 Secondary plant community name
Scientific and common names Three strata; two species per stratum
502.03 - Instructions for ES ID Includes MLRA, LRU and 3-digit site #
502.04 - State and community phase names Reference and representative
502.05 – Labeling STMsExhibits
NESH Section 2, Part 503Ecological Site Keys
503.00 – Optional tool for identification and differentiation of ESs
Primarily based on abiotic factors Scale is MLRA or subunit, e.g., LRU or subsection
503.01 – Factors used in ES keys Soil Topography Climate
503.02 – ES key types Dichotomous Flow charts Matrices
Exhibits
NESH Section II, Part 504Contents of ESDs
504.00 Purpose and Background Information
Describes each element contained in an ESD.
504.01 General Information ES name ES ID number Hierarchical Framework Relationships ES Concept narrative
504.02 Physiographic Features504.03 Climatic Features
NESH Section II, Part 504Contents of ESDs
504.04 Influencing Water Features504.05 Representative Soil Features504.06 State and Community Phase section
Ecological Dynamics of the ES STM Diagram Photos
NESH Section II, Part 504Contents of ESDs
504.06 State and Community Phase – cont.Reference State Narrative Community Phase s Species Productivity Total Annual Production Canopy or Foliar Cover Structure Ground Surface Cover Overstory Canopy Cover Understory Phase Growth Curves
Alternative States Narrative For data-supported
Community Phases, complete appropriate sections identified for Reference State
NESH Section II, Part 504Contents of ESDs
504.07 ES Interpretations Wildlife Habitat Domestic and Feral Animals Hydrology Functions Recreational Uses Wood Products Other Products
NESH Section II, Parts 504.08-504.10
504.08 Supporting Information Associated Sites Similar Sites Agency/State Correlation Type Locality Relationship to Established
Frameworks and/or Other Classifications
Other References
504.09 Rangeland Health Reference Sheet504.10 ESD Signatures (see Part 300)
Section II, Part 506Data Storage
Reserved Will provide details of how to manage
and store hard copy and electronic information.
NESH Section III Contents Section III – Delineation and Mapping, Hierarchies, and Other Vegetation Classification and Stratification Schemes (all reserved)
Part 600 – Related Stratification Schemes*Part 700 – Delineation and Mapping of ESsPart 800 – Benchmark ESsPart 900 – ES Relationships with Other Classification
and Mapping HierarchiesGlossaryReferences
*Placeholder until pilots are completed in out-years
SummaryToday’s webinar gave an overview of Section II – Ecological Site Concept and Description Development
Comments are due May 15th on both Sections
Send comments or suggestions to Susan Andrews and/or George Peacock at:
[email protected]@ftw.usda.gov