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Report - Rangeland Productivity ®

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Rangeland and Forest Vegetation Classification,Productivity, and Plant Composition

Rangeland Productivity

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Caldwell County, Texas

Map unit symbol and soil Ecological sitename

Total dry-weight productionFavorable Normal Unfavorable

year year year

tb/ec tb/ec tb/ec

Bs-Gaddy fine sand,frequently flooded, siliceousvariant

Gaddy 2,700 2,000SandyBottomland 28-40" Pz

3,800

CcC2-Chaney soils, 2 to 6percent slopes, eroded

Chaney, eroded 3,000 2,000Sandy Loam 28-40" Pz

4,000

CcD3-Chaney soils, 5 to 8percent slopes, severelyeroded

Chaney, severely eroded 3,000 2,000Sandy Loam 28-40" Pz

4,000

CfB-Crockett fine sandyloam, 1 to 3 percent slopes

6,000 5,000 3,000Crockett Claypan Prairie28-40" Pz

DeC-Demona loamy finesand, 1 to 5 percent slopes

Demona 5,000 4,000 2,500Sandy 28-40"Pz

JsF- Jedd stony soils, 5 to 20percent slopes

Sandstone Hill28-40" Pz

3,200 2,0004,000Jedd

Us-Uhland soils, frequentlyflooded

Caldwell County, Texas

Uhland LoamyBottomland 28-40" Pz

7,500 6,500

Unnamed, minorcomponents

Unnamed, hydric minorcomponents

Description - Rangeland Productivity

Rangeland ProductivityIn areas that have similar climate and topography, differences in the kind and amount ofvegetation produced on rangeland are closely related to the kind of soil. Effectivemanagement is based on the relationship between the soils and vegetation and water.

This table shows, for each soil that supports rangeland vegetation, the ecological siteand the potential annual production of vegetation in favorable, normal, and unfavorableyears. An explanation of the column headings in the table follows.

An ecological site is the product of all the environmental factors responsible for itsdevelopment. It has characteristic soils that have developed over time throughout thesoil development process; a characteristic hydrology, particularly infiltration and runoff,that has developed over time; and a characteristic plant community (kind and amount ofvegetation). The hydrology of a site is influenced by development of the soil and plantcommunity. The vegetation, soils, and hydrology are all interrelated. Each is influencedby the others and influences the development of the others. The plant community on anecological site is typified by an association of species that differs from that of otherecological sites in the kind and/or proportion of species or in total production.Descriptions of ecological sites are provided in the Field Office Technical Guide, which isavailable in local offices of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Total dry-weight production is the amount of vegetation that can be expected to growannually on well managed rangeland that is supporting the potential natural plantcommunity. It includes all vegetation, whether or not it is palatable to grazing animals. Itincludes the current year's growth of leaves, twigs, and fruits of woody plants. It doesnot include the increase in stem diameter of trees and shrubs. It is expressed in poundsper acre of air-dry vegetation for favorable, normal, and unfavorable years. In afavorable year, the amount and distribution of precipitation and the temperatures makegrowing conditions substantially better than average. In a normal year, growingconditions are about average. In an unfavorable year, growing conditions are well belowaverage, generally because of low available soil moisture. Yields are adjusted to acommon percent of air-dry moisture content.

Range management requires knowledge of the kinds of soil and of the potential naturalplant community. It also requires an evaluation of the present range similarity index andrangeland trend. Range similarity index is determined by comparing the present plantcommunity with the potential natural plant community on a particular rangelandecological site. The more closely the existing community resembles the potentialcommunity, the higher the range similarity index. Rangeland trend is defined as thedirection of change in an existing plant community relative to the potential natural plantcommunity. Further information about the range similarity index and rangeland trend isavailable in the "National Range and Pasture Handbook," which is available in localoffices of NRCS or on the Internet.

The objective in range management is to control grazing so that the plants growing on asite are about the same in kind and amount as the potential natural plant community forthat site. Such management generally results in the optimum production of vegetation,control of undesirable brush species, conservation of water, and control of erosion.Sometimes, however, an area with a range similarity index somewhat below thepotential meets grazing needs, provides wildlife habitat, and protects soil and waterresources.

Reference:United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service,National range and pasture handbook.

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