Ecological dynamics

Provisional Ecological Site (PES):
Clayey Uplands and Terraces
MLRA 117


This PES describes ecological communities likely to be found on soil in the PES soil grouping. Future field work is required to develop detailed and accurate ecological site descriptions (ESDs) that can be used by conservation planners for restoration and planning activities. This PES describes hypotheses based on available data from many different sources and scales and has not been developed using site-specific ecological field monitoring. Future ESD development may result in this initial PES group being split into more refined ecological communities.

Soil series currently included in this initial PES project are: Enders and Newnata. Some mapunits of Summit may be preliminarily included in this grouping. Additional soil series and/or mapunits may be added or removed from this group pending future field work.

Soil Description and Vegetation as listed in Official Soil Series Descriptions (OSDs):
Enders OSD: The Enders series consists of deep, well drained, very slowly permeable soils that formed in loamy and clayey residuum from shale, or interbedded shale and sandstone. These soils are on nearly level to moderately steep upland mountaintops and ridges and gently sloping to very steep mountain side slopes and footslopes. Slopes range from 1 to 65 percent.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of this soil is in forest, but some is cropped to cotton, corn, and small grains. Native vegetation was post oak, red oak, white oak, hickory, and shortleaf pine

Newnata OSD: The Newnata series consists of deep, well drained, slowly permeable soils that formed in residuum weathered from interbedded limestone, alkaline shale and siltstone. These soils are on hillsides and ridges with slopes ranging from 3 to 60 percent.
USE AND VEGETATION: Principal use is woodland with some areas used for pasture. Forest vegetation includes eastern redcedar, northern red oak, shortleaf pine, black locust, hackberry, green ash, black gum, shagbark hickory, and white oak. Tame grasses are mainly bermudagrass and tall fescue. Native vegetation is mixed hardwoods and pine

Summit OSD: The Summit series consists of very deep, moderately well drained and somewhat poorly drained soils that formed in clayey colluvium or residuum weathered from shales of Pennsylvanian age. These soils are on interfluves, divides, and hillslopes. Slope ranges from 0 to 12 percent.

Trees listed in NASIS for the mapunits within this PES group are southern red oak, “red oak”, shortleaf pine, white oak, northern red oak, and eastern red cedar.

Listed trees for Enders and Newnata in the USDA-NRCS county soil surveys for counties in MLRA 117 include: shortleaf pine, southern red oak, white oak, scarlet oak, black oak, northern red oak, elm, blackgum, shagbark hickory, ash, red maple, and loblolly pine. Disturbance and successional species include eastern red cedar, black locust, honey locust, and hackberry.


Ecological Dynamics
State 1, Phase 1.1: Plant species dominants:
Oak (Quercus spp.) – shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) / blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) / little blue stem (Schizachyrium scoparium)

This PES describes a hardwood forest community clayey soils in uplands and on terraces in MLRA 117. Only two tree species can be selected for entry into the ESIS database as dominants: however, multiple tree species may be co-dominant on these sites.
Co-dominant tree layer on these sites may include southern red oak, scarlet oak, black oak, northern red oak, white oak, elm, shagbark hickory, pignut hickory, and blackgum. Drier mapunits, such as south and southwestern aspects, might favor hawthorns (Crataegus spp.), blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica), and post oak (Quercus stellata). Northern aspects may include more mesic species such as northern red oak (Quercus rubra), white oak (Q. alba), and mockernut hickory (Carya tomentosa).

The shrub/sub-canopy will include red maple (Acer rubrum), flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), eastern red cedar (Juniperous virginiana) and hawthorns (Crataegus spp). The understory vegetation will sparse in older communities and will include a variety of herbs, forbs and grasses. More field data is needed to define midstory and understory species dominance on these soils, as limited site-specific data is available. Future field monitoring of high quality sites will occur during the development of ecological site descriptions (ESDs) and will provide the detailed information needed to support conservation planning.

State 2. Pastureland

State 2, Phase 2.1: Managed Pasture.
Plant species dominants for a managed pasture state will be what is seeded and maintained based on management. Many of these sites are or have been pastured. NRCS county soil surveys list the following forage plants as suitable for these sites: tall fescue, bermudagrass, bahaigrass, clover, and lespedeza.

Grass and legumes within this pasture phases will depend on the level of management inputs including seeding, weed management, and land uses. As with all sites, soil characteristics and management inputs will influence production levels. Species of both warm-season and cool-season grasses are feasible for these sites

Management of pasture sites should follow conservation planning standards and protocols which will benefit water quality, forage production, and soil health.

Transitioning this state to a reference condition would likely require extensive and long-term timber stand improvement practices including control of non-native vegetation and management for desired native tree, shrub and understory species.



State 3. Transitional Field
State 3, Phase 3.1: Plant species dominants: shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) – maple (Acer spp.) / sumac (Rhus spp.) / broomsedge (Andropogon virginicus)

Tree species would be dependent upon several factors including severity and duration of disturbance, adjacent plant communities, available seed sources, post-disturbance management (control of invasive plants, grazing, etc.). A wide range of hardwood seedlings and saplings is possible in this successional stage and may include sweetgum, cottonwood, sycamore, maples, ashes, black cherry, black gum, pines, osage orange, and if seed sources are nearby, multiple species of oaks and hickories.

Shrub species may include coral berry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus), blueberries (Vaccinium spp.), berries (Rubus spp.), sumac (Rhus spp.), wild roses (Rosa spp.),

Weedy species will be common if not managed. Species will depend on previous land use, ongoing disturbance (mowing, herbicides, grazing, etc.) and seed sources. Species may include
Chervil (Chaerophyllum tainturieri), poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), giant ironweed (Vernonia gigantea), wild carrot (Daucus carota), rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium),
Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida), lanceleaf ragweed (Ambrosia bidentate), mayweed (Anthemis cotula), bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare), wax goldenweed (Grindelia ciliata), bitter sneezeweed (Helenium amarum), stinkweed (Pluchea camphorate), goldenrods (Solidago spp.), cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium), morning glory (Ipomoea spp.), spurges (Euphorbia spp.), heal-all (Prunella vulgaris), plantain (Plantago spp.), and many other native and non-native forbs, herbs, and vines.

Some landowners may wish to maintain this successional state for wildlife habitat, hunting, or pollinator habitat. Transitioning this state to a reference condition will require long-term timber stand improvement practices to control non-native vegetation and manage for higher quality tree species.

Most of these sites have historically been disturbed either through logging, grazing, other agricultural practices or development. Currently a large portion of these soils are used as pasturelands or are in low-quality mixed hardwoods.


International Vegetation Classification (IVC) Section.
NatureServe ecological associations that may be found on these soils. Future field work is needed to confirm community composition for these soils prior to using this information for conservation planning. Possible community associations include:


Pinus echinata - Quercus alba / Schizachyrium scoparium Woodland
Translated Name: Shortleaf Pine - White Oak / Little Bluestem Woodland
Common Name: Shortleaf Pine - Oak Dry-Mesic Woodland
Unique Identifier: CEGL002394
Classification Approach: International Vegetation Classification (IVC)
Summary: This shortleaf pine - oak woodland type is found in the central United States, in the Ozarks and Ouachita Mountains of Missouri and Arkansas, likely extending into Oklahoma. Stands occur on upper to middle, south-facing slopes, saddles, and flatter ridgelines. Soils are shallow to deep (25-100 cm), and well-drained. Parent material is a variety of sandstone and mixed sandstone/shale-derived substrates or, in parts of the Missouri Ozarks and central Ouachitas, chert substrates. The vegetation contains an open canopy. The canopy is dominated by Pinus echinata codominating with Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, or Quercus velutina, either singly or in combination. Pinus echinata often forms an emergent canopy over the oaks. Other woody species may be present in the shrub and sapling strata. Species from examples in the central Ouachita Mountains include Acer rubrum, Amelanchier arborea, Carya tomentosa (= Carya alba), Castanea pumila var. ozarkensis (= Castanea ozarkensis), Cornus florida, Hamamelis virginiana, Nyssa sylvatica, Ostrya virginiana, Prunus serotina, Sassafras albidum, Toxicodendron radicans, Vaccinium arboreum, Vaccinium stamineum, and Vitis rotundifolia. Cover of the herbaceous stratum is variable (20-50%) depending on crown closure and fire history and comprises a mixture of graminoid and forb species. The herbaceous layer is often dominated by Schizachyrium scoparium and Dichanthelium linearifolium, but a diversity of herbaceous species is present. Other herbaceous species can include Antennaria plantaginifolia, Symphyotrichum anomalum (= Aster anomalus), Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea, Carex sp., Clitoria mariana, Cunila origanoides, Danthonia spicata, Desmodium marilandicum, Desmodium glutinosum, Lespedeza capitata, Lespedeza virginica, Dichanthelium latifolium, Dichanthelium sphaerocarpon var. isophyllum, Solidago caesia, Solidago petiolaris, and Solidago ulmifolia.


Pinus echinata - Quercus alba - Quercus rubra / Vaccinium arboreum / Chasmanthium sessiliflorum Forest
Translated Name: Shortleaf Pine - White Oak - Northern Red Oak / Farkleberry / Longleaf Woodoats Forest
Common Name: Interior Highlands Dry-Mesic Shortleaf Pine - Oak Forest
Unique Identifier: CEGL007489
Classification Approach: International Vegetation Classification (IVC)
Summary: This upland, subxeric to submesic shortleaf pine - oak forest community is the matrix forest community of the Ouachita Mountains and surrounding areas, ranging from eastern Oklahoma to western Arkansas and southern Missouri. Stands occur on upper to middle, south-facing slopes, saddles, and flatter ridgelines. Soils are shallow to deep (25-100 cm). Parent material is a variety of sandstone and mixed sandstone-shale-derived substrates, or, in parts of the Missouri Ozarks, chert substrates. The canopy is dominated by Pinus echinata codominating with Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, or Quercus velutina, either singly or in combination. Shortleaf pine often forms an emergent canopy over the oaks. Carya texana or Cornus florida are typical subcanopy components. Other trees in the canopy and subcanopy can include Acer rubrum, Amelanchier arborea, Carya tomentosa (= Carya alba), Nyssa sylvatica, Ostrya virginiana, Quercus falcata, and Quercus stellata. There is little understory, and the shrub layer is typically open with Vaccinium pallidum common as a low shrub and Vaccinium arboreum as a locally abundant tall shrub. Other species in the shrub stratum vary among occurrences but can include Callicarpa americana, Lyonia ligustrina, Morus rubra, Sassafras albidum, Styrax americanus, and Ulmus alata, and the vines Smilax glauca, Smilax bona-nox, Smilax rotundifolia, Toxicodendron radicans, and Vitis rotundifolia. The density of the herbaceous stratum varies with age of the stand and disturbance history but increases with fire. Composition of the herbaceous stratum in these forests can be quite diverse but tends to vary among occurrences. Most examples of this association exist with sparse shrub and herb strata and ground cover dominated by leaf litter. Typical herbaceous species include Antennaria parlinii, Antennaria plantaginifolia, Symphyotrichum anomalum (= Aster anomalus), Symphyotrichum patens (= Aster patens), Brachyelytrum erectum, Chasmanthium latifolium, Chasmanthium sessiliflorum, Danthonia spicata, Desmodium glabellum, Desmodium laevigatum, Desmodium nudiflorum, Desmodium rotundifolium, Dichanthelium linearifolium, Dichanthelium boscii, Dichanthelium commutatum, Helianthus divaricatus, Helianthus hirsutus, Helianthus x laetiflorus, Hieracium gronovii, Hypericum hypericoides ssp. hypericoides, Piptochaetium avenaceum, Schizachyrium scoparium, Solidago hispida, Solidago odora, Solidago ulmifolia, and Viola pedata. Fire increases coverage by grasses (Schizachyrium scoparium and Andropogon gyrans (= Andropogon elliottii)) and legumes. Although this is one of the most widespread forest types in the region, high quality, mature examples are uncommon. Mature, fire-suppressed examples loose the shortleaf pine and fire-tolerant species and show increases in stem density and fire-intolerant species. Mature, fire-maintained examples are extremely rare. Much of this forest community is managed to maintain specific tree densities and overstory composition.

Unique Identifier: CEGL007815
Pinus echinata / Schizachyrium scoparium - Solidago ulmifolia - Monarda russeliana - Echinacea pallida Woodland
Translated Name: Shortleaf Pine / Little Bluestem - Elmleaf Goldenrod - Red-purple Beebalm - Pale Purple Coneflower Woodland
Common Name: Ouachita Shortleaf Pine Savanna
Classification Approach: International Vegetation Classification (IVC)

These open Pinus echinata woodlands were more common historically. Currently few mature, high-quality examples of this community exist, and they are usually dependent on management including prescribed fire.

Summary: This upland subxeric woodland community was a matrix forest type in the Ouachita Mountains and, historically, north into parts of the Ozarks. This community occurs on a variety of sandstone and mixed sandstone/shale-derived substrates in the northern and western Ouachita Mountains and on chert/novaculite-derived substrates in the central Ouachitas. On the sharper ridges of the central Ouachitas (novaculite uplift), these woodlands are reduced in extent and bounded by submesic pine - oak forest on lower slopes and xeric oak woodlands on the ridgelines. This is a fire-maintained community where woody succession and canopy closure can be rapid with fire suppression. Virtually extirpated, these woodlands have been restored in part by thinning and prescribed burning. This woodland community has an open canopy dominated by Pinus echinata and a dense, diverse herbaceous layer. Scattered oaks (Quercus alba, Quercus stellata, Quercus velutina, Quercus marilandica) may appear in the canopy or subcanopy. These are expansive, open woodlands on gentle slopes, saddles and flatter ridgelines in eastern Oklahoma, western Arkansas, and southern Missouri. The dense herbaceous stratum is dominated by both graminoid and forb species. Dominant graminoids include Schizachyrium scoparium, Danthonia spicata, Chasmanthium sessiliflorum, Scleria triglomerata, and Dichanthelium spp. Other graminoid species include Andropogon gyrans, Andropogon gerardii, Andropogon virginicus, Chasmanthium latifolium, Gymnopogon ambiguus, Muhlenbergia schreberi, Panicum virgatum, Paspalum sp., Sorghastrum nutans, Sporobolus compositus (= Sporobolus asper), and Tridens flavus. Dominant forb species include Solidago ulmifolia, Clitoria mariana, Lespedeza repens, Antennaria plantaginifolia, Symphyotrichum anomalum (= Aster anomalus), Symphyotrichum patens (= Aster patens), Erechtites hieraciifolius, Helianthus hirsutus, and Monarda russeliana. Many other forb species are known from these woodlands. Some of the more typical ones include Acalypha virginica, Amphicarpaea bracteata, Baptisia nuttalliana, Chamaecrista fasciculata (= Cassia fasciculata), Coreopsis tinctoria, Conyza canadensis, Cunila origanoides, Dalea candida, Desmodium ciliare, Echinacea pallida, Echinacea purpurea, Euphorbia corollata, Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium (= Gnaphalium obtusifolium), Hieracium gronovii, Lespedeza spp., Liatris squarrosa, Phlox spp., Polygala alba, Pycnanthemum tenuifolium, Rudbeckia hirta, Solidago hispida, Solidago odora, Solidago radula, Stylosanthes biflora, and Tephrosia virginiana. Shrubs are sparse, especially in more frequently burned locations. Shrub density is related to fire frequency, and many shrubs are coppices, sprouting from stumps. Some common shrubs and vines include Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea, Carya tomentosa (= Carya alba), Carya texana, Ceanothus spp., Crataegus crus-galli, Mimosa microphylla, Prunus serotina, Quercus stellata, Rhus copallinum, Rhus glabra, Rubus spp., Toxicodendron radicans, Ulmus alata, Vaccinium arboreum, Vaccinium pallidum, Viburnum rufidulum, and Vitis rotundifolia, but many others can occur. The type location is in Scott County, Arkansas.


Quercus alba - Quercus stellata - Quercus velutina / Schizachyrium scoparium Woodland
Translated Name: White Oak - Post Oak - Black Oak / Little Bluestem Woodland
Common Name: Ozark White Oak - Post Oak / Bluestem Woodland
Unique Identifier: CEGL002150
Classification Approach: International Vegetation Classification (IVC)
Summary: This white oak - post oak woodland community is found in the Ozarks and adjacent regions of the United States. Stands occur on gentle to steep hills, plains, ridges, and flats of all aspects. The soils are well- to very rapidly drained, and very shallow to deep (0-100 cm). The parent material is chert, sandstone, or igneous with areas of bedrock or rock residuum present at the surface. This woodland community has 20-60% tree canopy cover, which is short to medium in height (7-20 m) and dominated by species such as Crataegus spp., Pinus echinata, Quercus alba, Quercus marilandica, Quercus stellata, and Quercus velutina. The trees are often limby or shrubby in areas of sparse cover where bedrock is exposed. When an understory is present it is variable, consisting of a mosaic of scattered shrubs or groups of small trees. Shrubs include Rhus aromatica, Vaccinium arboreum, and Vaccinium pallidum. The ground cover is dominated by grasses such as Andropogon gerardii, Schizachyrium scoparium, and Sorghastrum nutans, with sparse to mixed forbs. Mosses and lichens are often present.

Classification Confidence: Moderate
Classification Comments: Only a few occurrences of this community are known. Most of the original sites have been destroyed by logging, grazing, conversion to forest because of fire suppression, or invasion by exotic species.
Global Range: This white oak - post oak woodland community is found in the Ozark region of the United States, particularly in Missouri and Arkansas.