Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site R119XY056OK
Loamy Prairie
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.
Figure 1. Mapped extent
Areas shown in blue indicate the maximum mapped extent of this ecological site. Other ecological sites likely occur within the highlighted areas. It is also possible for this ecological site to occur outside of highlighted areas if detailed soil survey has not been completed or recently updated.
MLRA notes
Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): 119X–Ouachita Mountains
This ecological site is found in MLRA 119: Ouachita Mountains.
This area is in the Ouachita Mountains Section of the Ouachita Province of the Interior Highlands. The steep mountains are underlain by folded and faulted sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. Most of the stream valleys are narrow and have steep gradients, but wide terraces and flood plains border the Ouachita River in western Arkansas. Elevation ranges from 330 feet (100 meters) on the lowest valley floors to 2,625 feet (800 meters) on the highest mountain peaks. Local relief is generally 100 to 200 feet (30 to 60 meters), but it can exceed 980 feet (300 meters).
Classification relationships
Ozark-Ouachita Dry Oak Woodland
Summary: This system occurs in the Ozark and Ouachita Highlands and far western portions of the Interior Low Plateau regions along gentle to steep slopes and over bluff escarpments with southerly to westerly aspects. Parent material can range from calcareous to acidic with very shallow, well- to excessively well-drained soils, sometimes with a fragipan that causes "xero-hydric" moisture conditions. Historically, this system primarily exhibited a woodland structure with related composition and processes, but now most stands have a more closed canopy. Oak species such as Quercus stellata, Quercus marilandica, and Quercus coccinea dominate this system with an understory of grassland species such as Schizachyrium scoparium and shrub species such as Vaccinium arboreum. Drought stress is the major dynamic influencing and maintaining this system. Some examples are flatwoods with fragipans; in these examples Quercus stellata is the major dominant. In addition, Quercus alba, Quercus falcata, and/or Carya texana may be present in some stands.
Ecological site concept
This site is on slopes less than 15 percent in the uplands. with udic moisture and thermic temperature regimes. It has loamy soils.
Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree |
Not specified |
---|---|
Shrub |
Not specified |
Herbaceous |
Not specified |
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