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Black Butte Fire Sites 1 and 2 Tables

Fire-Impacted Watershed Monitoring Data Summary

Site 1 (Seeded)

Aspect: 310 degrees azimuth
Elevation: 4,500 feet
Slope: 18 degrees
Soil Series: Amor gravelly loam
Habitat-Type: Douglas-fir/mallow ninebark

Site 2 (Unseeded)

Aspect: 0 degrees azimuth
Elevation: 4,500 feet
Slope: 41 degrees
Soil Series: Winkler gravelly loam
Habitat-Type: Douglas-fir/mallow ninebark

Ground Cover (Percent)
  Site 1 (Seeded) Site 2 (Unseeded)
Ground Cover 1995 1996 1997 1999 2005 1995 1996 1997 1999 2005
Bare Soil 62 40 8 22 20 47 44 10 8 12
Gravel 2 - 2 - 3 4 - - 2 2
Rock 24 - 1 - - 3 - - - -
Moss - - 30 18 - 2 4 31 29 1
Litter/Duff 24 40 52 38 34 44 42 47 46 18
Basal Vegetation 10 16 5 19 22 1 3 9 11 46
Wood - - 3 2 21 2 4 3 4 21
Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Canopy Cover (Species Percent) Seeded Grasses
   Site 1 (Seeded) Site 2 (Unseeded)
Species 1995 1996 1997 1999 2005 1995 1996 1997 1999 2005
'Manchar' smooth brome - Trace - Trace 3 - Trace 10 Trace Trace
Perennial ryegrass 3 Trace Trace Trace - - - - Trace -
'Potomac' orchardgrass 39 48 52 32 7 Trace 5 12 36 6
'Revenue' slender wheatgrass - - - - - - - - - -
Seeded Grasses Subtotal 42 50 52 33 10 Trace 6 22 38 7

Canopy Cover (Species Percent) Grasses and Grass-Likes
   Site 1 (Seeded) Site 2 (Unseeded)
Species 1995 1996 1997 1999 2005 1995 1996 1997 1999 2005
Canada bluegrass Trace - Trace Trace Trace - - - - -
Cheatgrass - - - Trace - - - 4 Trace -
Grass - - - - Trace - - 4 - -
Needleleaf sedge - - - - Trace - - - - Trace
Northwestern sedge - - - - - Trace - Trace 1 -
Pinegrass - - - - - - - - 2 3
Redtop - - - - - - - - 2 -
Sedge Trace - - Trace - - Trace - - Trace
Grasses and Grass-Likes Subtotal 1 0 Trace 2 2 Trace Trace 8 6 4

Canopy Cover (Species Percent) Forbs
   Site 1 (Seeded) Site 2 (Unseeded)
Species 1995 1996 1997 1999 2005 1995 1996 1997 1999 2005
Annual forbs 3 - Trace - Trace - Trace 5 - -
Bicknell geranium - - - - - 2 - - - -
Blue lettuce - - - - - - Trace Trace Trace -
Broadleaf arnica - - - - - 2 - - - -
Canada thistle - - - - - Trace - - - -
Claspleaf twistedstalk - - - - - - Trace Trace - -
Common salsify - - - Trace - - - - - -
Common dandelion - - - Trace Trace - - - - -
Desert alyssum - - Trace 1 - - - - - -
European stickseed - - - - - - Trace - - -
Fireweed willowherb - - - - - 2 Trace 1 Trace -
Flannel mullein - - - - - Trace Trace - - -
Forb - - - - Trace - Trace - - -
Lambsquarter goosefoot - - - - - 8 Trace - - -
Mustard - - - - 3 - 8 - - Trace
Northern bedstraw - - - Trace - Trace Trace - 3 Trace
Showy aster - - -   - 9 8 8 9 9
Forbs Subtotal 3 0 1 2 4 26 20 15 13 10

Canopy Cover (Species Percent) Shrubs
   Site 1 (Seeded) Site 2 (Unseeded)
Species 1995 1996 1997 1999 2005 1995 1996 1997 1999 2005
Common snowberry - - - - Trace Trace Trace 4 Trace 3
Mallow ninebark - - - - - - - - Trace Trace
White spirea - - - - - 3 5 Trace 3 4
Shrubs Subtotal 0 0 0 0 1 4 6 4 4 8

Canopy Cover (Species Percent) Trees
   Site 1 (Seeded) Site 2 (Unseeded)
Species 1995 1996 1997 1999 2005 1995 1996 1997 1999 2005
Ponderosa pine - - - - - Trace Trace - - -
Trees Subtotal 0 0 0 0 1 4 6 4 4 8

Canopy Cover Totals All Species
   Site 1 (Seeded) Site 2 (Unseeded)
  1995 1996 1997 1999 2005 1995 1996 1997 1999 2005
Total Percent (all species) 46 50 52 37 17 30 33 49 61 29
Total Number of Species 7 5 5 10 10 13 18 12 15 11
Adjusted Number of Species 3 0 3 7 8 12 15 10 11 9

Tree Regeneration (number per acre) (+ = more than originally existed on the site)
   Site 1 (Seeded) Site 2 (Unseeded)
Tree Regeneration 1995 1996 1997 1999 2005 1995 1996 1997 1999 2005
Regeneration 0 0 Yes Yes - Yes Yes Yes Yes -
Ponderosa pine - - - + + 40 13 + + -
Douglas fir - - - - - - - - + -
Subtotal - - + + - 40 13 + + -

Erosion Index
   Site 1 (Seeded) Site 2 (Unseeded)
Erosion Index 1995 1996 1997 1999 2005 1995 1996 1997 1999 2005
RUSLE "C" factor 0.018 0.009 0.006 0.002 - 0.031 0.028 0.016 0.007 -
Soil Surface Status 4 4 4 3 + 4 4 4 1 -
Erosion Depth 0.5 0.8 0.8 0.8 - 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 -
Percent of Area Eroded 70 20 20 30 - 20 20 20 5 -

< Back to Results of Reseeding a Fire-Impacted Watershed in South Central Montana

Last Modified: 08/20/2008