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Great Basin Experimental Range
The Great Basin Experimental Range has been a focal
point for research on the ecology and management of
watersheds and rangelands as well as on silvicultural
problems since it was established as the Utah Experiment
Station in 1912. Subsequent names for this research area
have been Great Basin Experiment Station (1918-30),
Great Basin Branch Experiment Station (1930-47), Great
Basin Research Center (1947-70), and now Great Basin
Experimental Range (since 1970).
Great Basin ER consists of about 1,861 ha, with an
elevational range from 2,070 to 3,180 m. It is about 8
km long, ranges in width from about 1.5 to 4 km, and
lies on the west face of the Wasatch Plateau wholly
within the Sanpete Ranger District of the Manti-LaSal
National Forest. A network of research sites, including
long-term exclosures and the Elk Knoll Research Natural
Area, extend out from the Great Basin into other Forest
Service lands on both the Sanpete and Ferron Ranger
Districts.
Severe flooding during the last part of the 19th century
and early part of the 20th century led to the
establishment of the Great Basin Experimental Range.
The local populace wanted scientific study of
summertime floods that originated on mountain
watersheds and were seriously damaging farms and rural
communities. These floods, usually including mud and
rocks, were especially severe in the Sanpete and Emery
County communities below the Wasatch Plateau.
Climate
Average annual precipitation ranges from about 300 mm
at the lowest elevation (west end) to more than 750 mm
at the upper elevations (east end). At lower elevations,
about half of the precipitation falls as snow during the
November 1 to May 1 winter season, increasing to more
than 75 percent of high elevations. June and September
are the driest months. Summer thunderstorms are
common during July and early August. Temperatures
range from -36 to 37 °C. Mean January temperature is
-8 °C; mean July temperature is 13 °C. Maximum and
minimum temperature differences can range from 3 to
10 °C on any day depending on elevation and site.
Soils
Soils at the lower elevations of the Great Basin ER are
commonly derived from the North Horn formation and
range from silt loam and loam at the surface to clay loam
in the subsoils. At higher elevations, soils are derived
mainly from Flagstaff limestone and are mostly clay loam
in texture. In general, the soils are productive, have good
water-holding qualities, and are only moderately
erodible.
Vegetation
Plant communities include oakbrush, and piñon-juniper,
aspen, Englemann spruce, subalpine fir, and white fir
types.
Long-Term Data Bases
Permanent plots and exclosures were established in the
vegetation communities of the Great Basin with
additional permanent plots and exclosures in the general
area on the Manti-LaSal National Forest. Long-term
climatic records from a range of elevations have been
maintained since 1925, with some records going back to
1901. Streamflow data were collected from the 1920s
until the 1950s. Long-term records of restoration
plantings throughout different vegetative communities
are available to compare with natural recovery processes.
Research, Past and Present
The following topics are under study at the Great Basin
ER: plant adaptation, plant succession, nutrient cycling,
revegetation, restoration ecology, and game habitat
improvement.
Major Research Accomplishments
and Effects on Management
The Great Basin ER is regarded as one of the pioneering
sites that led to the establishment of the discipline of
range management. Featured research includes: (1)
watershed stability and rehabilitation, including the
oldest continuously monitored paired watersheds in the
world; (2) rangeland studies, including impacts of
relative levels of grazing pressure on ecosystems and
individual plants, and rangeland restoration, including
development and evaluation of plant materials and of
plant establishment techniques; (3) basic studies on plant
physiology and nutrition, climate, silviculture, and plant/
rodent interactions; and (4) wildlife habitat restoration,
including selection and development of woody and
herbaceous plant species and techniques to culture and
plant these species.
Facilities
The Great Basin ER is located on the south portion of
the Ephraim or Cottonwood Creek drainage on the west
front of the Wasatch Plateau about 8 km east of
Ephraim, on the Manti-LaSal National Forest. Access is
from a Sanpete County road known as the Ephraim
Canyon or Ephraim-Orangeville Road.
The headquarters complex, known as the Great Basin
Environmental Education Center and currently managed
by Snow College, includes a museum, amphitheater, and
offices, as well as lodging, cooking, and camping
facilities. Running water, plumbing, electricity, and
telephones are available. The eight principal buildings
were constructed during two primary periods, 1912-13
and 1934-36. All buildings were recently renovated and
brought up to modern safety and health standards. A
small cabin, the Alpine Cabin, located adjacent to
experimental watersheds A and B, does not have
electricity or indoor plumbing.
Lat. 39°19' N, long.111°30' W
Contact Information
Great Basin Experimental Range
US Forest Service
Rocky Mountain Research Station
Shrub Sciences Laboratory
735 North 500 East
Provo, UT 84606
Tel: (801) 377-5717
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The material for the Experimental Forests pages was originally published in:
Adams, Mary Beth; Loughry, Linda; Plaugher, Linda, comps. 2004.
Experimental Forests and Ranges of the USDA Forest Service.
Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-321. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. 178 p.
GTR-NE-321 - 5.5 mb pdf
Information has been updated since original publication.
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