Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site F057XY021MN
Loamy Upland Moist Hardwood Forest
Last updated: 10/03/2023
Accessed: 11/21/2024
General information
Provisional. A provisional ecological site description has undergone quality control and quality assurance review. It contains a working state and transition model and enough information to identify the ecological site.
MLRA notes
Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): 057X–Northern Minnesota Gray Drift
The Northern Minnesota Gray Drift (57) is located within the Northern Lakes Forest and Forage Region. This area is entirely in north-central Minnesota and makes up about 9,785 square miles (Figure 1). The entire area is covered by Wisconsin-age glacial drift. The glacial deposits are from four major ice lobes-Des Moines, Rainy, Superior, and Wadena. The landscape developed through a series of glaciations and the subsequent retreating and wasting of the ice sheets, which resulted in a complex pattern of moraines, outwash plains, drumlins, lake plains and drainages. Lakes, ponds and marshes are common. The thickness of the glacial till ranges from 90 to 185 meters. Some areas of these deposits are overlain by outwash or lacustrine sediments. Some depressional areas have an accumulation of organic matter. The organic deposits are more than 2.5 meters thick in some areas. Elevation ranges from 300 to 500 meters across the area. (USDA-NRCS 2006)
Prior to settlement, the vegetation in this area was mainly a mixture of deciduous trees and conifers. White Pine and red pine grew on moraines. Jack pine was dominant on outwash plains and sandy lake plains. Red oak, sugar maple, and basswood grew in sheltered areas close to lakes. Forested lowlands were dominated by black spruce, tamarack, white cedar, and black ash. Wetlands that were not forested were dominated by sedge meadow communities. The western part of the area was dominated by tall prairie grasses. Most of this area is still forested today, aspen as become the most common species both in pure stands and mixed stands with birch, maple, oak, white spruce, and red pine. (USDA-NRCS 2006)
The dominant soil orders in this MLRA are Alfisols, Entisols, and Histisols, with some Mollisols in the westernmost part of the area. The soils in the area have a frigid soil temperature regime; aquic or udic soil moisture regime, and mixed mineralogy. Their natural drainage class is related to landscape position. In general, the Alfisols formed in till on moraines, Entisols formed in outwash on moraines and outwash plains, and Histosols formed in organic material over outwash or till on moraines or outwash plains. (USDA-NRCS 2006)
Classification relationships
Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): Northern Minnesota Gray Drift (57) (USDA Handbook 296, 2006)
USFS Subregions: Northern Minnesota Drift & Lake Plain Section (212N); Chippewa Plains Subsection (212Na), Pine Moraines & Outwash Plains Subsections (212Nc), St. Louis Moraines Subsection (212Nb); Minnesota & NE Iowa Morainal Section (222M); Hardwood Hills Subsection (222Ma); Northern Superior Uplands Section (212L); Nashwauk Uplands Subsection (212Lc); Northern Minnesota & Ontario Peatlands Section (212M); Littlefork-Vermillion Uplands Subsection (212Ma) (Cleland et al. 2007).
US EPA Level IV Ecoregion: Itasca and St. Louis Moraines (50q); Chippewa Plains (50r); Nashwauk/Marcell Moraines and Uplands (50s); Alexandria Moraines and Detroit Lakes Outwash Plain (51j); McGrath Till Plain and Drumlins (51k); Wadena/Todd Drumlins and Osakis Till Plain (51l)(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2013)
Ecological site concept
Loamy Upland Moist Hardwood Forest are widespread throughout the entire MLRA 57, and typically occur on summit, shoulders and backslope hillslope positions on moraines and till plains. These sites typically exist on soils with loamy textures of loam, sandy loam, sandy clay loam or fine sandy loam within a depth of 50 centimeters.
Associated sites
F057XY017MN |
Steep Loamy Upland Forest These sites occur on summit, shoulders and backslope hillslope positions with slopes greater than 15 percent on moraines These sites typically exist on soils with loamy textures of loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam or very fine sandy loam within a depth of 50 centimeters. |
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F057XY015MN |
Wet Mixed Forest These sites occur on footslope and toeslope hillslope positions, drainageways surrounded by uplands or on the edge of uplands grading to very poorly drained peatland soils. These sites typically exist on loamy and occasionally sandy moraines and till plains. Parent material is calcareous fine to loamy textured glacial till, stratified material and occasionally sandy. Soils are somewhat poorly to poorly drained soils with grey soil color or grey-mottles shallow within the soil profile indicative of high local water tables. |
Similar sites
F057XY020MN |
Fine Upland Moist Hardwood Forest These sites occur on summit, shoulders and backslope hillslope positions on moraines and till plains, and occasionally on gentle to steeper sloping areas of glacial lake plains. These sites typically exist on soils with fine textured clayey and silty textures of clay, silty clay, silty clay loam, silt loam, very fine sandy loam or loamy very fine sand within a depth of 50 centimeters. The underlying parent material is generally fine or medium textured glacial till; or fine textured clayey or silty glacial lacustrine sediments with generally less than 5 percent rock fragments within a depth of 100 centimeters. . |
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Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree |
(1) Acer saccharum |
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Shrub |
(1) Cornus |
Herbaceous |
(1) Aralia nudicaulis |
Click on box and path labels to scroll to the respective text.
Ecosystem states
T1A | - | Mechanical removal of tree species for timber harvest. |
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State 1 submodel, plant communities
1.1A | - | Lack of fire/blow downs (35-95 years) |
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1.2A | - | Increased low intensity fire frequency and blow downs (<35 years) |
1.2B | - | Lack of fire/blow downs (95-195 years) |
1.3B | - | Stand replacing fire |
1.3A | - | Increased low intensity fire frequency and blow downs (<95 years) |
State 2 submodel, plant communities
2.1A | - | Planting of desired species and herbicide use. |
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2.2A | - | Harvest of tree species upon desired growth stage. |