Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site F091XY014WI
Acidic Dry Upland
Last updated: 9/27/2023
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): 091X–Wisconsin and Minnesota Sandy Outwash
The Wisconsin and Minnesota Sandy Outwash MLRA is the most extensive glacial outwash system in the northern half of Wisconsin. The total land area of the Wisconsin portion is just under 1.4 million acres (2,170 sq miles). The northern half is a former spillway for Glacial Lake Duluth. The flowing meltwater from the draining lake has left behind thick deposits of drift and carved a terraced river valley now occupied by the St. Croix and Bois Brule Rivers.
The northeastern section – the Bayfield hills – is a collapsed outwash plain where drift deposits are thick. Lacustrine materials from Glacial Lake Duluth line the northeastern tip. Moving southwest, the landscape transitions into a large pitted outwash plain. This is an area of extensive kettle holes, and, where the underlying till is less permeable, kettle lakes with some interspersed morainic hills and ridges. The glacial drift deposits are thinner in the southwestern section, although there is still no documented surface bedrock within this MLRA.
The St. Croix and Bois Brule rivers share a channel that lines much of the northwestern border of this MLRA. In some places, the underlying reddish-brown sandy loam till of the Copper Falls Formation is exposed along cut riverbanks, though most of it is covered by a mantle of outwash. Glacial lakes deposited pockets of fine-textured lacustrine materials, most of which were washed away or buried by glacial outwash and meltwater flowing through the channel. East of the channel, some of the silty and clayey lakebed deposits are found near the surface, where they impede drainage and contribute to the formation of extensive wetlands.
Historically, the area supported extensive jack pine (Pinus banksiana), scrub, and oak forests and barrens. The northern portion also supported stands of red pine (Pinus resinosa) and eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) as well. Marsh and sedge meadow, wet prairies, and lowland shrubs dominated the extensive wetland complexes in the southern tip of this MLRA (Finley, R., 1976).
Classification relationships
Relationship to Established Framework and Classification Systems:
Biophysical Settings (Landfire, 2014): This ES is largely mapped as Laurentian Pine Barrens, Laurentian Oak Barrens, Laurentian-Acadian Northern Hardwoods Forest, Laurentian-Acadian Northern Pine Forest, Laurentian-Acadian Northern Oak Forest, and Boreal White Spruce-Fir Forest
Habitat Types of N. Wisconsin (Kotar, 2002): The sites of this ES keyed out to three habitat types: Pinus strobus-Acer rubrum/Vaccinium, Uvularia variant (PArV-U); Pinus strobus-Acer rubrum/Vaccinium-Aralia, Polygonatum variant (PArVAa-Po); Pinus strobus-Quercus/Gaultheria (PQG)
WDNR Natural Communities (WDNR, 2015): This ES is most similar to the Northern Dry Forest and Northern Dry-Mesic Forest communities.
Hierarchical Framework Relationships:
Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): Wisconsin and Minnesota Sandy Outwash (91X)
USFS Subregions: Bayfield Sand Plains (212Ka)
Small sections occur in the Mille Lacs Uplands (212Kb) and Hayward Stagnation Moraines (212Xf) subregions
Wisconsin DNR Ecological Landscapes: Northwest Sands, North Central Forest
Ecological site concept
The Acidic Dry Uplands ecological site dominates the northern portion of MLRA 91X. Sites are found on outwash plains, eskers, and moraines. These sites are characterized by very deep, excessively drained soils formed primarily in acidic sandy outwash. Some sites have thin loamy mantles over the outwash or formed in sandy eolian deposits. Precipitation and runoff are the primary sources of water. Soils range from very strongly acid to slightly acid.
Historically this Ecological Site was occupied by forest communities dominated by various mixtures of pine and oak species. Specific mixtures were largely dependent on frequency and severity of disturbances, particularly fire and subsequent seed-bed conditions and availability of seed sources. White pine (Pinus strobus) was the most persistent species in forest communities due to its biological and ecological characteristics of great longevity, resistance of old trees to fire damage and moderate tolerance to shade by seedlings and saplings. Red oak (Quercus rubra) was often present as an associate species.
Virtually all stands on this Ecological Site were harvested during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and post-logging fires were almost universal. Today’s forests are dominated by any mixture of trembling or big-tooth aspen (Populus tremuloides and P. grandidentata), red oak, red maple Acer rubrum), white pine and red pine (Pinus resinosa). White birch (Betula papyrifera), balsam fir (Abies balsamea) and white spruce (Picea glauca) are common associates.
The excessive drainage of Acidic Dry Uplands differs it from other sandy sites. The low pH differs this site from Dry Uplands, which are also sandy and excessively drained.
Associated sites
F091XY005WI |
Wet Sandy and Loamy Lowland These sites occur on depressions and drainageways on outwash plains and lake plains. They primarily form in sandy outwash are subject to some flooding. Soils are very deep and poorly or very poorly drained. They are saturated for much of the year. They are wetter and occur lower on the drainage sequence than Acidic Dry Uplands. |
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F091XY007WI |
Moist Sandy and Loamy Lowland These soils formed in sandy outwash, sandy lacustrine deposits, sandy eolian deposits, or loess that is sometimes underlain by sandy or loamy till. Soils are very deep and somewhat poorly drained. They are wetter and occur lower on the drainage sequence than Acidic Dry Uplands. |
F091XY010WI |
Acidic Sandy Upland These soils formed primarily sandy outwash, but some sites formed in loamy alluvium over sandy outwash, and other sites are sandy outwash underlain by lacustrine deposits. Soils are very deep and are moderately well to somewhat excessively drained. These soils are characterized by the presence of a spodic horizon. They are slightly wetter and occur lower on the drainage sequence than Acidic Dry Uplands. |
Similar sites
F091XY010WI |
Acidic Sandy Upland These soils formed primarily sandy outwash, but some sites formed in loamy alluvium over sandy outwash, and other sites are sandy outwash underlain by lacustrine deposits. Like Acidic Dry Uplands, these soils are very deep and are characterized by the presence of a spodic horizon, but they are somewhat wetter. |
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F091XY015WI |
Dry Upland These sites formed in sandy outwash or eolian deposits. Soils are very deep and excessively drained. They occupy the same positions on the landscape and have the same particle sizes and drainage class as Acidic Sandy Uplands but lack a spodic horizon. |
Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree |
(1) Pinus strobus |
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Shrub |
(1) Acer rubrum |
Herbaceous |
(1) Vaccinium |
Click on box and path labels to scroll to the respective text.
Ecosystem states
T1A | - | Stand replacing disturbance e.g., blow-down and fire, or clear-cutting followed by fire. Regeneration by natural seeding or planting. |
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R2A | - | Fire control, time, natural succession. |
T2A | - | Grazing by livestock. Disruption of tree regeneration and ground vegetation. |
T2B | - | Removal of natural vegetation, plowing, fertilizing, irrigating, planting agricultural crops. |
R3A | - | Removal of livestock from stands. |
T3A | - | Removal of natural vegetation, plowing, fertilizing, irrigating, planting agricultural crops. |
State 1 submodel, plant communities
1.1A | - | Light to moderate intensity fires, reducing or eliminating fire sensitive species, such as red maple, balsam fir, and white spruce. |
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1.2A | - | White pine and red oak regeneration re-establishes. |
State 2 submodel, plant communities
Communities 1, 5 and 2 (additional pathways)
2.1B | - | Removal of White Pine |
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2.1A | - | White pine regeneration in mixed stand of white, red, and sometimes Jack pine. |
2.2A | - | White pine seeding in from natural seed source or under-planted. |
2.2B | - | White pine seeding in from natural seed source or under-planted. |
2.3A | - | White pine seeding in from natural seed source or under-planted. |
2.4A | - | White pine seeding in from natural seed source or under-planted. |
2.5B | - | Time without disturbance, natural succession |
2.5C | - | This pathway occurs with fire when Jack pine seed sources is available or when planted. |
2.5A | - | Aspen becomes established following repetitive clearcutting and burning of early stages of pine and oak. These stands are being perpetuated through clear cutting. |