Ecological Sites - Shallow Savanna, The National Rangeland Judging Contest, Judging Rangeland for Livestock and Wildlife Values

The National Rangeland Judging Contest
Judging Rangeland for Livestock and Wildlife Values

Shallow Savanna

Upland soil less than 20 inches deep, with a coarse (sandy or gravelly) tex-ture. The shallow savanna is composed of soils that support mid and tall grass. The oaks and other hardwoods and shortleaf pine have generally increased on deeper soils. Today, there are very few loca-tions where open savanna conditions exist. Exceptions are along the rocky, very shallow areas where scattered oaks grow along rock crevices. The vegetation was formed under migratory grazing and heavy impact from bison and other native wildlife, with fires in both the dormant and growing season.
Site Composition Maximum Observed Composition Percent Counted Toward SI

Vegetation Site 1 Site 2 Site 3 Site 1 Site 2 Site 3

Grasses 70%

big bluestem
switchgrass 25 ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______

Indiangrass 15 ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______

little bluestem
Canada wildrye
sideoats grama
purpletop
dropseed
Scribner panicum
blue grama
other natives 30 ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______

invasives 0 ______ ______ ______ ___0__ ___0__ ___0__

Forbs and Legumes
tickclover
purple prairie clover
catclaw sensitivebrier
leadplant
wild indigo
scurfpea
black samson
perennial sunflower
Pitcher's sage
heath aster
goldenrod
sagewort
western ragweed
other natives
invasives

10%
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Woodies
post oak
blackjack oak
sumac
greenbrier
buckbrush
redbud
poison ivy
other natives
invasives

20%
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100%

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