Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site F090BY021WI
Dry Loamy Upland
Last updated: 11/16/2023
Accessed: 11/13/2024
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): 090B–Central Wisconsin Thin Loess Dissected Till Plain
The Wisconsin and Minnesota Thin Loess MLRA, Northern and Southern Parts (90A and 90B) correspond closely to the North Central Forest and the Forest Transition Ecological Landscapes, respectively. Some of the following brief overview is borrowed from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources ecological landscape publications (2015).
The Wisconsin and Minnesota Thin Loess MLRA, Northern and Southern Parts (90A and 90B) is an extensive glacial landscape that comprised of over 11.1 million acres (17,370 sq mi) throughout central and northern Wisconsin – about 27% of the total land area in the state. This glacial landscape is comprised of a heterogenous mix of loess-capped ground moraines, end moraines with eskers and ice-walled lake plains, and pitted, unpitted, and collapsed outwash plains sometimes interspersed with drumlins from the Illinoian and Pre-Illinoian glaciations. The entire area has been glaciated and nearly all of it is underlain by dense glacial till that impedes drainage. An extensive morainal system – the Perkinstown end moraine – spans most of the width of northern Wisconsin and divides the Northern and Southern Parts of this large landscape. This moraine, which has been sliced by outwash in many places, marks the southernmost extent of the Wisconsin glaciation (Wisconsin’s most recent glacial advance).
North of the Perkinstown morainal system is a loess plain, with a loess mantle 6-24 inches thick. The northernmost edge of this landscape is an undulating till and outwash plain with materials deposited by the Chippewa Lobe. Drumlins are common in the northern and northeastern portions. The drumlins are oriented towards the southwest and formed during a glacial episode prior to the most recent glacial advance. Some are covered with glacial till. Pitted, unpitted, and collapsed outwash plains fill the spaces between drumlins. Detached from the major land mass to the northeast is the hummocky Hayward collapsed end moraines, where swamps, ice-walled lake plains, and eskers are common.
Most of the MLRA to the south of the Perkinstown morainal system is an extensive ground moraine with some proglacial stream features including pitted outwash plains, terraces, and fans. A layer of loess 6-47 inches thick covers much of the area. Like the Northern Part, all areas of the Southern Part of this MLRA were glaciated, although the southcentral portion is a relatively older till plain with materials from the Illinoian and pre-Illinoian glaciations, not the most recent Wisconsin glaciation. The landforms in the southcentral portion are highly variable. Much of the area topography is controlled by underlying bedrock. Sandstone outcrops and pediments can be found here. Some of the most southern portions of the MLRA are mixed glacial deposits and residuum.
The land surface of the southeastern portion was formed by many small glacial advances and retreats. Morainal ridges protrude through an erosional, pitted outwash-mantled surface. These parallel ridges run in a northeast to southwest orientation and are dissected by many steams.
The continental climate of this MLRA is typical of northcentral Wisconsin, with cold winters and warm summers. The southern boundary of this MLRA straddles Wisconsin’s Tension Zone, a zone of transition between Wisconsin’s northern and southern ecological landscapes. Historically, the mesic forests were dominated by eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis).
Classification relationships
Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): Wisconsin and Minnesota Thin Loess and Till (Northern and Southern Parts – 90A and 90B)
USFS Subregions: Lincoln Formation Till Plain - Mixed Hardwoods (212Qb), St. Croix Moraine (212Qa), Rib Mountain Rolling Ridges (212Qd), Green Bay Lobe Stagnation Moraine (212Ta), Central-Northwest Wisconsin Loess Plains (212Xd)
Small sections occur in Rosemont Baldwin Plains and Moraines (222Md), Perkinstown End Moraine (212Xe), Hayward Stagnation Moraines (212Xf)
Wisconsin DNR Ecological Landscapes: North Central Forest, Forest Transition, Western Prairie
Ecological site concept
The Dry Loamy Upland ecological site is scattered across MLRAs 90A and 90B, located on outwash plains, stream terraces, kames, and hills. These sites are characterized by very deep, somewhat excessively and excessively drained soils that formed in loamy deposits including outwash, alluvium, and drift. Some sites may have a sandy mantle or underlying sandy or deposits. Precipitation and runoff are the primary water sources. Soils range from very strongly acid to neutral.
Dry Loamy Upland is distinguished from other ecological sites by its deep loamy deposits and somewhat excessively and excessively drained soils. Other somewhat excessively and excessively drained sites have sandy deposits. The loamy material often has a higher pH and available water capacity than sandy material. The somewhat excessively to excessively drainage differentiates this site from other loamy sites.
Associated sites
F090BY002WI |
Mucky Swamp Mucky Swamp sites consist of deep, highly decomposed herbaceous organic materials. Some sites have mineral soil contact. They are very poorly drained and are neutral to slightly acid. These sites are permanently saturated wetlands. They are much wetter and occur lower on the drainage sequence than Dry Loamy Upland. |
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F090BY006WI |
Wet Loamy Lowland Wet Loamy Lowland consist primarily of deep loamy deposits derived from a mixture of outwash, alluvium, loess, and lacustrine sources. Some sites may have bedrock contact within two meters of the surface. These sites are seasonally ponded depressions that remain saturated for sustained periods, allowing hydric conditions to occur. They are much wetter and occur lower on the drainage sequence than Dry Loamy Upland. |
F090BY011WI |
Moist Loamy Lowland Moist Loamy Lowland consist of deep sandy and loamy deposits derived from a mixture of alluvium, residuum, till, or lacustrine sources. The finer textures allow the soil to stay moist - but not saturated - for sustained periods during the growing season. They are wetter and occur lower on the drainage sequence than Dry Loamy Upland. |
F090BY016WI |
Loamy Upland Loamy Upland consist of deep loamy till, alluvium, residuum, lacustrine, or eolian deposits. Sandy deposits of these parent materials, plus outwash, may also be present. The depth to the seasonally high water table ranges from as high as the surface to as low as almost two meters below the surface. A few sites are on floodplains and upland drainageways, where very brief flooding is rare but possible. They are wetter and occur lower on the drainage sequence than Dry Loamy Upland. |
Similar sites
F090BY020WI |
Dry Loamy Bedrock Upland Dry Loamy Bedrock Upland consist of silty loess, sometimes underlain by loamy till. Basalt or quartzite bedrock typically occurs within one meter of the surface. These soils show no evidence of a seasonally high water table. They are found in similar landscape positions and share both drainage class and particle size with Dry Loamy Upland but have bedrock contact within two meters of the surface. |
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F090BY019WI |
Dry Sandy Upland Dry Sandy Upland consist of primarily sandy deposits of various origin. Loamy deposits are also present in many soils. They may have a seasonally high water table within two meters of the surface, though they do not remain saturated for sustained periods. They are found in similar landscape positions and share their drainage class with Dry Loamy Upland but have coarser particle sizes. |
Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree |
(1) Acer saccharum |
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Shrub |
(1) Corylus |
Herbaceous |
(1) Oligoneuron |
Click on box and path labels to scroll to the respective text.
T1A | - | Clear cutting or stand-replacing fire. |
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T1B | - | Removal of forest vegetation and tilling. |
R2A | - | Disturbance-free period 70+ years. |
T2A | - | Cessation of agricultural practices, natural, or artificial afforestation. |
T3A | - | Removal of forest vegetation and tilling. |
State 1 submodel, plant communities
1.1A | - | Light to moderate intensity fires, blow-downs, snow-ice breakage. |
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1.2A | - | Disturbance-free period 30+ years |
State 2 submodel, plant communities
2.1A | - | Red oak and red maple regenerating under aspen -- paper birch canopy |
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2.2A | - | Time and natural succession. |
2.3A | - | Major stand replacing disturbance e.g. blow-down and fire, or clear-cutting, followed by fire. |