Delineations of landtype associations within the Great Plains physiographic province of Wyoming : final report

69 Pages·1995·4.1 MB·English

by  Reiners, William A

BLMLIBRARY
880500
DELINEATIONS OF LANDTYPEASSOCIATIONS
WITHIN THE GREAT PLAINS PHYSIOGRAPHIC
PROVINCE OFWYOMING
BureauofLandManagement/UniversityofWyoming
ContractK-910-P40261
1 March1995
WilliamA.Reiners andRobertC.Thurston
DepartmentofBotany,UniversityofWyoming
Laramie,Wyoming82071
FINALREPORT
UNIVERSITYOF
UJ WYOMING
GB
428
.W8
R454
1995
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TABLEOFCONTENTS ,LOg
1.0 OBJECTIVESOFTHEWORK 1
49?
2.0 PHILOSOPHYOFTHEWORK 1
2. Conceptofthe"Ecosystem"in
TermsofEcosystemManagement 1
2.2 ConceptoftheLandscape 3
2.3 ConceptofLandManagementAccordingtoSound
EcologicalPrinciples 4
3.0RELATIONSHIPWITHECOMAP 6
4.0METHODS 9
4.1 DataUsedtoDelineateMapUnits 9
4.2 MapAccuracy 11
4.3 InteractionswithBLMPersonnel 13
5.0 LANDAREADELINEATIONS:RATIONALESANDDESCRIPTIONS
5.1 Overview 14
5.2 RationalesandDescriptionsofDomain,
DivisionsandProvinces 17
5.3 SectionsandSubsectionsoftheGreatPlains-
Palouse-DrySteppeProvince 18
5.3.1 NorthwesternGreatPlainsSection 20
5.3.1.1. UplandPlainsSubsection 20
q- 5.3.1.2. GoshenHoleSubsection 20
^>.-gtoo.-oUsjJroQK:g£cujv5.3.2 P5o.3w.d2e.1rRUipvlearnBdasPilnainSsecStuibosnection '. 2211
<jCsDo<CDmqh,oOXqpon- 5.3.2.2 DissectedPlainsSubsection 21
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5.3.2.3 ScoriaHillsSubsection 22
5.4 LandtypeAssociationsoftheGreatPlains
Province 23
5.4.1 RollingPlainsLandtypeAssociation 23
5.4.2 Dune-mantledPlainsLandtypeAssociation 24
5.4.3 ParallelCuestaandValleyLandtype
Association 25
5.4.4 SingleCuestaLandtypeAssociation 26
5.4.5 RecessionalEscarpmentLandtype
Association 27
5.4.6 DissectedAnticlineLandtypeAssociation 28
5.4.7 MajorRiverValleyLandtypeAssociation 28
5.4.8 DissectedPedimentLandtypeAssociation 29
5.5 SectionsandSubsectionsoftheBlackHills
ConiferousForestProvince 30
5.4.1 DissectedPlateauSubsection 31
5.4.2 BearLodgeMountainsSubsection 32
5.4.3 Interior(Red)ValleySubsection 32
5.4.4 BlackHillsSubsection 33
5.5SectionsandSubsectionsoftheSouthernRocky
MountainSteppe-OpenWoodlandConiferous
Forest-AlpineMeadowProvince 33
5.6SectionsandSubsectionsoftheIntermountain
Semi-DesertProvince 34
6.0CONTRACTPRODUCTS 34
7.0LITERATURECITED 35
8.0FIGURES 37
9.0APPENDIX 48
1.0OBJECTIVESOFTHEWORK
1.1RequirementsoftheWorkOrder
1.1.1 "TheUniversityofWyoming,DepartmentofBotany,willdelineatelandscape
complexes(landtypeassociationssensuBailey(1980)withintheportionoftheGreat
PlainsPhysiographicProvinceoccurringinWyominginthecountieslistedunder-
locationofwork"
1.1.2 "ThelocationoftheworkareaisCrook,Weston,Niobrara,andConverse
Counties,Wyoming"
1.1.3 "DelineationswillbebasedonacombinationofLANDSATThematicMapper
remotelysensedimagery;GIS(geographicinformationsystem)spatialdatarepresenting
topography,geology,climate,soilsandvegetativelandcover;andaidedbyextantmap
delineationssuchasBailey'secoregions(Bailey1980)andHammond'sphysiographic
landunits."
1.1.4 "ThelandscapecomplexeswillbeprovidedinbothpapermapformandArc/Info
digitalform. Thescale,organizationandotherrelateditemswillbedeterminedbythe
BLM."
1.1.5 Deliverables[willinclude]:
a)25copiesofawrittenreportwithrationaleforthedelineations,
b)apreliminarymapproductwithin5monthsoftheinitiationoftheagreement,
c)3setsofslidesofthemaps,
d)3setsofoverlaysfortheoverheadprojector,
e)3largepapermapswillbeproduced. Scaleandcontenttobedeterminedby
theBLM.
Inourownwords,theobjectiveofthisworkistoprovideascientificallybased
spatialframeworkforecosystemmanagementintheGreatPlainsPhysiographicProvince
ofWyomingthatincorporatesecologicalprinciplesandprocessesacrossarangeof
scales.
2.0PHILOSOPHYOFTHEWORK
2.1Conceptofthe"Ecosystem"inTermsofEcosystemManagement
ThisworkisacontinuationofrelatedworkwiththeWyomingStateOfficeofthe
BLMinwhichwedelimited"ecosystemboundaries"fortheBuffaloResourceArea
(ReinersandThurston1994). Inthatreportwediscussedtheconceptofecosystem
management—theinstigatingmandateforthiswork—illustratingtheimprecisionofthis
conceptwithdifferingstatementsonwhatecosystemmanagementmeans. Toprovide
1
similarcontextforthispresentreport,itisworthexpandingonsomeofthebackground
statementswewroteinthatproceedingreport.
Traditionally,andeveninmostcontemporaryecologicalresearch,theecosystem
conceptcarriesasenseofhomogeneity,andtherealworldisviewedasamosaicof
local-areaecosystems.
"Themostcommonuseofecosystembyecologistsisinalocalizedsense,
referringtoadistinctandcoherentecologicalcommunityoforganismsand
thephysicalenvironmentwithwhichtheyinteract"Slocombe(1993)
However,appliedecologistsandlandmanagersrecognizethatthislocalsiteusageisnot
necessarilytheonlyorbestusageinthecontextofecosystemmanagement. Recognizing
thatbroaderlandunitssuchaslandscapesorregionscanbetreatedasecosystems,
Slocombesuggeststhatabetterconceptofecosystemis
"thenotionofabounded,self-maintainingsystemofvaried,livingand
nonliving,interactingparts."
Thisdefinitionishardlymorehelpfulbuttheintentistoacceptmoreinternal
heterogeneityintheecosystemdefinitionandtomaintainthebasicideainteractions,
includinginteractionsbetweendifferentlocal-areaecosystemsinalargerspatialcontext.
Amongthemostsatisfactorystatementsonecosystemmanagementarethose
basedonpersonalcommunicationwithProf.D.H.Knight. Knightliststheseworking
rules:
"-focusonlargerareas,
-considerboundaryeffects,
-considereffectsoflandscapechange,
-realizethatchangesoccurregardlessofmanagement,
-takealong-termperspective,
-predictcumulativeeffects,
-monitorkeyvariables,
-manageforsustainability,and
-practiceintegratedplanning."
IfweadopttherulesKnight(andothers)suggest,then"managementunitecosystems"
are,bydefinition,goingtobelargerthantheconventional,site-levelecosystem. Knight
saysthatmanagementunitecosystemsinvolvelandscapes,whichinturn,representthe
aggregationofrelatedterrainunits,eachbearingoneormorekindsofsite-level
ecosystemsonthem. Thismakessensetousandweconcludethatlandmanagement
ecosystemswillberelativelylarge,incorporatingatleastonelandscape,tobedefined
anddiscussedbelow.
2.2 ConceptoftheLandscape
Like"ecosystem,""landscape"isanabstraction-ahumanconstruct-andhasno
absolutedefinitionthatautomaticallyimposesboundariesonrealterrain. Like
ecosystems,landscapescanbestudiedatdifferentspatialandtemporalscales. Forman
andGodron(1986)definelandscapeas:
"aheterogeneouslandareacomposedofaclusterofinteracting
componentsthatisrepeatedinasimilarformatthroughout."
Wesuggestthatthisdefinitionisweakenedbytheuseoftheterm"cluster"which
impliesathree-dimensionalaggregation(e.g."clusterofgrapes"). Withsubstitutionof
theterm"mosaic,"foratwo-dimensionalarray,for"cluster,"thisdefinitionisa
reasonable,ifabstract,definitionoflandscape.
Elaboratingonthese"components"FormanandGodron(1986)discusscharacteristics
typicallyrepeatingacrosslandareas:
"1)aclusterofecosystemtypes,2)theflowsorinteractionsamongthe
ecosystemsofsuchacluster,3)thegeomorphologyandclimate,4)theset
ofdisturbanceregimes,and5)therelativeabundanceofecosystemsin
suchacluster."(fromRisser1987)
Wedrawparticularattentiontoitemthreeinthatseries-geomorphologyandclimate.
Wewillarguelaterthattheprincipaldeterminantwehavetouseinordertodefinea
landscapeintangibleterms,thatis,asmappedlandunitsontheground,willbe
topography,determined,atthisscale,mainlybygeomorphologicalpropertiesofthe
terrain. Climateisoneofthedeterminantsofgeomorphologybutmacroclimate,at
least,ismoregenerallyexpressedoveralargerareaandthusisnotusuallyuniquetoa
particularlandscape.
TurnerandGardner(1991)havedefined"landscape"slightlydifferently:
"Landscapecommonlyreferstothelandformsofaregioninthe
aggregate...ortothelandsurfaceanditsassociatedhabitatsatscalesof
hectarestomanysquarekilometers. Mostsimply,alandscapecanbe
consideredtobeaspatiallyheterogeneousarea."
Theseauthorsdiscussecologyinthelandscapecontext("landscapeecology")anddefine
variousdimensionsofthatsubject. Ofinteresttothisreportisabrieflistingof
landscapepropertiesbythoseauthors.
"Threelandscapecharacteristicsthatareespeciallyusefultoconsiderare
structure,functionandchange... Structurereferstothespatial
relationshipsbetweendistinctiveecosystems,thatis,thedistributionof
energy,materialsandspeciesinrelationtothesizes,shapes,numbers,
kinds,andconfigurationsofcomponents. Functionreferstothe
interactionsbetweenthespatialelements,thatis,theflowofenergy,
materials,andorganismsamongthecomponentecosystems. Changerefers
toalterationinthestructureandfunctionoftheecologicalmosaicthrough
time."
Structure,functionandchangeparallelpropertieslistedbyFormanandGodron(1986)
butarestillrelativelyabstractterms.Whatdotheymeantolandmanagers? Meaning
hastobegivento"structure,""function"and"change"bymanagerswhoarechargedwith
evaluatingandprescribingpracticesforarealpieceofterrain.
Morerecently,anFederalinteragencycommitteepertinenttothisworkorder
(ECOMAP)hasdefinedlandscapeas:
"aheterogeneouslandareacomposedofaclusterofinteractingecosystems
thatisrepeatedinasimilarformthroughout;andcanbeviewedatone
timefromoneplace(adaptedfromFormanandGodron,andWebster)."
(ECOMAP1993)
ThisdefinitionisessentiallythesameasthatquotedabovefromFormanandGodron,
exceptfortheprovisothatalandscapecanbeviewedatonetimefromoneplace. This
isacuriousclauseinthattheviewingrangedependsonthepositionoftheviewerwhich
couldextendfromthebottomofagullytoasatelliteplatform. Inouropinion,this
definitionhastheweaknessoftheoriginalFormanandGodrondefinitionandis
compromisedstillfurtherbytheambiguityofviewingposition.
2.3 ConceptofLandManagementAccordingtoSoundEcologicalPrinciples
Whatistherelationshipbetween"ecosystem,""ecosystemmanagement,"and
"landscape?" Wesuggestthatthelandscapeconcept,thoughabstract,maybeacritical
interfacebetween"ecosystem"and"management."
Wesuggestthattheconceptof"landscape"carrieswithitconnotationsmeantby
"ecosystemmanagement." Landscapes,bydefinition,consistofheterogeneousterrain
andincorporatethenotionofspatialinteractions,andcomplexchangeoverspacewith
time-vitalconsiderationsfor"ecosystemmanagement." Ononehand,thelandscapecan
takeonthedefinitionofaspecialkindofecosystem,ontheotherhand,werecognize
thatalandscapecanbedecomposedintoamosaicofwhatarenormallyconsidered
morehomogeneous"ecosystems."
Whiletheconceptofalandscape-ecosystemseemsentirelycongruentwith
conceptsofecosystemmanagement,theproblemofdefiningactuallandscapesonreal
terrainstillremains. Wesuggestthattherearetwo,complementaryresolutionstothis
problem.
Thefirstresolutionisacceptanceattheoutsetthatlandscape-ecosystemscan
rangeinscalefromhectarestomanysquarekilometers. Differentscalesareappropriate
fordifferentissues. ECOMAP(1993)explicitlyrecognizesthisinadoptingahierarchical
frameworkfordifferentlevelsofplanningandanalysis. Corollarytothisviewisthefact
thatsmallerlandscapescanbenestedwithinlargerones. Stilltobedeterminedisa
practicalscale,ornestinglevel,foraparticularenvironment. Surely,practical
operationalscaleswouldbelessinfine-grained,highreliefterraincharacteristicofwell-
dissectedmountains,thaninbroadlysweepingplains.
Thesecondresolutionofthisproblemisrecognitionthatlandscape-ecosystems
canandmustbedefinedintermsofthephenomenon,criterion,ormanagementissueat
hand. Iftheissueiswaterquality,thenwatershedboundariesmakefinelandscape
delineations. Iftheissueiswildlifehabitat,thenotherterrainconfigurationsrelevantto
theforage,waterandcoverrequirementsofwildlifebecomefundamentaltolandscape
definition. Inotherwords,.definitionoflandscape-ecosystemsisatsomeoperational
levelsituational. Fromthis,itfollowsthatlandscape-ecosystemscannotbedefineda
prioriforallcircumstances. However,itisreasonablethatterrainunitshavingsimilar
environmentalfeaturescanrepresentunitshavingsimilarkindsoflandscape-ecosystems
definableonasituationalbasis.
Thegoalofthisworkistomapterrainfeatureshavingsimilarterrain
configuration,ecologicalpropertiesandmanagementimplicationswithinwhich
situationallandscape-ecosystemscanlogicallyandconvenientlybedefined. Withinthe
formalstructureoftheECOMAP(1993)nationalhierarchyofecologicalunits,wehave
mappedLandtypeAssociations. LandtypeAssociationsaredefinedbyECOMAP(1993)
asunitsatthe"landscapescale"asfollows:
"groupingsofLandtypesorsubdivisionsofSubsectionsbasedupon
similaritiesingeomorphicprocess,geologicalrocktypes,soilcomplexes,
streamtypes,lakes,wetlands,andseries,subseries,orplantassociation
vegetationcommunities. Repeatablepatternsofsoilcomplexesandplant
communitiesareusefulindelineatingmapunitsatthislevel. Namesof
LandtypeAssociationsareoftenderivedfromgeomorphichistoryand
vegetationcommunity."
Forourpurposesinthismappingwork,weviewLandtypeAssociationsasaggregatesof
similarlandscapes,regardlessofwhatevercriterionisusedforlandscapedefinition.
LandtypeAssociationsarerelativelylargeunits(100'sto1000'sofacres)featuring
predictablyoccurringterrainfeatures. Diagnosticterrainfeaturescharacteristicof
LandtypeAssociationsincludetheform,extentandnatureofridges,cliffs,rock
outcrops,talusslopes,fans,streamchannelsandassociatedterraces,benches,ravines,
etc. Weexpectthateachoftheseterrainfeaturesmaybeardifferentecosystem
componentsintermsofplant,animalandmicrobialpopulationsandfunctions,andcan
beviewedaslocalareaecosystems.
Webelievethatunderstandingthetopographicandecologicalcharacterof
individualLandtypeAssociationswillbeaninitialsteptoeffectivesubdivisionofthese
intolandscapesdeterminedbydefinedmanagementneeds. Forexample,further
subdivisionmightwellbedoneattheleveloffirstorsecondorderwatershedsinsome
cases,orencompassanentireridge-escarpmentunitinothers. Howeverdefined,itis
importantthattheselandscapeunitswillhaverecognizablestructural,functionaland
temporallydynamicpropertiesasoutlinedbyTurnerandGardner(1991).
IndecidingwhethergeographicfeaturesshouldbemappedasaLandtype
Association,wehaveaskedourselvesthepracticalquestion:
"wouldthisfeatureberecognizedbylandusersandmanagersinthefield,
andwouldtheyagreethatitissufficientlydifferentfromsurrounding
terrainthattheywouldconsideritsmanagementdifferently?"
InmappingLandtypeAssociations,wehavenotmappedlandunitsonthebasisofwhere
boundariesoughttobebasedonsmallscale(lowresolution)climateorgeologymaps,
butrather,whereGISdataandourfieldreconnaissanceindicaterecognizablecommon
terrainpropertieswithintheAssociationthatarerecognizablydifferentfromterrain
outsideoftheAssociation.
InadditiontomappingLandtypeAssociations,wehavealsomappedhigher
hierarchicallevelsoftheNationalHierarchyofEcologicalUnitsforthedefinedmap
area(seesectionbelow). Inthisprocess,wehavedefinedlandunitsuptotwo
hierarchicallevelsaboveLandtypeAssociation. Thesedefinitionsofhigherhierarchical
unitsconformwithnationallyacceptednomenclaturebutdiffer,insomecases,with
respecttolocation.
3.0RELATIONSHIPWITHECOMAP
InthetimesincethiscontractwasmadebetweenBLMandtheUniversityof
Wyoming,amemorandumofagreementbetweentheUSDAForestService,DOI
BureauofLandManagement,NationalBiologicalSurvey(Service),U.S.Geological
Survey,FishandWildlifeService,andtheEnvironmentalProtectionAgencyhasbeen
signedforthepurposeofdevelopingacommonecologicalmapoftheUnitedStates.
ThestructureforthismappingprojectisdefinedasaNationalHierarchicalFramework
ofEcologicalUnitsandhasbeendefinedanddiscussedinareportwiththesametitle
andcitedhereasECOMAP(1993).
ThisnationalhierarchicalframeworkdiffersfromthepreviousHierarchical
system(Bailey1980)usedinourreportonourworkwiththeBuffaloResourceArea.
ThebasicunitsandsomeoftheirdescriptorsaregiveninTables1and2.