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): 120B–Kentucky and Indiana Sandstone and Shale Hills and Valleys, Northwestern Part

120B-Kentucky and Indiana Sandstone and Shale Hills and Valleys, Northwestern Part is located in Indiana and covers about 3,040 sq.mi. This area is in the Highland Rim Section of the Interior Low Plateaus Province of the Interior Plains. Tributaries of the Ohio River dissect the uplands. The major streams and rivers have well defined valleys with broad flood plains and numerous stream terraces. The geologic materials in this area are of Early and Middle Pennsylvanian and Late Mississippian age. The rocks consist mainly of flat-lying, interbedded sandstone, shale, coal, and siltstone with minor areas of limestone. Bedrock outcrops are common on river bluffs. The dominant soil orders in this MLRA are Alfisols, Ultisols, and Inceptisols. The soils in the area have a mesic soil temperature regime, a udic or aquic soil moisture regime, and dominantly mixed mineralogy. They formed dominantly in less than 40 inches of loess and in residuum or colluvium derived from sandstone, shale, and siltstone. The soils range from moderately deep to very deep and from poorly drained to somewhat excessively drained and are loamy, silty, or clayey. Fragiudalfs (Apalona, Zanesville) and Hapludalfs (Wellston) are the dominant soils on ridgetops and upper slopes. Hapludults (Adyeville) and Dystrudepts (Tipsaw) are on side slopes, and Hapludults (Tulip) are on footslopes. Hapludalfs (Deuchars, Ebal, Kitterman) are on structural benches and scarps. Endoaquepts (Zipp), Epiaqualfs (McGary), and Hapludalfs (Shircliff, Markland) are formed in lacustrine sediments. Hapludults (Millstone), Hapludalfs (Elkinsville), Fragiudalfs (Sciotoville), and Epiaqualfs (Hatfield) are on terraces along the Ohio River. Hapludolls (Huntington), Eutrudepts (McAdoo, Lindside), and Endoaquepts (Newark) are on flood plains along the major streams. Dystrudepts (Cuba, Steff), Eutrudepts (Gatchel, Haymond), Endoaquepts (Belknap, Stendal), and Fluvaquents (Birds, Bonnie) are on local flood plains.

Classification relationships

Depending on fragipan depth and aspect there is likely variability of forest communities on fragipan soils. Field work is needed to further refine this grouping. It is likely that Quercus alba / Cornus florida Unglaciated Forest (CEGL002066) communities also occur in some areas and that sites may overlap with unglaciated stands placed in Quercus velutina - Quercus alba - Carya (glabra, ovata) Forest (CEGL002076). This community may encompass characteristics of Quercus alba - Carya alba (Quercus velutina)/ Desmodium nudiflorum - (Carex picta) Forest. CEGL007795.

Ecological site concept

The Fragipan Uplands ecological sites occur on uplands underlain by a fragipan. Representative soils include: Zanesville, Apalona, Hosmer, Johnsburg, Potawatomi, Tilsit.

The communities described in this provisional document reflect those likely to be found and have not been field verified. This PES describes hypotheses based on available data of many different scales and sources and has not been developed utilizing site-specific ecological field monitoring. This PES does not encompass the entire complexity or diversity of these sites. Field studies would be required to develop a comprehensive and science-based native plant restoration plan for these sites.

Ecological Dynamics
Depending on fragipan depth and aspect there is likely to be variability of forest communities on 120B fragipan upland sites. Field work is needed to further refine this grouping.
It is likely that Quercus alba / Cornus florida Unglaciated Forest (CEGL002066) communities occur in some areas and that sites may overlap with unglaciated stands placed in Quercus velutina - Quercus alba - Carya (glabra, ovata) Forest (CEGL002076).

State 1, Phase 1.1
white oak (Q. alba) – black oak (Quercus velutina) /flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) - blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) / Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)

State 2, Phase 2.1: Pasture. Plant species dominant: Schedonorus arundinaceus (tall fescue. Species present are dependent upon seeding and management. State: 3. Transitional (Abandoned) Field

The transitional phase plant community composition will depend upon previous land uses – pasture type, management while in pasture (high quality pasture versus minimal managed grass-shrub –sapling community), and adjacent seed sources. State 3 listed below is assuming a transition from a fescue pasture. This phase is best described as an old field habitat with a mixture of native and introduced grasses and a variety of native and non-native herbs, forbs, seedlings, and saplings.
State 3, Phase 3.1:
Plant species dominant: maple (Acer spp.) – winged elm (Ulmus alata) / sumac (Rhus spp.) / greenbrier (Smilax spp.) -fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus)

State 4 Old Pioneer Cropland (cropland on lower slopes only)
Phase 4.1: Old (Abandoned) Cropfield. Plant species dominant: henbit deadnettle (Lamium amplexicaule) – mouse-eared chickweed (Cerastium L. )
Abandonment of cropland would result in many weed species taking over the site. Initially, annual weeds would be predominate followed by a variety of native and non-native grasses, shrubs and trees.

State: 5. Cropland (lower slopes only). Phase 5.1: Plant species dominant: dependent upon seeding and management. Most common crops are corn and soybeans.

Restoration of states 2-5 to the reference community would require long-term, intensive management inputs.

Associated sites

Similar sites

Table 1. Dominant plant species