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): 111X–Indiana and Ohio Till Plain

A PROVISIONAL ECOLOGICAL SITE is a conceptual grouping of soil map unit components within a Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) based on the similarities in response to management. Although there may be wide variability in the productivity of the soils grouped into a Provisional Site, the soil vegetation interactions as expressed in the State and Transition Model are similar and the management actions required to achieve objectives, whether maintaining the existing ecological state or managing for an alternative state, are similar. Provisional Sites are likely to be refined into more precise group during the process of meeting the APPROVED ECOLOGICAL SITE DESCRIPTION criteria.

This PROVISIONAL ECOLOGICAL SITE has been developed to meet the standards established in the National Ecological Site Handbook. The information associated with this ecological site does not meet the Approved Ecological Site Description Standard, but it has been through a Quality Control and Quality Assurance processes to assure consistency and completeness. Further investigations, reviews and correlations are necessary before it becomes an Approved Ecological Site Description.

111A – Indiana and Ohio Till Plain, Central Part. This area is in the Till Plains Section of the Central Lowland Province of the Interior Plains. It is dominated by broad, nearly level ground moraines that are broken in some areas by kames, outwash plains, and stream valleys along the leading edge of the moraines. Narrow, shallow valleys commonly are along the few large streams in the area. Elevation ranges from 680 to 1,250 feet (205 to 380 meters), increasing gradually from west to east. Relief is mainly a few meters, but in some areas hills rise as much as 100 feet (30 meters) above the adjoining plains.

The extent of the major Hydrologic Unit Areas (identified by four-digit numbers) that make up this MLRA is as follows: Wabash (0512), 46 percent; Great Miami (0508), 30 percent; Scioto (0506), 22 percent; and the Middle Ohio (0509), 2 percent. The major rivers in the area include the East and West Forks of the White River and the Whitewater River in Indiana and the Great Miami, Stillwater, Big Darby, Scioto, and Big Walnut Rivers in Ohio.

Surface deposits in this area include glacial deposits of till, lacustrine sediments, and outwash from Wisconsin and older glacial periods. A moderately thick mantle of loess covers much of the area. Most of this MLRA is underlain by Silurian and Devonian limestone and dolostone. Also, some areas of Late Ordovician shale and limestone are in the western part of the MLRA (USDA, 2006).

Classification relationships

Major Land Resource Area (USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, 2006)

USFS Ecological Regions (USDA, 2007):
Sections – Southern Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau (221E), Central Till Plains, Beech Maple (222H), Interior Low Plateau-Transition Hills (223B), Interior Low Plateau-Bluegrass (223F)

Subsections - Lower Scioto River Plateau (221Eg), Bluffton Till Plains (222Ha), Miami-Scioto Plain-Tipton Till Plain (222Hb), Little Miami Old Drift Plain (222Hc), Mad River Interlobate Plains (222Hd), Darby Plains (222He), Brown County Hills (223Ba), Northern Bluegrass (223Fd), Muscatatuck Flats and Valleys (223Fe), Scottsburg Lowlands (223Ff)

NatureServe Systems anticipated (NatureServe, 2011): Agriculture - Cultivated Crops and Irrigated Agriculture, Agriculture - Pasture/Hay, Allegheny-Cumberland Dry Oak Forest and Woodland, Appalachian (Hemlock)-Northern Hardwood Forest, Central Appalachian Pine-Oak Rocky Woodland, Central Interior Acidic Cliff and Talus, Central Interior Highlands Calcareous Glade and Barrens, Central Tallgrass Prairie, Clearcut - Grassland/Herbaceous, Introduced Upland Vegetation – Treed, Managed Tree Plantation, Mississippi River Riparian Forest, North-Central Interior and Appalachian Acidic Peatland, North-Central Interior Beech-Maple Forest, North-Central Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest and Woodland, North-Central Interior Floodplain, North-Central Interior Freshwater Marsh, North-Central Interior Oak Savanna, North-Central Interior Wet Flatwoods, North-Central Interior Wet Meadow-Shrub Swamp, North-Central Oak Barrens, Northeastern Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest, Ruderal Forest, Ruderal Upland - Old Field, South-Central Interior / Upper Coastal Plain Wet Flatwoods, South-Central Interior Large Floodplain, South-Central Interior Mesophytic Forest, South-Central Interior Small Stream and Riparian, Southern Appalachian Oak Forest, Southern Interior Low Plateau Dry-Mesic Oak Forest, Southern Ridge and Valley / Cumberland Dry Calcareous Forest, Successional Shrub/Scrub

LANDFIRE Biophysical Settings anticipated (USGS, 2010): Allegheny-Cumberland Dry Oak Forest and Woodland, Appalachian (Hemlock-) Northern Hardwood Forest, Central Interior and Appalachian Floodplain Systems, Central Interior and Appalachian Riparian Systems, Central Interior and Appalachian Shrub-Herbaceous Wetland Systems, Central Interior and Appalachian Swamp Systems, Central Interior Highlands Calcareous Glade and Barrens, Central Interior Highlands Dry Acidic Glade and Barrens, Central Tallgrass Prairie, Great Lakes Coastal Marsh Systems, North-Central Interior Beech-Maple Forest, North-Central Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest and Woodland, North-Central Interior Dry Oak Forest and Woodland, North-Central Interior Oak Savanna, North-Central Interior Wet Flatwoods, South-Central Interior Mesophytic Forest, South-Central Interior/Upper Coastal Plain Flatwoods, Southern Appalachian Oak Forest, Southern Interior Low Plateau Dry-Mesic Oak Forest

Ecological site concept

This site is an upland site formed on glacial outwash and colluvium parent materials in soils that are well drained or drier. The soil surface color is relatively dark (3/2 Munsell or darker) and extends past 10 inches making the soils of this site taxonomically mollisols.

The characteristic vegetation of this site is of a tall grass prairie. The dominant grass species are big bluestem and little bluestem. Other species common on the site included side oats grama, needlegrass, and numerous aster and blazingstar species. Fire frequency, and to a lesser extent intensity, was the primary disturbance mechanism that led to the site being dominated by grass species historically. The accumulation of dried plant material allowed this site to carry fire well once started, whether that be by lightning strikes or fires set by Native Americans. Fires occurred every 5 years or sooner on this site. Longer intervals allowed for increased tree growth from oak ‘grubs’ primarily of black oak, but bur oaks and white oaks could also be present. Reduction or in most cases elimination of fire as converted most of the site that is still in natural vegetation to that of a woodland or forest dominated primarily by oak and hickory species. Grazing by ungulates had an effect on the productions and species diversity of this site, but the magnitude of the impact was less than that for prairies farther west. Since settlement, most of the site is being used for agriculture, primarily corn and soybean rotations.

Associated sites

Similar sites

Table 1. Dominant plant species