APPENDIX D DESCRIPTION OF VEGETATION MACROGROUPS

MACROGROUP DESCRIPTIONS

APPENDIX D

DESCRIPTION OF VEGETATION MACROGROUPS

Introduction Marine Ecoregion This appendix provides descriptions of the subset of Californian-Vancouverian Foothill macrogroups that comprise the majority of the BLM’s proposed vegetation treatments, as referenced in Table and Valley Forest and Woodland 4-9 of this PEIS. Table D-1 provides a list of all the These forests occur along the Pacific Coast lowlands vegetation macrogroups occurring on BLM- from southern California to southern British Columbia. administered lands in the western U.S., as well as their They occur inland from the coast, in the dry interior associated classes, subclasses, formations, and lowland valleys, some on the east side of the Cascades, divisions. and are drought-tolerant. These forests are not part of the Temperate Coastal Rainforest. Dominant species The macrogroup is a middle-level classification in the within this macrogroup are Pseudotsuga menziesii, hierarchy of the revised United States National 1 Pinus ponderosa, Quercus garryana, Quercus kelloggii Vegetation Classification . The middle-level (California black oak), Lithocarpus densiflorus classifications are based on plant physiognomy, (tanoak), Umbellularia californica (California laurel), biogeography, and floristics. The macrogroup level and Arbutus menziesii. classification is based on “combinations of moderate sets of diagnostic plant species and diagnostic growth forms that reflect biogeographic differences.” Vancouverian Lowland and Montane Rainforest

The ecological context of the macrogroup level is sub- This macrogroup consists of tall forests 164 to 328 feet continental to regional differences in mesoclimate, (50 to 100 meters) dominated by evergreen needle- geology, substrates, hydrology, and disturbance leaved trees of the Pacific Northwest coast, limited to regimes. An example of a scientific name for a the coast, in lowland valleys, and lower mountain macrogroup is the Pseudotsuga menziesii-Quercus slopes (below subalpine snow pack) of the Coastal and garryana-Pinus ponderosa-Arbutus menziesii Cascade Ranges. Forests include those influenced by (Douglas-fir-Oregon white oak-ponderosa pine-Pacific salt spray exposure, the interior forests of the madrone) macrogroup. The colloquial name for this windward and leeward Coast and Cascade Ranges, and macrogroup is Northern Vancouverian Montane and cool temperate lower montane forests where winter Foothill Forest. snowpack typically lasts for 2 to 6 months, sometimes referred to as the “rain-on-snow” zone because of the In order to match the geographical breakdown in the common occurrence of major winter rainfall on an 2007 PEIS, the macrogroup descriptions in this section established snowpack. Climate is wet, mild maritime. are presented by ecoregion. Descriptions for macrogroups found in more than one ecoregion are repeated, where applicable. Descriptions come directly from the U.S. National Vegetation Classification web site.

1 Available at: http://usnvc.org/.

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BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides New Three Treatments Vegetation BLM Final Table D-1 DESCRIPITONS MACROGROUP

Programmatic EIS Programmatic Vegetation Classification System for Western States Formation Class Formation Subclass Formation Division Macrogroup California Forest and Woodland Californian-Vancouverian Foothill and Valley Forest and

Woodland Southwestern North American Comanchian Forest and Warm Temperate Forest Woodland Warm Temperate Forest Madrean Warm Lowland Evergreen Woodland Madrean Warm Montane Forest and Woodland

Southwestern North American Southern Plains Scrub Woodland Warm Temperate Scrub and and Shrubland Woodland Southern Vancouverian Montane and Foothill Forest Forest and Vancouverian Lowland and D-2 Temperate Forest Woodland Montane Rainforest

Northern Rocky Mountain Lower Montane and Foothill Western North American Cool Forest Temperate Forest Rocky Mountain Subalpine and High Montane Conifer Forest Cool Temperate Forest Sierra Madre High Montane Forest Southern Rocky Mountain Lower Montane Forest Vancouverian Subalpine Forest Intermountain Singleleaf Pinyon-Western Juniper Western North American Cool Woodland Temperate Woodland and Scrub Rocky Mountain Two-Needle Pinyon-Juniper Woodland

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BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides New Three Treatments Vegetation BLM Final Table D-1 (Cont.)

Programmatic EIS Programmatic Vegetation Classification System for Western States

Formation Class Formation Subclass Formation Division Macrogroup Rocky Mountain and Great Basin Flooded and Swamp

Western North American Forest Flooded and Swamp Forest Vancouverian Flooded and Swamp Forest Temperate Flooded and Swamp Temperate Forest (Cont.) Forest Warm Mediterranean and Desert Riparian, Flooded and Swamp Southwestern North American Forest Warm Temperate Flooded and Western North American Warm Swamp Forest Temperate Ruderal Flooded and Swamp Forest Forest and Woodland (cont.) North American Subalpine and Lowland and Montane Boreal Subarctic Woodland North American Boreal Forest Forest Western North American Boreal D Conifer and Hardwood Forest - 3 North American Boreal Flooded Boreal Forest Forest Boreal Flooded and Swamp North American Boreal Flooded North American Boreal Swamp Forest and Swamp Forest Forest Western Boreal Flooded and

Swamp Scrub and Forest DESCRIPITONS MACROGROUP

California Chaparral Mediterranean Scrub California Scrub California Coastal Scrub Shrubland and Mediterranean Scrub and Grassland Grassland California Annual and Perennial Mediterranean Grassland and California Grassland and Grassland Forb Meadow Meadow California Ruderal Grassland and Meadow

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BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides New Three Treatments Vegetation BLM Final Table D-1 (Cont.) DESCRIPITONS MACROGROUP

Programmatic EIS Programmatic Vegetation Classification System for Western States Formation Class Formation Subclass Formation Division Macrogroup Northern Rocky Mountain- Vancouverian Montane and Foothill Grassland and

Shrubland Northern Vancouverian Lowland and Montane Grassland and Shrubland Western North American Rocky Mountain-Vancouverian Grassland and Shrubland Subalpine and High Montane Mesic Grass and Forb Meadow

Temperate Grassland, Meadow Southern Rocky Mountain and Shrubland Montane Grassland and Shrubland Southern Vancouverian Lowland Grassland and Shrubland Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie D-4 Shrubland and Temperate and Boreal Great Plains Grassland and and Shrubland

Grassland (Cont.) Shrubland and Grassland Shrubland Great Plains Shortgrass Prairie and Shrubland Western North American Cool Interior Chaparral Interior Sclerophyllous Warm Interior Chaparral Chaparral Shrubland North American Boreal Boreal Grassland, Meadow and North American Boreal Grassland, Meadow and Shrubland Shrubland and Grassland Shrubland Cool Pacific Coastal Beach, Temperate and Boreal Scrub and Pacific North American Coast Dune and Bluff Vegetation Herb Coastal Vegetation Scrub and Herb Vegetation Warm Pacific Coastal Beach, Dune and Bluff Vegetation North American Boreal Bog and Fen Temperate and Boreal Bog and North American Bog and Fen North Pacific Bog and Fen Fen Rocky Mountain Subalpine and Montane Fen

January 2016

BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides New Three Treatments Vegetation BLM Final Table D-1 (Cont.)

Programmatic EIS Programmatic Vegetation Classification System for Western States Formation Class Formation Subclass Formation Division Macrogroup Western North American Boreal Wet Meadow and Marsh

Western North American Lowland Freshwater Wet Meadow, Marsh and Shrubland Western North American Western North American Temperate and Boreal Freshwater Wet Meadow and Montane Wet Meadow and Low Freshwater Wet Meadow and Marsh Shrubland Marsh Western North American Ruderal Wet Meadow and

Temperate and Boreal Shrubland and Marsh Shrubland and Grassland Grassland (Cont.) Western North American Vernal (Cont.) Pool Southwestern North American Warm Desert Freshwater Warm Desert Freshwater Marsh Shrubland, Meadow and Marsh Temperate and Boreal Pacific North American Pacific Coastal D

- Coastal Salt Marsh Salt Marsh 5 Cool Semi-Desert Alkaline- Salt Marsh Saline Wetland North American Western Warm Semi-Desert and Interior Brackish Marsh Mediterranean Alkaline-Saline Wetland Apacherian-Chihuahuan Semi-

Desert Grassland and Steppe DESCRIPITONS MACROGROUP Chihuahuan Desert Scrub Mojave-Sonoran Semi-Desert Warm Semi-Desert Scrub and Warm Semi-Desert Scrub and North American Warm Desert Scrub Semi-Desert Grassland Grassland Scrub and Grassland North American Warm Desert Alkaline-Saline Semi-Desert Scrub North American Warm Desert Xero-Riparian

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BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides New Three Treatments Vegetation BLM Final Table D-1 (Cont.) DESCRIPITONS MACROGROUP

Programmatic EIS Programmatic Vegetation Classification System for Western States Formation Class Formation Subclass Formation Division Macrogroup Great Basin and Intermountain Dry Shrubland and Grassland Great Basin and Intermountain

Dwarf Sage Shrubland and Steppe Western North American Cool Semi-Desert Cool Semi-Desert Scrub and Cool Semi-Desert Scrub and Great Basin and Intermountain Semi-Desert Scrub and (Cont.) Grassland Grassland Tall Sagebrush Shrubland and Grassland Steppe Great Basin and Intermountain Xero-Riparian Scrub

Great Basin Saltbrush Scrub Rocky Mountain Alpine Scrub, Forb Meadow and Grassland Western North American Alpine Temperate and Boreal Alpine Alpine Scrub, Forb Meadow and Sierra Madre Alpine Scrub, Scrub, Forb Meadow and Vegetation Grassland Forb Meadow and Grassland D-6 Polar and High Grassland Vancouverian Alpine Scrub, Montane Forb Meadow and Grassland Vegetation Dwarf-Shrub, Herb and Arctic Tundra North American Arctic Tundra Nonvascular Tundra Tundra Tundra Wet Meadow Arctic Tundra Wet Meadow Arctic Tundra Wet Meadow Freshwater Aquatic North American Freshwater Western North American Aquatic Vegetation Freshwater Aquatic Vegetation Vegetation Aquatic Vegetation Freshwater Aquatic Vegetation Source: Developed by the BLM based on the Federal Geographic Data Committee Vegetation Subcommittee’s National Vegetation Classification Standard, Version 2 (Federal Geographic Data Committee 2008).

January 2016

MACROGROUP DESCRIPTIONS

Forests along the immediate coast experience stunted trees, such as Picea sitchensis, Pseudotsuga uniformly wet and mild climate, where precipitation menziesii or Quercus garryana, can be present. averages 79 to 118 inches (2,000 to 3,000 millimeters) per year, with frequent fog and low clouds during warmer months, and additional precipitation from fog Mediterranean Ecoregion drip can be significant. Away from the coast, climate is still mild but with more moisture and temperature California Forest and Woodland extremes. Major forest tree species are Pseudotsuga menziesii, Tsuga heterophylla (western hemlock), This macrogroup consists of savannas, woodlands, and Thuja plicata (western redcedar), Abies amabilis forests dominated by Californian endemic oak and (Pacific silver fir), Chamaecyparis nootkatensis conifer species. These woodlands occur almost entirely (Alaska cedar), and Picea sitchensis (Sitka spruce). within California below 8,000 ft (2,450 m). They The deciduous broad-leaved trees Alnus rubra (red include the oak woodlands of Quercus agrifolia alder) and Acer macrophyllum (bigleaf maple) are (California live oak), Quercus lobata (valley oak), and abundant on recently disturbed sites. Pinus contorta Quercus douglasii (blue oak). Stands include rare (lodgepole pine) is common along the ocean. Abies endemic evergreen coniferous forests limited to the grandis (grand fir) and Pinus monticola (western white coast including Hesperocyparis macrocarpa (Monterey pine) occur sporadically and Sequoia sempervirens cypress), Cupressus sargentii (Sargent’s cypress), (redwood), Umbellularia californica, and Pinus muricata (Bishop pine), and Pinus torreyana Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (Port Orford cedar) are (Torrey pine), as well as the more widespread, rugged found in southern Oregon and northern California. Pinus sabiniana (California foothill pine) and Pinus coulteri (Coulter pine). Southern Vancouverian Lowland Grassland and Shrubland Californian-Vancouverian Foothill and Valley Forest and Woodland This macrogroup is found from Vancouver Island down the Pacific Coast to San Francisco. It occurs These forests occur along the Pacific Coast lowlands along the coast on coastal terraces and ridgeline balds from southern California to southern British Columbia. in the Coast Ranges, the Klamath Mountains, and at They occur inland from the coast, in the dry interior low elevations on the lee side of the coastal mountains lowland valleys, some on the east side of the Cascades, in the northern part of the range. Steep slopes on and are drought-tolerant. These forests are not part of coastal bluffs and headlands are typical occurrences of the Temperate Coastal Rainforest. Dominant species this macrogroup, though sometimes it can be found on within this macrogroup are Pseudotsuga menziesii, relatively level ridgelines. Attributable to shallow soils, Pinus ponderosa, Quercus garryana, Quercus steep slopes, sunny aspect, and/or upper slope position, kelloggii, Lithocarpus densiflorus, Umbellularia these sites are dry and marginal for tree establishment californica, and Arbutus menziesii. and growth except in favorable microsites. The vegetation is grassland with some dwarf-shrubs, which Southern Vancouverian Montane and can occur as small patches but are usually in a matrix with the herbaceous vegetation. Bunchgrasses are often Foothill Forest dominant and may include Calamagrostis nutkaensis This macrogroup includes forests and woodlands of (Pacific reedgrass), Festuca rubra (red fescue), foothill and lower montane elevations of the southern Festuca roemeri (Roemer’s fescue), or Danthonia Cascade and Klamath Mountains, the Modoc Plateau, californica (California oatgrass). Dwarf-shrub species and the Sierra Nevada, Peninsula, and Transverse imbedded in the herbaceous cover often include Ranges. This macrogroup covers a broad range of Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (kinnikinnick), Arctostaphylos elevation and latitude, and for the most part occurs in Columbiana (hairy manzanita), Arctostaphylos relatively dry habitats. It includes dry montane Pinus nevadensis (pinemat manzanita), Gaultheria shallon jeffreyi (Jeffrey pine)-Pinus ponderosa woodlands; (salal), Juniperus communis (common juniper), Rubus Sierran mixed conifer woodlands dominated by spectabilis (salmonberry), and Vaccinium ovatum Pseudotsuga menziesii, Pinus ponderosa, Calocedrus (California huckleberry). Occasionally, scattered decurrens (Incense cedar), Abies concolor (white fir), Abies magnifica (California red fir), Pinus lambertiana

BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides D-7 January 2016 Final Programmatic EIS MACROGROUP DESCRIPTIONS

(sugar pine), Pinus jeffreyi, or Sequoiadendron and central Great Basin on steep, exposed slopes with giganteum (giant sequoia); mixed conifer woodlands rocky and/or shallow soils, and among montane forests tolerant of serpentine soils; and the forests on the east above 4,550 feet (1,500 meters), from the southern side of the Sierra Nevada, on the Modoc Plateau and in Cascades of Oregon to the Peninsular Ranges of

the Warner Mountains that are dominated by Pinus California into Baja California, Mexico, where much monticola and/or Abies concolor var. lowiana (Sierra annual precipitation occurs as snow. These hardy white fir) where Pinus ponderosa is often present, but shrublands have open canopies with little undergrowth Pseudotsuga menziesii is notably absent. and are dominated by evergreen or winter-deciduous shrubs. Dominant shrubs include Arctostaphylos California Chaparral glandulosa (Eastwood’s manzanita), Arctostaphylos nevadensis, Arctostaphylos patula (greenleaf This macrogroup is composed of evergreen manzanita), Arctostaphylos pungens (pointleaf

sclerophyllous shrubland that dominates the manzanita), Ceanothus cordulatus (whitethorn cismontane side of the coastal mountain ranges from ceanothus), Ceanothus diversifolius (pinemat), about San Francisco south to Ensanada in Baja Ceanothus greggii (desert ceanothus), Ceanothus California, and east into the foothills of the Sierra integerrimus (deerbrush), Ceanothus pinetorum Nevada. It reaches its greatest extent in the Transverse (Coville ceanothus), Ceanothus sanguineus (redstem and Peninsular ranges of central and southern ceanothus; in Oregon), Ceanothus velutinus California but is also an important part of the western (snowbrush ceanothus), Cercocarpus intricatus foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Chaparral occurs from (litteleaf mountain mahogany), Cercocarpus montanus sea level to 4,921 feet (1,500 meters). Chaparral is var. glaber (birchleaf mountain mahogany), closely associated with the Mediterranean climate Chrysolepis sempervirens (=Castanopsis empervirens; pattern of winter rain and summer drought. Within that bush chinquapin), Eriogonum fasciculatum (Eastern climate regime it can be found under a wide range of Mojave buckwheat), Garrya flavescens (ashy siltassel), rainfall and temperature conditions, but over 60 percent Holodiscus discolor (=Holodiscus microphyllus; of the current distribution is in areas that receive oceanspray), Prunus emarginata (bitter cherry), between 10 and 30 inches (250 and 750 millimeters) of Prunus subcordata (Klamath plum), Prunus virginiana annual precipitation, and where average January daily (chokecherry), Purshia stansburiana (Stansbury temperature falls between 41 and 59 °F (5 and 15 °C), cliffrose), Quercus garryana var. breweri (Brewer’s indicating that summer drought stress may limit oak), Quercus turbinella (Sonoran scrub oak), and chaparral shrub seedling establishment and that injury Rhus trilobata (skunkbush sumac). Most of these to adult shrubs from winter freezes may impose chaparral species are fire-adapted, resprouting species-specific distributional limits. Chaparral soils vigorously after burning or producing fire-resistant tend to be shallow and rocky. Substrates include seeds. fractured sandstones and shales, coarse-grained decomposed granitic soils, fine-grained weathered California Annual and Perennial volcanics, and mafic substrates such as serpentines and Grassland gabbros. These substrates add to the landscape diversity and have substantial effects on plant species This macrogroup is found in Mediterranean California diversity. The diversity of shrubs in chaparral includes from 30 to 3.600 feet (10 to 1,200 meters), with cool, shrub species such as Adenostoma fasciculatum wet winters and hot, dry summers, receiving on (chamise), Ceanothus cuneatus (buckbrush), average 20 inches (50 centimeters; range 10 to 30 Ceanothus megacarpus (bigpod ceanothus), Ceanothus inches [25 to 100 centimeters]) of precipitation per crassifolius (hoaryleaf ceanothis), several species of year, mainly as winter rain. It is found with fine- Arctostaphylos (manzanita), and Cercocarpus textured soils, moist or even waterlogged in winter, but montanus (alderleaf mountain mahogany). very dry in summer. Historically, these grasslands were common among oak savanna and woodland and Cool Interior Chaparral probably experienced similar frequent fire regimes. Today they are limited to small relictual, remnant and This macrogroup consists of chaparral that occurs on restored stands. These communities are best side slopes between low-elevation desert landscapes represented on xeric to mesic ultramafic (a type of and higher pinyon-juniper woodlands of the western igneous rock) sites where alien annual grasses are less

BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides D-8 January 2016 Final Programmatic EIS MACROGROUP DESCRIPTIONS well-adapted. Wet ultramafic sites may contain stands of Muhlenbergia rigens (deergrass) or Leymus Subtropical Desert Ecoregion triticoides (beardless wildrye). Characteristic plant species include a dominance by native, cool-season Madrean Warm Montane Forest and bunchgrasses Nassella pulchra (purple needlegrass), Woodland Nassella cernua (nodding needlegrass), Nassella lepida (foothill needlegrass), Aristida species (threeawn), This woodland and forest group occurs in mountains Agoseris heterophylla (annual agoseris), Elymus and plateaus in the Sierra Madre Occidentale and glaucus (blue wildrye), Leymus triticoides (beardless Sierra Madre Orientale in Mexico, Trans-Pecos Texas, wildrye), Festuca californica (California fescue), southern New Mexico and Arizona, generally south of Melica californica (California melicgrass), and Poa the Mogollon Rim. These forests and woodlands are secunda (=Poa scabrella; Sandberg bluegrass), and composed of Madrean pines (Pinus arizonica [Arizona native forbs such as Achyrachaena mollis (blow pine], Pinus engelmannii [Apache pine], Pinus wives), Bloomeria crocea (common goldenstar), leiophylla [Chihuahuan pine], Pinus strobiformis Triteleia ixioides (=Brodiaea lutea; prettyface), [Southwestern white pine]) or madrones (Arbutus Chlorogalum pomeridianum (wavyleaf soap plant), arizonica [Arizona madrone], Arbutus xalapensis Clarkia purpurea (winecup clarkia), Dodecatheon [Texas madrone]) and evergreen oaks (Quercus jeffreyi (Sierra shootingstar), Achillea millefolium var. arizonica [Arizona white oak], Quercus emoryi borealis (=Achillea borealis; boreal yarrow), and [Emory oak], Quercus gravesii [Chisos red oak], Castilleja attenuata (=Orthocarpus attenuatis; Quercus grisea [gray oak], Quercus hypoleucoides attenuate Indian paintbrush). [silverleaf oak], or Quercus rugosa [netleaf oak]) intermingled with patchy shrublands on most mid- California Ruderal Grassland and elevation slopes 4,790 to 7,546 feet (1,460 to 2,300 meters). In northern stands, Pinus ponderosa Meadow dominates with Madrean oak species. This group also includes Hesperocyperis arizonica (Arizona cypress)- This macrogroup encompasses the non-native- dominated stands with Quercus hypoleucoides or dominated annual grasslands found in California. They Quercus rugosa in the understory. Other tree species occur on the coastal plains, in the Central Valley, in the may include Juniperus deppeana (alligator juniper), foothills and in disturbed rural and urban areas. Juniperus flaccida (drooping juniper), Pinus California annual grassland is found on a wide variety cembroides (Mexican pinyon), Pinus discolor (border of soils, sometimes in complex mosaics. Most are pinyon), and Pseudotsuga menziesii. Subcanopy and noncalcic Mollisols, medium to heavy texture, about shrub layers may include typical encinal (found in oak 1.6 feet (0.5 meters) deep. Native graminoid and forb groves) and chaparral species, such as Agave spp. species can be present with low or insignificant cover. (agave), Arctostaphylos pringlei (Pringle manzanita), The overwhelming dominance of introduced species is Arctostaphylos pungens (pointleaf manzanita), Garrya undeniable. Non-native species make up 50 to 96 wrightii (Wright’s silktassel), Nolina spp. (beargrass), percent of the foliar cover. Dominant introduced and Quercus turbinella. Some stands have moderate graminoid species include Avena fatua (wild oat), cover of perennial graminoids, such as Muhlenbergia Bromus diandrus (ripgut brome), Bromus hordeaceus emersleyi (bullgrass), Muhlenbergia longiligula (soft brome), Bromus madritensis (compact brome), (longtongue muhly), Muhlenbergia virescens Lolium perenne ssp. multiflorum (=Lolium (screwleaf muhly), and Schizachyrium cirratum (Texas multiflorum; Italian ryegrass), Taeniatherum caput- bluestem). medusae (medusahead rye), and Aegilops triuncialis

(barbed goatgrass). Introduced forb species include Erodium botrys (longbeak stork’s bill), Erodium Warm Interior Chaparral cicutarium (redstem stork’s bill), Medicago polymorpha (burclover), Geranium dissectum (cutleaf This macrogroup occurs prominently across central geranium), Hypochaeris glabra (smooth cat’s ear), and Arizona (Mogollon Rim) and western New Mexico, Carduus pycnocephalus (Italian plumeless thistle). south into mountains in the northwestern Chihuahuan There are many more species that can be dominant. region and Madrean Occidentale in northern Mexico, and north into extreme southwestern Utah and southern Nevada. It also occurs in mountains in the Sonoran and western Mojave Deserts, and extends from northeast

BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides D-9 January 2016 Final Programmatic EIS MACROGROUP DESCRIPTIONS

Kern County, California, and south into Baja Norte, setifolia (curlyleaf muhly), and Pleuraphis mutica Mexico. Stands are found on foothills, xeric mountain (tobosagrass). slopes and canyons in hotter and drier habitats and often dominate along the mid-elevation transition zone Southern Plains Scrub Woodland and

between desert scrub and montane woodlands 3,281 to 7,218 feet (1,000 to 2,200 meters). Sites are often steep Shrubland and rocky. Parent materials are varied and include basalt, diabases, gneiss, schist, shales, slates, This macrogroup ranges from the High Plains, Rolling sandstones, and more commonly, limestone and Plains, and Red Bed Plains of Texas and Oklahoma, coarse-textured granitic substrates. The vegetation is south into parts of the Edwards Plateau and characterized by a moderate to dense evergreen shrub Chihuahuan Desert regions of Texas. The open to layer dominated by sclerophyllous shrubs such as closed canopy is dominated or codominated by

Quercus turbinella and Ceanothus greggii. Other Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa (honey mesquite). common shrubs from the eastern portion of its range Associated species can include Ziziphus obtusifolia (Arizona and New Mexico) include Quercus toumeyi (lotebush), Quercus fusiformis (Texas live oak), (Toumey oak), Cercocarpus montanus var. Sideroxylon lanuginosum (gum bully), Aloysia paucidentatus (hairy mountain mahogany), Garrya gratissima (whitebrush), Mahonia trifoliolata wrightii, Purshia stansburiana, Rhus trilobata (Tucker (algerita), Yucca glauca (soapweed yucca), Opuntia oak), with Arctostaphylos pungens and Arctostaphylos spp. (pricklypear), Acacia greggii (catclaw acacia), pringlei at higher elevations. In desert chaparral stands Mimosa spp. (mimosa), Rhus lanceolata (prairie in the western part of the range, Quercus john-tuckeri sumac), Nassella leucotricha (Texas wintergrass), (Tucker oak), Quercus cornelius-mulleri (Muller oak), Bouteloua curtipendula (sideoats grama), Bouteloua Quercus berberidifolia (scrub oak), Arctostaphylos gracilis (blue grama), Bouteloua hirsute (hairy grama), patula, Arctostaphylos glauca (bigberry manzanita), Buchloe dactyloides (buffalograss), Schizachyrium Rhus ovate (sugar sumac), Cercocarpus montanus var. scoparium (little bluestem), Ruellia nudiflora glaber, Garrya flavescens, Juniperus californica (Runyon’s wild petunia), Croton monanthogynus (California juniper), and Nolina parryi (Parry’s (prairie tea), Rhynchosia senna (Texas snoutbean), and beargrass) characterize this shrubland. Indigofera miniata (coastal indigo).

Chihuahuan Desert Scrub Subtropical Steppe Ecoregion This macrogroup typically occurs as invasive upland Rocky Mountain Two-Needle Pinyon- shrublands that are concentrated in the extensive desert grassland in foothills and piedmonts of the Chihuahuan Juniper Woodland Desert, extending into the Sky Island region to the These woodlands are composed of Pinus edulis west. Substrates are typically derived from alluvium, (twoneedle pinyon), Juniperus osteosperma (Utah often gravelly without a well-developed argillic or juniper), or Juniperus monosperma. Pinus edulis calcic soil horizon that would limit infiltration and and/or Juniperus osteosperma-dominated woodlands storage of winter precipitation in deeper soil layers. occur on dry mountains and foothills of the Colorado Prosopis spp. (mesquite) and other deep-rooted shrubs Plateau region. Juniperus monosperma-dominated exploit this deep-soil moisture that is unavailable to woodlands have an understory of perennial grasses grasses and cacti. Vegetation is typically dominated by such as Bouteloua gracilis and Pleuraphis jamesii Prosopis glandulosa (honey mesquite) or Prosopis (James’ galleta) and other herbaceous species typical velutina (velvet mesquite) and succulents. Other desert of the shortgrass prairie. These woodlands occur along scrub species that can codominate include Acacia the east and south foothill slopes of the southern Rocky neovernicosa (viscid acacia), Acacia constricta Mountains and into the plains of southeastern Colorado (whitethorn acacia), Juniperus monosperma (oneseed and northern and central New Mexico. Pinus edulis juniper), or Juniperus coahuilensis (redberry juniper). and/or Juniperus monosperma-dominated woodlands Larrea tridentata (creosote bush) is typically absent or exist on dry mountains and foothills in southern has low cover. Grass cover is typically low and Colorado east of the Continental Divide, and in composed of desert grasses such as Dasyochloa mountains and plateaus of northern and central New pulchella (=Erioneuron pulchellum; low woollygrass), Mexico. Muhlenbergia porteri (bush muhly), Muhlenbergia

BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides D-10 January 2016 Final Programmatic EIS MACROGROUP DESCRIPTIONS

Great Plains Shortgrass Prairie and saline/alkaline. Vegetation is characterized by a moderately dense to dense graminoid layer of perennial Shrubland grasses that is typically dominated by Pleuraphis mutica or with Bouteloua eriopoda (black grama) The shortgrass prairie in this macrogroup is dominated codominant (more historically) or Bouteloua gracilis by the shortgrasses Bouteloua gracilis and Buchloe on broad alluvial plains and flats. In mesic swales and dactyloides. Shrublands in this macrogroup are depressions and along drainages, Sporobolus airoides dominated by Prosopis glandulosa. The shortgrass (alkali sacaton), Sporobolus wrightii (big sacaton), and prairies occur on flat to rolling uplands. The surface Pleuraphis mutica (tobosa swales) dominate, soil may be sandy loam, loam, silt loam, or loamy clay. sometimes with other mesic graminoids such as The subsoil is often finer than the surface soil. The Pascopyrum smithii or Panicum obtusum (vine shortgrass prairies are characterized by a moderate to mesquite). Sporobolus airoides is more common in dense sod of short grasses with scattered mid grasses alkaline soils and along drainages. In degraded stands, and forbs. The foliage of these species is 3 to 7 inches Scleropogon brevifolius (burrograss), Dasyochloa (7 to 19 centimeters) tall, while the flowering stalks of pulchella, or Aristida spp. may co-dominate. Bouteloua gracilis may reach 18 inches (45 Pleuraphis jamesii can become important in northern centimeters). The mid grasses are usually stunted by stands and Bouteloua gracilis in the Great Plains and the arid conditions and often do not exceed 2.3 feet on degraded stands. Scattered shrub or succulent (0.7 meters). Other short graminoids found in this species can be present, especially on degraded sites and community are Bouteloua hirsuta (hairy grama), Carex along drainages and in depressions. duriuscula (needleleaf sedge), Carex inops ssp. heliophila (sun sedge), and Carex filifolia (threadleaf sedge; in Nebraska). Several mid grasses occur Warm Interior Chaparral regularly, such as Aristida purpurea (purple threeawn), Bouteloua curtipendula, Pascopyrum smithii (western This macrogroup occurs prominently across central wheatgrass), Schizachyrium scoparium, Elymus Arizona (Mogollon Rim) and western New Mexico, elymoides (squirreltail), Sporobolus cryptandrus (spike south into mountains in the northwestern Chihuahuan dropseed), Hesperostipa comata (=Stipa comata; region and Madrean Occidentale in northern Mexico, needle and thread), and Vulpia octoflora (sixweeks and north into extreme southwestern Utah and southern fescue). Forbs such as Astragalus spp. (milkweed), Nevada. It also occurs in mountains in the Sonoran and Gaura coccinea (scarlet beeblossom), Machaeranthera western Mojave Deserts, and extends from northeast pinnatifida var. pinnatifida (lacy tansyaster), Opuntia Kern County, California, and south into Baja Norte, polyacantha (plains pricklypear), Plantago patagonica Mexico. Stands are found on foothills, xeric mountain (woolly plantain), Psoralidium tenuiflorum (slimflower slopes and canyons in hotter and drier habitats, and scurfpea), Ratibida columnifera (upright prairie often dominate along the mid-elevation transition zone coneflower), and Sphaeralcea coccinea (scarlet between desert scrub and montane woodlands at 3,281 globemallow) are common throughout the shortgrass to 7,218 feet (1,000 to 2,200 meters). Sites are often prairies. steep and rocky. Parent materials are varied and include basalt, diabases, gneiss, schist, shales, slates, sandstones, and more commonly, limestone and Apacherian-Chihuahuan Semi-Desert coarse-textured granitic substrates. The vegetation is Grassland and Steppe characterized by a moderate to dense evergreen shrub layer dominated by sclerophyllous shrubs such as This macrogroup occurs in the northern Chihuahuan Quercus turbinella and Ceanothus greggii. Other Desert and adjacent Sky Islands and Sonoran Desert, common shrubs from the eastern portion of its range extending into limited areas of the southern Great (Arizona and New Mexico) include Quercus toumeyi, Plains on alluvial flats, loamy plains, and basins Cercocarpus montanus var. paucidentatus, Garrya sometimes extending up into lower piedmont slopes wrightii, Purshia stansburiana, Rhus trilobata, with and broad mesas. Included in this macrogroup are the Arctostaphylos pungens and Arctostaphylos pringlei at mesic grasslands that occur in relatively small higher elevations. In desert chaparral stands in the depressions or swales and along drainages that receive western part of the range, Quercus john-tuckeri, runoff from adjacent areas. Occupying low topographic Quercus cornelius-mulleri, Quercus berberidifolia, positions, these sites generally have deep, fine-textured Arctostaphylos patula, Arctostaphylos glauca, Rhus soils that are neutral to slightly or moderately ovata, Cercocarpus montanus var. glaber

BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides D-11 January 2016 Final Programmatic EIS MACROGROUP DESCRIPTIONS

(=Cercocarpus betuloides), Garrya flavescens, Juniperus californica, and Nolina parryi characterize Temperate Desert Ecoregion this shrubland. Northern Rocky Mountain Lower

Chihuahuan Desert Scrub Montane and Foothill Forest

This macrogroup typically occurs as invasive upland This macrogroup consists of Pinus ponderosa shrublands that are concentrated in the extensive desert woodlands and “wooded steppes,” located in the grassland in foothills and piedmonts of the Chihuahuan foothills of the northern Rocky Mountains in the Desert, extending into the Sky Island region to the Columbia Plateau region and west along the foothills west. Substrates are typically derived from alluvium, of the Modoc Plateau and Eastern Cascades into often gravelly without a well-developed argillic or southern interior British Columbia. It also occurs east

calcic soil horizon that would limit infiltration and across Idaho into the eastern foothills of the Montana storage of winter precipitation in deeper soil layers. Rockies. These woodlands and wooded steppes occur Prosopis spp. and other deep-rooted shrubs exploit this at the lower treeline/ecotone between grasslands or deep-soil moisture that is unavailable to grasses and shrublands and more mesic coniferous forests, cacti. Vegetation is typically dominated by Prosopis typically on warm, dry, exposed sites. These glandulosa or Prosopis velutina and succulents. Other woodlands and wooded steppes receive winter and desert scrub species that can codominate include spring rains, and thus have a greater spring “green-up” Acacia neovernicosa, Acacia constricta, Juniperus compared with the drier woodlands in the central monosperma, or Juniperus coahuilensis. Larrea Rockies. However, sites are often too droughty to tridentata is typically absent or has low cover. Grass support a closed tree canopy. Elevations range from cover is typically low and composed of desert grasses less than 1,640 feet (500 meters) in British Columbia to such as Dasyochloa pulchella (=Erioneuron 5,249 feet (1,600 meters) in the central Idaho pulchellum), Muhlenbergia porteri, Muhlenbergia mountains. Occurrences are found on all slopes and setifolia, and Pleuraphis mutica. aspects; however, moderately steep to very steep slopes or ridgetops and plateaus are most common. These woodlands and wooded steppes generally occur on Southern Plains Scrub Woodland and most geological substrates, from weathered rock to Shrubland glacial deposits to eolian deposits. Characteristic soil features include good aeration and drainage, coarse This macrogroup ranges from the High Plains, Rolling textures, circumneutral to slightly acidic pH, an Plains, and Red Bed Plains of Texas and Oklahoma, abundance of mineral material, and periods of drought south into parts of the Edwards Plateau and during the growing season. Chihuahuan Desert regions of Texas. The open to closed canopy is dominated or codominated by The Pinus ponderosa woodlands have a shrubby or Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa. Associated grassy understory, whereas the Pinus ponderosa species can include Ziziphus obtusifolia, Quercus wooded steppes have widely spaced, scattered Pinus fusiformis, Sideroxylon lanuginosum, Aloysia ponderosa trees over generally shrubby but sparse gratissima, Mahonia trifoliolata, Yucca glauca, understories. The woodlands are generally fire- Opuntia spp., Acacia greggii, Mimosa spp., Rhus maintained, whereas the wooded steppes are often too lanceolata, Nassella leucotricha, Bouteloua dry and with vegetation too widely spaced to be able to curtipendula, Bouteloua gracilis, Bouteloua hirsuta, carry fire. Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa is the Buchloe dactyloides, Schizachyrium scoparium, predominant conifer; Pseudotsuga menziesii or Pinus Ruellia nudiflora, Croton monanthogynus, Rhynchosia flexilis (limber pine) can be present in the tree canopy senna, and Indigofera miniata. but are usually absent. The understory can be shrubby, with Artemisia tridentata (big sagebrush), Arctostaphylos patula, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Cercocarpus ledifolius (curl-leaf mountain mahogany), Physocarpus malvaceus (mallow ninebark), Purshia tridentata (antelope bitterbrush), Symphoricarpos

BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides D-12 January 2016 Final Programmatic EIS MACROGROUP DESCRIPTIONS oreophilus (mountain snowberry) or Symphoricarpos Intermountain Singleleaf Pinyon- albus (common snowberry), Amelanchier alnifolia (Saskatoon serviceberry), and Rosa spp. (rose) being Western Juniper Woodland common species. In transition areas with sagebrush These woodlands are composed of Pinus monophylla steppe, Purshia tridentata, Artemisia tridentata ssp. (singleleaf pinyon), Juniperus osteosperma, or wyomingensis (Wyoming big sagebrush), Artemisia Juniperus occidentals (western juniper). Woodlands tridentata ssp. tridentata (basin big sagebrush), and composed of scattered Juniperus osteosperma trees Artemisia tripartita (threetip sagebrush) can be exist on dry foothills and sandsheets of the Colorado common in fire-protected sites such as rocky areas. Plateau and eastern Great Basin. Juniperus Deciduous shrubs, such as Physocarpus malvaceus, osteosperma woodlands have an understory dominated Symphoricarpos albus, or Spiraea betulifolia (white by grasses such as Bouteloua gracilis, Hesperostipa spirea), can be abundant in more northerly sites or comata, and Pleuraphis jamesii. Woodlands dominated more moist climates. Herbaceous vegetation in the by Pinus monophylla form an open to dense tree layer, wooded steppes is predominantly fire-resistant grasses often with the wider ranging Juniperus osteosperma. and forbs that resprout after surface fires; shrubs, These woodlands exist on dry mountain ranges of the understory trees and downed logs are uncommon. The Great Basin region and eastern foothills of the Sierra wooded steppes support grasses such as Nevada. Woodlands dominated by Juniperus Pseudoroegneria spicata (bluebunch wheatgrass), occidentalis are largely restricted to the Columbia Hesperostipa spp. (needle and thread), Achnatherum Plateau region and Pinus monophylla is not present. spp. (needlegrass), dry Carex (sedge) species (Carex inops [long-stolon sedge]), Elymus elymoides, Festuca idahoensis (Idaho fescue), or Festuca campestris Rocky Mountain Two-Needle Pinyon- (rough fescue). Juniper Woodland

Southern Rocky Mountain Lower These woodlands are composed of Pinus edulis, Juniperus osteosperma, or Juniperus monosperma. Montane Forest Pinus edulis and/or Juniperus osteosperma-dominated woodlands occur on dry mountains and foothills of the These forests are dominated by Pinus ponderosa, either Colorado Plateau region. Juniperus monosperma- solely or mixed with Pseudotsuga menziesii, Pinus dominated woodlands have an understory of perennial edulis, Pinus contorta, Populus tremuloides (quaking grasses such as Bouteloua gracilis and Pleuraphis aspen), and Juniperus spp. (juniper). Ponderosa pine jamesii and other herbaceous species typical of the forests with a mixture of other tree species have a shortgrass prairie. These woodlands occur along the typically shrubby understory composed of Artemisia east and south foothill slopes of the southern Rocky nova (black sagebrush), Artemisia tridentata, Mountains and into the plains of southeastern Colorado Arctostaphylos patula, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, and northern and central New Mexico. Pinus edulis Cercocarpus montanus, Purshia stansburiana, Purshia and/or Juniperus monosperma-dominated woodlands tridentata, Quercus gambelii (Gambel oak), exist on dry mountains and foothills in southern Symphoricarpos spp., Prunus virginiana, Amelanchier Colorado east of the Continental Divide, and in alnifolia, and Rosa spp. Common grasses in the mountains and plateaus of northern and central New understory include Pseudoroegneria spicata, Mexico. Pascopyrum smithii, and species of Hesperostipa, Achnatherum, Festuca, Muhlenbergia, and Bouteloua. Ponderosa pine forests dominated solely by ponderosa Northern Rocky Mountain- pine have a grass-dominated understory composed of Vancouverian Montane and Foothill Festuca arizonica (Arizona fescue), Muhlenbergia virescens, Pseudoroegneria spicata, Andropogon Grassland and Shrubland gerardii (big bluestem), Schizachyrium scoparium, This macrogroup is composed of shrublands in the Festuca idahoensis, Piptatherum micranthum lower montane and foothill regions around the (littleseed ricegrass), and Bouteloua gracilis. Columbia Basin and north and east into the Northern

Rockies, and dry grasslands occurring in the canyons

BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides D-13 January 2016 Final Programmatic EIS MACROGROUP DESCRIPTIONS

and valleys of the northern Great Basin and Columbia dominated by one or another of these shrubs often Basin, particularly along the Snake River canyon, the intergrade with each other. This macrogroup is found lower foothill slopes of the Blue Mountains, and along in the mountains, plateaus, foothills, and canyon slopes the main stem of the Columbia River in eastern of the southern Rocky Mountains and Colorado

Washington. Plateau, and on outcrops and canyon slopes in the western Great Plains. It ranges from the southern and The shrublands typically occur below treeline, within central Great Plains, southwest to southern New the matrix of surrounding low-elevation grasslands and Mexico, extending north into Wyoming, and west into sagebrush shrublands, usually on steep slopes of the Intermountain West region. These shrublands occur canyons on all aspects. Rhus glabra (smooth sumac), between 4,921 and 9,514 feet (1,500 and 2,900 meters) Amelanchier alnifolia, Prunus emarginata, Prunus and are usually associated with exposed sites, rocky virginiana, Rosa spp., Symphoricarpos oreophilus, and substrates, and dry conditions, which limit tree growth.

Holodiscus discolor are the most common dominant Where Cercocarcus montanus dominates pure stands shrubs, occurring alone or in any combination. in parts of Wyoming and Colorado, Quercus gambelii Occurrences in central and eastern Wyoming can is absent. Quercus gambelii is typically dominant on include Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana (mountain the more mesic and higher elevation sites from 6,562 to big sagebrush) and Cercocarpus montanus, but neither 9,514 feet (2,000 to 2,900 meters). On stands where of these are dominant, and where they occur the stands Quercus gambelii is dominant, other vegetation are truly mixes of shrubs, often with Amelanchier typically includes Amelanchier alnifolia, Amelanchier alnifolia, Prunus virginiana, and others being the utahensis, Artemisia tridentata, Cercocarpus predominant taxa. Festuca idahoensis, Festuca montanus, Prunus virginiana, Purshia stansburiana, campestris, Calamagrostis rubescens (pinegrass), Purshia tridentata, Robinia neomexicana (New Carex geyeri (Geyer’s sedge), Aristida purpurea, Mexico locust), Symphoricarpos oreophilus, or Koeleria macrantha (prairie junegrass), Symphoricarpos rotundifolius (mountain snowberry). Pseudoroegneria spicata, and Poa secunda are the On stands where Cercocarpus montanus is dominant, most important grasses. Geum triflorum (old man’s other vegetation typically includes Amelanchier whiskers), Potentilla gracilis (slender cinquefoil), utahensis, Purshia tridentata, Rhus trilobata, Ribes Lomatium triternatum (nineleaf biscuitroot), cereum (wax currant), Symphoricarpos oreophilus, or Balsamorhiza sagittata (arrowleaf balsamroot), and Yucca glauca. Grasses are represented by species of species of Eriogonum (buckwheat), Phlox (phlox), and Muhlenbergia (muhly), Bouteloua, Hesperostipa, and Erigeron (fleabane) are important forbs. Pseudoroegneria spicata.

The grasslands are found on steep open slopes, from Great Basin and Intermountain Dry 300 to 5,000 feet (90 to 1,525 meters). Soils are derived from residuum and have patchy, thin, wind- Shrubland and Grassland blown surface deposits. Slope failures are common This macrogroup consists of shrubland-steppe and occurrences. The grasslands are dominated by patchy grasslands. The shrubland-steppe occurs throughout the graminoid cover, cacti, and some forbs. Aristida Colorado Plateau, Arizona-New Mexico Mountains, purpurea var. longiseta (Fendler threeawn), west to the Mojave Desert, and north to the Wyoming Sporobolus cryptandrus, Poa secunda, Basin, on alluvial flats and fans, talus slopes, plateaus, Pseudoroegneria spicata, Festuca idahoensis, and and bluffs. Slopes range from gentle to steep, and Opuntia polyacantha are common species. Deciduous substrates are variable and include sandstone talus, shrubs Rhus glabra, Symphoricarpos spp., fine-textured alluvium, sand, clay, loams, cinder, Physocarpus malvaceus, Holodiscus discolor, and cobbles, and coarse gravels. These shrubland-steppes Ribes spp. (gooseberry) are infrequent native species can either be shrub-dominated, dwarf shrub-dominated, that can increase with fire exclusion. or grass dominated with a sparse shrub layer. Common

shrubs include Atriplex canescens (fourwing saltbush), Southern Rocky Mountain Montane Eriogonum corymbosum (crispleaf buckwheat), Grassland and Shrubland Ericameria nauseosa (rubber rabbitbrush), Ephedra viridis (Mormon tea), Ephedra torreyana (Torrey’s This macrogroup is composed of shrublands dominated jointfir), Krascheninnikovia lanata (winterfat), by Amelanchier utahensis (Utah serviceberry), Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus (yellow rabbitbrush), Cercocarpus montanus, or Quercus gambelii. Stands Tetradymia canescens (spineless horsebrush), and

BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides D-14 January 2016 Final Programmatic EIS MACROGROUP DESCRIPTIONS

Gutierrezia sarothrae (broom snakeweed). Herbaceous shallow to moderately deep soils. Climate ranges from species include Pleuraphis jamesii, Bromus tectorum arid in the western Great Basin to subhumid in the (cheatgrass), Achnatherum hymenoides (Indian northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountains, with ricegrass), Aristida purpurea, and Hesperostipa much of the precipitation falling primarily as snow. comata. The amount and reliability of growing-season moisture increase eastward and with increasing elevation. Stands The grasslands are semi-arid to arid and are located are dominated by Artemisia tridentata ssp. throughout the intermountain western U.S. They occur wyomingensis and Artemisia tridentata ssp. tridentata on sites over an elevational range of about 3,609 to and, in some cases, codominated by Amelanchier 10,794 feet (1,100 to 3,290 meters) in most of the utahensis, Atriplex canescens, Ephedra nevadensis range, and 1,148 to 1,394 feet (350 to 425 meters) in (Nevada jointfir), Ephedra viridis, Ericameria the Columbia Basin on a variety of landforms, nauseosa, or Sarcobatus vermiculatus (greasewood). including swales, playas, mesas, alluvial flats, and Other common shrubs include Artemisia frigida plains. These grasslands constitute a matrix over large (prairie sagewort), Atriplex confertifolia (shadscale areas of intermountain basins, and also can occur as saltbush), Atriplex gardneri (Gardner’s saltbush), large patches in mosaics with semi-desert shrublands. Chrysothamnus spp. (rabbitbrush), Ericameria spp. Substrates are often well-drained sandy or loam soils (rabbitbrush), Grayia spinosa (spiny hopsage), derived from sedimentary parent materials, but are Krascheninnikovia lanata, Peraphyllum ramosissimum quite variable and can include fine-textured soils (wild crab apple), Prunus virginiana, Purshia derived from igneous and metamorphic rocks. The tridentata, Symphoricarpos longiflorus (desert dominant perennial bunchgrasses and shrubs of these snowberry), and Tetradymia spp. (horsebrush). The grasslands are all drought-resistant plants. Dominant or herbaceous layer can be sparse to strongly dominated codominant species are Achnatherum hymenoides, by graminoids including Achnatherum hymenoides, Achnatherum lettermanii (Letterman’s needlegrass), Achnatherum lettermanii, Achnatherum pinetorum Achnatherum nelsonii (Columbia needlegrass), (pine needlegrass), Achnatherum thurberianum Achnatherum speciosum (desert needlegrass), (Thurber’s needlegrass), Bouteloua gracilis, Bromus Bouteloua eriopoda, Bouteloua gracilis, Hesperostipa tectorum, Carex filifolia, Elymus albicans (Montana comata, Pleuraphis jamesii, Poa cusickii (Cusick’s wheatgrass), Elymus elymoides, Elymus lanceolatus bluegrass), Poa secunda, and Pseudoroegneria spicata. (thickspike wheatgrass), Festuca idahoensis, Scattered shrubs and dwarf-shrubs often are present, Hesperostipa comata, Leymus ambiguous (Colorado especially Artemisia tridentata ssp. tridentata, wildrye), Pleuraphis jamesii, Poa fendleriana Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis, Atriplex spp. (muttongrass), Poa secunda, Pseudoroegneria spicata, (saltbush), Coleogyne spp. (coleogyne), Ephedra spp. Sporobolus airoides, and Sporobolus cryptandrus. (jointfir), Gutierrezia sarothrae, and Krascheninnikovia lanata, which are the typical dominant species of adjacent shrublands. Temperate Steppe Ecoregion

Great Basin and Intermountain Tall Northern Rocky Mountain Lower Sagebrush Shrubland and Steppe Montane and Foothill Forest This macrogroup consists of Pinus ponderosa This macrogroup consists of shrublands and shrub- woodlands and “wooded steppes,” located in the steppe that is widely distributed from the Great Basin, foothills of the northern Rocky Mountains in the Columbia River Basin, Colorado Plateau, northern Columbia Plateau region and west along the foothills Rocky Mountains, and northwestern Great Plains, as of the Modoc Plateau and Eastern Cascades into far east as the Dakotas, at elevations as low as 1,640 southern interior British Columbia, and east across feet (500 meters) in the northwestern Great Plains to Idaho into the eastern foothills of the Montana 8,202 feet (2,500 meters) in the Rocky Mountains and Rockies. These woodlands and wooded steppes occur Colorado Plateau. This macrogroup occurs on flat to at the lower treeline/ecotone between grasslands or steeply sloping upland slopes on alluvial fans and shrublands and more mesic coniferous forests, terraces, toe slopes, lower and middle slopes, draws, typically on warm, dry, exposed sites. These badlands, and foothills. Sites with little slope tend to woodlands and wooded steppes receive winter and have deep soils, whereas those with steeper slopes have spring rains, and thus have a greater spring “green-up”

BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides D-15 January 2016 Final Programmatic EIS MACROGROUP DESCRIPTIONS

compared with the drier woodlands in the central north slopes or in draws where available soil moisture Rockies. However, sites are often too droughty to is greater. They occur primarily on gentle to steep support a closed tree canopy. Elevations range from slopes along escarpments, buttes, canyons, rock less than 1,640 feet (500 meters) in British Columbia to outcrops or ravines and can grade into surrounding

5,249 feet (1,600 meters) in the central Idaho mixed grass prairie. Soils typically range from well- mountains. Occurrences are found on all slopes and drained loamy sands to sandy loams formed in aspects; however, moderately steep to very steep slopes colluvium, weathered sandstone, limestone, scoria, or or ridgetops and plateaus are most common. These eolian sand. These woodlands are primarily dominated woodlands and wooded steppes generally occur on by Pinus ponderosa, but can include a sparse to most geological substrates, from weathered rock to relatively dense understory of Juniperus scopulorum glacial deposits to eolian deposits. Characteristic soil (Rocky Mountain juniper), Thuja occidentalis features include good aeration and drainage, coarse (arborvitae), or Cercocarpus species (mountain

textures, circumneutral to slightly acidic pH, an mahogany) with just a few scattered trees. Deciduous abundance of mineral material, and periods of drought trees are an important component in some areas during the growing season. (western Dakotas, Black Hills) and are sometimes codominant with Pinus ponderosa, including Fraxinus The Pinus ponderosa woodlands have a shrubby or pennsylvanica (green ash), Betula papyrifera (paper grassy understory, whereas the Pinus ponderosa birch), Quercus macrocarpa (bur oak), Ulmus wooded steppes have widely spaced, scattered Pinus Americana (American elm), Acer negundo (boxelder), ponderosa trees over generally shrubby but sparse and Populus tremuloides. Important or common shrub understories. The woodlands are generally fire- species with Pinus ponderosa can include maintained, whereas the wooded steppes are often too Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Mahonia repens (creeping dry and with vegetation too widely spaced to be able to barberry), Yucca glauca, Symphoricarpos spp., Prunus carry fire. Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa is the virginiana, Juniperus communis, Juniperus predominant conifer; Pseudotsuga menziesii or Pinus horizontalis (creeping juniper), Amelanchier alnifolia, flexilis can be present in the tree canopy but are usually Rhus trilobata, and Physocarpus monogynus (mountain absent. The understory can be shrubby, with Artemisia ninebark). The herbaceous understory can range from tridentata, Arctostaphylos patula, Arctostaphylos uva- sparse to a dense layer with species typifying the ursi, Cercocarpus ledifolius, Physocarpus malvaceus, surrounding mixed grass prairie, with mixed grass Purshia tridentata, Symphoricarpos oreophilus or species common such as Andropogon gerardii, Symphoricarpos albus, Amelanchier alnifolia, and Bouteloua curtipendula, Carex inops ssp. heliophila, Rosa spp. being common species. In transition areas Carex filifolia, Danthonia intermedia (timber with sagebrush steppe, Purshia tridentata, Artemisia oatgrass), Koeleria macrantha, Nassella viridula tridentata ssp. wyomingensis, Artemisia tridentata ssp. (green needlegrass), Oryzopsis asperifolia (roughleaf tridentata, and Artemisia tripartita can be common in ricegrass), Pascopyrum smithii, Piptatherum fire-protected sites such as rocky areas. Deciduous micranthum, and Schizachyrium scoparium. shrubs, such as Physocarpus malvaceus, Symphoricarpos albus, or Spiraea betulifolia, can be Southern Rocky Mountain Lower abundant in more northerly sites or more moist climates. Herbaceous vegetation in the wooded steppes Montane Forest is predominantly fire-resistant grasses and forbs that These forests are dominated by Pinus ponderosa, either resprout after surface fires; shrubs, understory trees and solely or mixed with Pseudotsuga menziesii, Pinus downed logs are uncommon. The wooded steppes edulis, Pinus contorta, Populus tremuloides, and support grasses such as Pseudoroegneria spicata, Juniperus spp. Ponderosa pine forests with a mixture Hesperostipa spp., Achnatherum spp., dry Carex of other tree species have a typically shrubby species (Carex inops), Elymus elymoides, Festuca understory composed of Artemisia nova, Artemisia idahoensis, or Festuca campestris. tridentata, Arctostaphylos patula, Arctostaphylos uva-

ursi, Cercocarpus montanus, Purshia stansburiana, Also included are Pinus ponderosa woodlands that Purshia tridentata, Quercus gambelii, Symphoricarpos occur along the eastern face of the Rocky Mountains spp., Prunus virginiana, Amelanchier alnifolia, and and into the Great Plains. These woodlands are Rosa spp. Common grasses in the understory include variable, ranging from very sparse patches of trees on Pseudoroegneria spicata, Pascopyrum smithii, and drier sites, to nearly closed-canopy forest stands on species of Hesperostipa, Achnatherum, Festuca,

BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides D-16 January 2016 Final Programmatic EIS MACROGROUP DESCRIPTIONS

Muhlenbergia, and Bouteloua. Ponderosa pine forests Northern Rocky Mountain- dominated solely by ponderosa pine have a grass- dominated understory composed of Festuca arizonica, Vancouverian Montane and Foothill Muhlenbergia virescens, Pseudoroegneria spicata, Grassland and Shrubland Andropogon gerardii, Schizachyrium scoparium, Festuca idahoensis, Piptatherum micranthum, and This macrogroup is composed of shrublands in the Bouteloua gracilis. lower montane and foothill regions around the Columbia Basin and north and east into the Northern Intermountain Singleleaf Pinyon- Rockies, and various types of grasslands. The grasslands are geographically extensive in this Western Juniper Woodland ecoregion, with one type of grassland being a dry grassland occurring in the canyons and valleys of the These woodlands are composed of Pinus monophylla, northern Great Basin and Columbia Basin particularly Juniperus osteosperma, or Juniperus occidentalis. along the Snake River canyon, the lower foothill slopes Woodlands composed of scattered Juniperus of the Blue Mountains, and along the main stem of the osteosperma trees exist on dry foothills and sandsheets Columbia River in eastern Washington, another of the Colorado Plateau and eastern Great Basin. grassland type commonly referred to as the Palouse Juniperus osteosperma woodlands have an understory Prairie in the Blue Mountains of Oregon and north into dominated by grasses such as Bouteloua gracilis, the Okanagan and Fraser Plateaus of British Columbia Hesperostipa comata, and Pleuraphis jamesii. and the Canadian Rockies, and another grassland type Woodlands dominated by Pinus monophylla form an located in the mountains and large valleys of open to dense tree layer, often with the wider ranging northwestern Wyoming and western Montana, and east Juniperus osteosperma. These woodlands exist on dry into the central Montana mountain “islands” foothills mountain ranges of the Great Basin region and eastern and the Rocky Mountain Front and Big and Little Belt foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Woodlands dominated Ranges. by Juniperus occidentalis are largely restricted to the Columbia Plateau region and Pinus monophylla is not The shrublands typically occur below treeline, within present. the matrix of surrounding low-elevation grasslands and sagebrush shrublands, usually on steep slopes of Rocky Mountain Two-Needle Pinyon- canyons on all aspects. Rhus glabra, Amelanchier Juniper Woodland alnifolia, Prunus emarginata, Prunus virginiana, Rosa spp., Symphoricarpos oreophilus, and Holodiscus These woodlands are composed of Pinus edulis, discolor are the most common dominant shrubs, Juniperus osteosperma, or Juniperus monosperma. occurring alone or in any combination. Occurrences in Pinus edulis and/or Juniperus osteosperma-dominated central and eastern Wyoming can include Artemisia woodlands occur on dry mountains and foothills of the tridentata ssp. vaseyana and Cercocarpus montanus, Colorado Plateau region. Juniperus monosperma- but neither of these are dominant, and where they occur dominated woodlands have an understory of perennial the stands are truly mixes of shrubs, often with grasses such as Bouteloua gracilis and Pleuraphis Amelanchier alnifolia, Prunus virginiana, and others jamesii and other herbaceous species typical of the being the predominant taxa. Festuca idahoensis, shortgrass prairie. These woodlands occur along the Festuca campestris, Calamagrostis rubescens, Carex geyeri, Aristida purpurea, Koeleria macrantha, east and south foothill slopes of the southern Rocky Mountains and into the plains of southeastern Colorado Pseudoroegneria spicata, and Poa secunda are the most important grasses. Geum triflorum, Potentilla and northern and central New Mexico. Pinus edulis and/or Juniperus monosperma-dominated woodlands gracilis, Lomatium triternatum, Balsamorhiza exist on dry mountains and foothills in southern sagittata, and species of Eriogonum, Phlox, and Erigeron are important forbs. Colorado east of the Continental Divide, and in mountains and plateaus of northern and central New The dry grasslands are found on steep open slopes, Mexico. from 300 to 5,000 feet (90 to 1,525 meters). Soils are derived from residuum and have patchy, thin, wind-

BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides D-17 January 2016 Final Programmatic EIS MACROGROUP DESCRIPTIONS

blown surface deposits. Slope failures are common canyon slopes in the western Great Plains. It ranges occurrences. The grasslands are dominated by patchy from the southern and central Great Plains, southwest graminoid cover, cacti, and some forbs. Aristida to southern New Mexico, extending north into purpurea var. longiseta, Sporobolus cryptandrus, Poa Wyoming, and west into the Intermountain West

secunda, Pseudoroegneria spicata, Festuca idahoensis, region. These shrublands occur between 4,921 and and Opuntia polyacantha are common species. 9,514 feet (1,500 and 2,900 meters) and are usually Deciduous shrubs Rhus glabra, Symphoricarpos spp., associated with exposed sites, rocky substrates, and dry Physocarpus malvaceus, Holodiscus discolor, and conditions, which limit tree growth. Where Ribes spp. are infrequent native species that can Cercocarcus montanus dominates pure stands in parts increase with fire exclusion. The Palouse Prairie of Wyoming and Colorado, Quercus gambelii is grasslands are found on rolling topography composed absent. Quercus gambelii is typically dominant on the of loess hills and plains lying over basalt plains. The more mesic and higher elevation sites from 6,562 to

climate of these grasslands has warm to hot, dry 9,514 feet (2,000 to 2,900 meters). On stands where summers and cool, wet winters. Annual precipitation is Quercus gambelii is dominant, other vegetation high, ranging between 15 and 30 inches (38 and 76 typically includes Amelanchier alnifolia, Amelanchier centimeters). Soils are typically deep, well-developed, utahensis, Artemisia tridentata, Cercocarpus and old. The remaining grasslands outside of the montanus, Prunus virginiana, Purshia stansburiana, Palouse Prairie area are influenced by shorter summers, Purshia tridentata, Robinia neomexicana, colder winters, and young soils derived from recent Symphoricarpos oreophilus, or Symphoricarpos glacial and alluvial material. In the eastern portion of rotundifolius. On stands where Cercocarpus montanus the range in Montana, winter precipitation is replaced is dominant, other vegetation typically includes by a large spring peak in precipitation. Elevations Amelanchier utahensis, Purshia tridentata, Rhus range from 984 to 5,413 feet (300 to 1,650 meters), trilobata, Ribes cereum, Symphoricarpos oreophilus, ranging from small meadows to large open parks or Yucca glauca. Grasses are represented by species of surrounded by conifers in the lower montane, to Muhlenbergia, Bouteloua, Hesperostipa, and extensive foothill and valley grasslands below the Pseudoroegneria spicata. lower treeline. Many of these valleys may have been primarily sage-steppe with patches of grassland in the Great Plains Shortgrass Prairie and past, but because of land-use history post-settlement (herbicide, grazing, fire suppression, pasturing) they Shrubland have been converted to grassland-dominated areas. The shortgrass prairie in this macrogroup is dominated Soils are relatively deep, fine-textured, often with by the shortgrasses Bouteloua gracilis and Buchloe coarse fragments, and non-saline, often with a dactyloides. Shrublands in this macrogroup are biological soil crust. The most important species are dominated by Prosopis glandulosa. The shortgrass cool-season perennial bunchgrasses and forbs (greater prairies occur on flat to rolling uplands. The surface than 25 percent cover), sometimes with a sparse (less soil may be sandy loam, loam, silt loam, or loamy clay. than 10 percent cover) shrub layer. Festuca campestris The subsoil is often finer than the surface soil. The and Festuca idahoensis are dominants, and shortgrass prairies are characterized by a moderate to Pseudoroegneria spicata occurs as a codominant, as dense sod of short grasses with scattered mid grasses well as a diversity of other native grasses. Forb and forbs. The foliage of these species is 3 to 7 inches diversity is typically high in both mesic and dry aspects (7 to 19 centimeters) tall, while the flowering stalks of of these grasslands. Bouteloua gracilis may reach 18 inches (45

centimeters). The mid grasses are usually stunted by Southern Rocky Mountain Montane the arid conditions and often do not exceed 2.3 feet Grassland and Shrubland (0.7 meters). Other short graminoids found in this community are Bouteloua hirsuta, Carex duriuscula, This macrogroup is composed of shrublands dominated Carex inops ssp. heliophila, and Carex filifolia (in by Amelanchier utahensis, Cercocarpus montanus, or Nebraska). Several mid grasses occur regularly, such Quercus gambelii. Stands dominated by one or another as Aristida purpurea, Bouteloua curtipendula, of these shrubs often intergrade with each other. This Pascopyrum smithii, Schizachyrium scoparium, Elymus macrogroup is found in the mountains, plateaus, elymoides, Sporobolus cryptandrus, Hesperostipa foothills, and canyon slopes of the southern Rocky comata, and Vulpia octoflora. Forbs such as Astragalus Mountains and Colorado Plateau, and on outcrops and spp., Gaura coccinea, Machaeranthera pinnatifida var.

BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides D-18 January 2016 Final Programmatic EIS MACROGROUP DESCRIPTIONS pinnatifida, Opuntia polyacantha, Plantago gerardii, and Festuca idahoensis (in Montana). Other patagonica, Psoralidium tenuiflorum, Ratibida species include Schizachyrium scoparium, columnifera, and Sphaeralcea coccinea are common Muhlenbergia montana (mountain muhly), Sporobolus throughout the shortgrass prairies. cryptandrus, Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass), Pseudoroegneria spicata, Bouteloua gracilis, and Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie and Bouteloua curtipendula. Shrub species such as Symphoricarpos spp., Artemisia frigida, and Artemisia Shrubland cana (silver sagebrush) also can occur. With intensive grazing, cool-season exotic species such as Poa This macrogroup consists of mesic and dry mixed grass pratensis (Kentucky bluegrass), Bromus inermis prairies, which extend from Kansas and New Mexico (smooth brome), and Bromus japonicus (Japanese north through western Nebraska and eastern Colorado, brome) can increase in dominance. Shrub species such northward through Wyoming and the western Dakotas as Juniperus virginiana (eastern redcedar) can also into eastern and central Montana, west to the Rocky increase in dominance with fire suppression. Mountain Front Range in Montana and Wyoming. The mesic mixed grass prairies are a mixture of mostly The dry mixed grass prairies occur on flat to rolling mixed grass prairie with some tallgrass prairie, on topography with deep, sandy loam to loam, coarse- mostly moderate to gentle slopes, usually at the base of textured soils. The vegetation is dominated by foothill slopes (for example the hogbacks of the Rocky moderate to moderately dense medium-tall grasses and Mountain Front Range, where it typically occurs as a scattered shrubs. Dominant species include relatively narrow elevational band between montane Hesperostipa comata, Carex inops ssp. heliophila, and woodlands and shrublands and the shortgrass steppe). Carex filifolia. Calamovilfa longifolia (prairie It also occurs east on the Front Range piedmont sandreed) is often found with high cover values on alongside the Chalk Bluffs near the Colorado- sandier soils, and Koeleria macrantha cover increases Wyoming border, out into the Great Plains on the on degraded sites. Other common species include Palmer Divide in Colorado, and on piedmont slopes Hesperostipa neomexicana (New Mexico below mesas and foothills in northeastern New feathergrass), Hesperostipa curtiseta (shortbristle Mexico. Soil texture is the defining environmental needle and thread), and Schizachyrium scoparium. descriptor; soils are primarily mesic, fine and medium Common woody species include Dasiphora fruticosa textured, and do not include sands, sandy soils, or spp. floribunda (shrubby cinquefoil), Rhus trilobata, sandy loams. Graminoids typically comprise the and Juniperus horizontalis. greatest amount of canopy cover and include

Pascopyrum smithii, Nassella viridula, Andropogon

BLM Vegetation Treatments Three New Herbicides D-19 January 2016 Final Programmatic EIS