Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site F105XY006WI
Moist Sandy Lowland
Last updated: 2/23/2024
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): 105X–Upper Mississippi River Bedrock Controlled Uplands and Valleys
The Northern Mississippi Valley Loess Hills area corresponds closely to the Western Coulees and Ridges and Southwest Savanna Ecological Landscapes. Some of the following brief overview is borrowed from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Ecological Landscape publication (2015).
Fifty-two percent of the Upper Mississippi River Bedrock Controlled Uplands and Valleys MLRA is in Wisconsin; Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois contain the rest. This region is the only area in Wisconsin that has not been covered by glaciers within the past 2.4 million years. The Wisconsin portion of this MLRA is approximately 7.4 million acres (11,600 square miles). The landscape is characterized by dissected topography with deeply-incised, steep-walled valleys between bedrock controlled ridges.
Though it’s called the “Driftless Region”, some glacial drift is found in the major river valleys of this region in the form of outwash, deposited by proglacial streams of glacial meltwater. Wisconsin’s most recent glaciations also impacted the sediment of the area through the deposition of loess. After the glacier receded and before vegetation established, the bare surfaces of the glaciated areas were highly susceptible to wind erosion. As a result, a veneer of loess (wind-blown silt) was deposited over the entire region. The thickest deposits—nearly five meters—are on ridges near the Mississippi River and gradually thin moving eastward. The loess caps in Dane and Green counties are generally 0.5-1.5 meters deep. Much of the loess has eroded downslope and collected in floodplains.
Bedrock is shallow throughout this MLRA and is a major influence on topography and hydrology. Most of the MLRA has bedrock within two meters, except in the deep river valleys that are filled with outwash and alluvium materials. Sandstone is the dominant bedrock type in MLRA 105, but the southernmost portion is dominated by dolomite. Military Ridge is an escarpment that straddles the boundary between sandstone and dolomite bedrock. The sandstone north of the ridge is weaker than the erosion-resistant dolomite south of the ridge. The sandstone is deeply cut and dissected into steep slopes and valleys. The dolomite-controlled ridges tend to be less dissected and broader with more gentle, south sloping topography. Geomorphic and fluvial processes formed these landscapes by way of sheet wash, soil creep, and flowage. These processes eroded the hillslopes, cut into bedrock, and transported the debris to streams, forming floodplains and terraces.
Underfit streams are common in MLRA 105, especially in the southern portion. These streams currently occupy large river valleys—especially those of the Black, Chippewa, Mississippi, and Wisconsin Rivers—that were carved by proglacial meltwater streams carrying much larger quantities of water than what’s present today. As the climate dried, waterflow decreased and the valleys filled with alluvial sediment. Narrow meanders were formed by the shrinking streams and are often dissimilar to the meanders of the larger valleys they occupy. Fluvial landforms – including terraces, oxbow lakes, sandbars, eroding bluffs, and large floodplain complexes – are found within these large valleys and are subject to varying flooding frequencies, intensities, and durations.
Karst topography formed in this region from dissolution of carbonate bedrock by surface and groundwater. Dolomite and limestone are more easily affected by dissolution, but karst topography also formed in sandstone. Erosion by water (stream meanders, rain/runoff, and groundwater), wind, and frost weaken joints and bedding planes that can cause collapse. In addition, sandstone materials collapse into cavities in underlying dolomite or limestone.
Historically, MLRA 105 was dominated by oak forests and oak openings making up more than 50% of the area. Prairies were significant and covered 32% of the area south of Military Ridge. Maple-basswood forests covered 19% of the are north of Military Ridge. Dominant tree species were white oak (Quercus alba), bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa), black oak (Quercus velutina), and sugar maple (Acer saccharum).
Classification relationships
Relationship to Established Framework and Classification Systems:
Habitat Types of S. Wisconsin (Kotar, 1996): This ES correlates to the habitat type Pinus strobus/Vaccinium-Rubus hispidus [PVRh].
Biophysical Settings (Landfire, 2014): This ES is largely mapped as Laurentian Oak Barrens, Laurentian-Acadian Northern Hardwoods Forest, North-Central Interior Oak Savanna, North-Central Interior Maple-Basswood Forest, North-Central Oak Barrens Woodland, and Eastern Cool Temperate Row Crop
Hierarchical Framework Relationships:
Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): Upper Mississippi River Bedrock Controlled Uplands and Valleys (105)
USFS Subregions: Menominee Eroded Pre-Wisconsin Till (222La), Melrose Oak Forest and Savannah (222Lb)
Wisconsin DNR Ecological Landscapes: Western Coulee and Ridges
Ecological site concept
The Moist Sandy Lowland ecological site accounts for approximately 18,000 acres on MLRA 105, or about 0.26% of total land area. It is one of the least extensive sites in the MLRA. It can be found on sandy valley trains and sandstone hills in lower landscape positions. About 70% of the acreage of this site is found north of the Black River.
This site is characterized by very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils formed in sandy materials. Most sites in the east-central portion of this MLRA (mainly Monroe and Jackson counties) formed in siliceous sandy alluvium deposits weathered and reworked from silica-cemented sandstone. Other sites formed in sandy outwash deposits. Sites are generally not inundated by water during the growing season.
Associated sites
F105XY001WI |
Mucky Swamp These sites are permanently saturated wetlands that consist of deep, herbaceous organic materials. They are very poorly drained. They may sometimes be found adjacent to Moist Sandy Lowlands on lower landscape positions. |
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F105XY004WI |
Wet Sandy Lowland These sites form in depressions and drainageway in deep, sandy outwash deposits. They are very poorly or poorly drained and are saturated long enough for hydric conditions to occur. They may sometimes be found adjacent to Moist Sandy Lowlands on lower landscape positions. |
F105XY009WI |
Sandy Upland These sites form in deep sandy materials deposits by water and wind. They are moderately well to somewhat excessively drained. They may sometimes be found adjacent to Moist Sandy Lowlands on higher landscape positions. |
F105XY019WI |
Dry Upland These sites form in sandy materials deposited by wind, water, gravity, or weathered from sandstone bedrock. They are well drained to excessively drained. They may sometimes be found adjacent to Moist Sandy Lowlands on higher landscape positions. |
Similar sites
F105XY008WI |
Moist Loamy-Clayey Lowland These sites form in loamy and clayey materials. They are somewhat poorly drained. They are found in similar landscape positions as Moist Sandy Lowlands but have finer textures and a higher nutrient status. |
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Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree |
(1) Pinus strobus |
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Shrub |
(1) Vaccinium |
Herbaceous |
(1) Maianthemum canadense |
Click on box and path labels to scroll to the respective text.
Ecosystem states
T1A | - | Stand replacing disturbance that includes fire. |
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T1B | - | Removal of forest cover and tilling for agricultural crop production. |
R2A | - | Deciduous forest community is slowly invaded by conifers. |
T2A | - | 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 |