Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site F094DY018WI
Lower Riparian Terraces
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): 094D–Northern Highland Sandy Pitted Outwash
The Lower Riparian Terraces ecological site occupies about 5000 acres in MLRA 94D.
Ecological site concept
ATTENTION: This ecological site meets the NESH 2014 requirements for PROVISIONAL. A provisional ecological site is established after broad ecological site concepts are identified and an initial state-and-transition model is drafted. Following quality control and quality assurance reviews of the ecological site concepts, an identification number and name for the provisional ecological site are entered into ESIS. A provisional ecological site may include literature reviews, land use history information, some soils data, legacy data, ocular estimates for canopy and/or species composition by weight, and even some line-point intercept information. A provisional ecological site does not meet the NESH 2014 standards for an Approved ESD, but does provide the conceptual framework of soil-site correlation for the development of the ESD. For more information about this ecological site, please contact your local NRCS office.
The Lower Riparian Terrace ecological site is on stream terraces and lakeshores including beaches above the ordinary high water mark. Flooding is rare, but possible adjacent to major rivers. These sites are greatly influenced by their proximity to water bodies and vice versa. They typically have subsurface water flowing toward the water body sub-irrigating the site and making the site more productive than non-riparian sites with similar soils. The soils occupying these sites are often stratified with loamy layers which increases water-holding capacity and fertility relative to nearby sandier sites. The lakeshore sites are subject to much more human disturbance than stream terrace sites. Both stream terrace sites and lakeshore sites are important wildlife habitat. These sites are part of a buffer zone between aquatic and terrestrial habitats.
Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree |
(1) Pinus strobus |
---|---|
Shrub |
(1) Viburnum acerifolium |
Herbaceous |
(1) Carex gracillima |
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