Plant Associations. and Plant Species of Special Concern in the Jack Morro:W Hills Ecosystem
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
.~ .· Plant Associations. and Plant Species of Special Concern in the Jack Morro:w Hills Ecosystem Prepared for the Bureau of Land Management Rock Springs District By (_) George.Jon~s and Walter Fertig. Wyoming Natural Diversity Databas·~ ·1604. Grand Ave.. · Laramie, Wyoming 82070 February 29, 1.996. - ·".! Agreement # K9lO-A4-0011 ·' Task Order # 6 .,,, ~ ' 1 ' TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES . 2 LIST OF FIGURES • . 2 INTRODUCTION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • a • • 4 ~THODS • • • • • • • • • • • ~ • • • • • • • • • o· • 4 -PLANT COMMUNITIES • • • • • • • • • • • • ••• '4 PLANT SPECIES OF SPECIAL CONCERN • .• • • • • • • . • • • 8 RESULTS • . • • • • • 9 PLANT COMMUNITIES • • • • • • • • • • • • • • I 9 PLANT SPECIES OF SPECIAL CONCERN . • . • • '41 Antennaria arcuata • • • • • • • • • 46 Astragalus nelsonianus . • • • • • • ··49. Carex parryana • • • . • • • • • • • • • • 52 Cryptantha scoparia • • • • • • • • • • • • 55 Eriastrum wilcoxii . • • • . • . • . $7 Erigeron uintahensis • • • • • • • • • • . 59 Eriogonum divaricatum • • • • • • • • • . • • . 62 Ipomopsis crebrifolia • • • • • • • • • . • • . 64 Lesauerella macrocarpa • • . o • o 66 Monolepis pusilla • • • • • • • • • . • . • • • 71 Oryzopsis contracta • o • • o • • o o o • o 73 oxytheca dendroidea • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • o 76 Penstemon paysoniorum • • • • • • • • • • • . • . • 78 Phacelia demissa • • • • • • • • • • • o • o • 80 Phacelia salina • • • • • • • • • • • . •. • . • • • 82 Phacelia scopulina . • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • 84 DISCUSSION AND MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS • • • • . • . • • • 86 PLANT COMMUNITIES • . • • • • • • • • 86 PLANT SPECIES OF SPECIAL CONCERN • • • • • • • • • • 86 LITERATURE CITED 88 Appendix 1. Wyoming.Gap Analysis Project land cover map.for the Jack Morrow Hills Ecosystem. • • • • • • • • • • • . .92 Appendix 2. Life-form classes and canopy cover classes used in the plant association tables. • • . o • • • • •.••.·:: ,_._-93 Appendix 3. 7.5 minute quadrangles (1:24,0000-scale topograph-ic maps) of the Jack Morrow Hills Ecosystem showing stands of mountain shrub vegetation. o : o 94 ... ~ i .. Appendix 4. Element occurrence records for the mounta~n shrub plant associations studied in the Jack Morrow Hills Ecosystem Project. • • • • • • • • • • • · 97 1 / · Appendix 5. Photographic slides of mountain shrub plant a~sociations in the Jack Morrow Hills Ecosystem. • •.• 127 Appendix 6. Names of plant species in vegetation plots sampled in the Jack Morrow Hills Ecosystem. • •• ' ••• 129 Appendix 7. Element Occurrence Records and Location Maps for Plant Species of Special Concern of the Jack Morrow Hills Ecosystem. • • • • • • • • •. • • • • • • • · • • • • 132 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Locations, aspects, slopes, and elevations of · vegetation plots sampled in the ·Jack Morrow Hills Ecosystem project. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 13 Table 2a. Canopy cover of vascular plant species in plots of the mountain big sagebrush-Utah snowberryjbasin wildrye association. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 17 Table 2b. Canopy cover of vascular plant species in the plot of the .mountain big sagebrush/bluebunch wheatgrass association. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • .22 Table 3. Canopy cover of vascular plant species in the basin wildrye plot. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 24 Table 4a. Canopy cover of vascular plant species in the basin big sagebrush/basin wildrye plots. • • • • • • 25 Table 4b. Canopy cover of vascular plant species in plots of the basin big sagebrush/lemon scurfpea association. • 27 Tab+e 5. canopy cover of vascular plant species in the true mountain mahogany plots. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 31 Table 6. Canopy cover of vascular plant species in the Utah juniper plots • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ~ • 34 Table 7a. Canopy cover of vascular plant species in plots of the Wyoming big sagebrush/western wheatgrass association. • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • .• • • 37 Table 7b. Canopy cover of vascular plant species in plots of the Wyoming big sagebrushjbluebunch wheatgrass association. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • 3 9 Table 8. Target Plant Species for Survey in the Jack Morrow Hills Ecosystem. • • .• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 44 Table 9. Plant Species of Special Concern of the Jack Morrow Hills Ecosystem. • • • • • • . • . 45 Table 10. Lesquerella macrocarpa Transect # 3 Census Data. • 69 Table 11. Lesguerella macrocarpa Transect # 3 Census Data (From Fertig 1995 b) • · • • • • • • • . • • . • • • • • • .- 70 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Map of Wyoming counties showing the approximate location of the Jack Morrow Hills Ecosystem Project study area. 5 2 Figure 2. Map of the Jack Morrow Hiils· Ecosystem showing 4 the routes travelled and the locations of sampling points for the plant community work. 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 Figure 3. Antennaria arcuata. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 48 Figure 4. Astragalus nelsonianus. 0 0 0 0 0 0 .. 0 0 0 0 0 0 51 ... Figure 5. Carex 12ar;rxana var. 12ar;rxana. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 54 Figure 6. CrvDtantha sco12aria. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 56 Figure 7. Eriastrum wilcoxii. 0 0 0 0 0 .0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 58 Figure 8. Erigeron uintahensis. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 61 Figure 9. Eriogonum divariciatum. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 • 63 Figure 10. IROmORSis cre};n::.ifol ia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 65 Figure 11. Lesgyerella macrocama. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 68 Figure 12. .Mono1e:12is 12usilla. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 72 Figure 13. O;rxZORSis contracta. 0· 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 • 0 0 0 0 0 75 Figure 14. O~theca dendroidea. · 0 0 0 0 • 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 77 Figure 15. Penstemon 12a~soniorum. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 79 Figure 16. Phacelia demissa. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 81 Figure 17. Phacelia salina. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ·0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 83 3 INTRODUCTION The Jack Morrow Hills Ecosystem encompasses nearly 700,000 acres of high elevation, cold desert in north-central Sweetwater and southwestern Fremont counties, Wyoming (Figure 1). The ecosystem contains a variety of unusual habitats of critical significance to native game animals and sensitive plant and animal species. It also contains a number of natural resources of value to commodity groups and recreationalists. In 1995 the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rock Springs District contracted on a cost-share basis with The Nature Conservancy's Wyoming Natural Diversity Database (WYNDD) to conduct surveys of plant communities and species of special management interest within the Jack Morrow Hills Ecosystem. The objectives of this project were to: (1) ground-truth the 1:100,000-scale maps of vegetation types for the Ecosystem provided by the Wyoming Gap Analysis Project (GAP), and produce 1:24,000-scale maps of stands of mountain shrubs (tall sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, serviceberry, 9hokecherry, and snowberry) in the Ecosystem; (2) list the most common plant species and the diagnostic plant species in each type of mountain shrub vegetation; 3) collect biological information and map populations of US Fish and Wildlife Servic.e (USFWS) candidate, Rock Springs District special status, and WYNDD plant species of special concern within the study area; 4) identify areas of native vegetation suitable for special management designation, including areas that represent the vegetation types of the Ecosystem and areas with rare or unique vegetation types. The mountain shrub vegetation in the Steamboat Rim area (in the southern part of the Ecosystem) is relatively well known, so it was recognized early on that most of the work in this project should concentrate on finding and describing other areas of mountain shrub vegetation in the Ecosystem. METHODS PLANT COMMUNITIES The term "mountain shrub", as used in this project, means vegetation tall enough to serve as cover for elk and mule deer, or containing species that are especially important as food for elk and deer. Patches of vegetation thought to be mountain shrub stands were initially identified from 1:24,000-scale, true-color aerial photos and the 1:100,000-scale GAP cover type map and 4 Figure 1. Map of Wyoming counties showing the approximate location of the Jack Morrow Hills Ecosystem Project study area. WYOMING •') WESTON \~"'•; !i ~... · CONVERSE GOSHEN SWEETWATER UINTA LARAMIE 0 25 50 MILES 5 drawn onto 1:100,000 and 1:24,000-scale topographic maps of the Ecosystem. These maps were used to select travel routes for extensive survey of the vegetation and stands for intensive sampling. The extensive surveY consisted of driving routes that allowed inspection of differ.ent types of shrub stands and that allowed a view of most of the Ecosystem (Figure 2). Notes were made about the distribution of vegetation types, their topographic position and substrates; the obvious species present in different vegetation types, and the overall aspect of the vegetation. Photographs were taken to illustrate vegetation patterns. Particular attention was paid during the extensive survey to mountain shrub stands. · Mountain shrub stands were selected for intensive sampling that represent the variation in species composition, vegetation structure, and topographic positions on which the stands grow. An attempt was made to distribute the sample stands throughout the Ecosystem. The following information was collected for each sample stand: topographic position; slope steepness and slope aspect (meqsured); type of substrate; si·ze of the stand (estimated) ; . elevation (recorded from topographic map); height (estimated) and patchiness of the vegetation; signs of geological, biological, and anthropogenic