As the management of range lands is intensified or as improvement
activity is increased, a critical need is seen to refine the
understanding of the ecology of these lands. If soil surveys on range
lands are to be meaningful and useful, the relationship between the
fundamental ecological units and the taxonomic soil units must be
clearly understood. This refined understanding of range resources
is prerequisite to success in resource inventory (whether by range
site, soils, or vegetation and soils mapping), in condition and trend
measurement, and in wise location of range improvement projects.
The urgent need for this knowledge of range ecology led to this study
as a test of a simpler and faster ecological method for the
accumulation of interpretable facts on the ecology of the Artemisia
steppe vegetation.
Using reconnaissance methods, vegetation and soils were
studied together in the east central Owyhee Uplands near Jordan
Valley, Oregon. Qualitative vegetation data, soil profile descriptions
and information concerning other physical environmental factors
were recorded at each study location.
Following the polyclimax and habitat -type concepts of ecology
the vegetation of the study area was resolved into eight homogeneous
vegetation units as phytometers of their respective environment as
follows:
Artemisia tridentata /Agropyron spicatum association,
Artemisia tridentata /Agropyron spicatum association,
Festuca idahoensis phase,
Artemisia tridentata /Festuca idahoensis association,
Artemisia tridentata /Elymus cinereus association,
Artemisia tridentata - Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus /Stipa
thurberiana associes,
Artemisia rigida /Poa secunda association,
Artemisia arbuscula /Festuca idahoensis association,
Artemisia arbuscula / Agropyron spicatum association.
A key to the field recognition of these habitat -types is presented. These plant communities are related to ten soil series which
include soils of the Brown Great Soil Group, Minimal Brown soils,
and one Lithosol. With the exception of one community, Artemisia
tridentata /Elymus cinereus association, excellent relationships were
found to exist between the independently developed vegetation and
soils classification units
