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): 120C–Kentucky and Indiana Sandstone and Shale Hills and Valleys, Northeastern Part

120C—Kentucky and Indiana Sandstone and Shale Hills and Valleys, Northeastern Part
This area is entirely in Indiana and makes up about 1,050 square miles (2,725 square kilometers). Physiography: This area is in the Highland Rim Section of the Interior Low Plateaus Province of the Interior Plains. Both large and small tributaries of the Ohio River and the East Fork of the White River dissect the nearly level to very steep uplands in the area. The major streams and rivers have well defined valleys with broad flood plains and numerous stream terraces. The flood plains along the smaller streams are narrow. Summits are narrow and are nearly level to gently sloping. Geology: 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 the bluffs along the Ohio River and its major tributaries. The surficial geologic materials consist mainly of a layer of loess, typically less than 3.5 feet (1 meter) thick, on the less eroded parts of the landscape and stratified sediments of Pleistocene age along the Ohio River and its tributaries. Unconsolidated alluvium is deposited in the river valleys.
Soils: The dominant soil orders in this MLRA are Alfisols, Ultisols, and Inceptisols. The soils in the area have a mesic soil temperature regime, an udic or aquic soil moisture regime, and dominantly mixed mineralogy. They formed dominantly in loess and in residuum derived from siltstone and shale. They range from moderately deep to very deep and from somewhat poorly drained to well drained and are loamy, silty, or clayey. Fragiudults (Spickert and Tilsit series) and Hapludults (Wrays series) are the dominant soils on ridgetops and the upper parts of hills and knobs. Halpudalfs (Kurtz series), Hapludults (Gilwood and Gnawbone series), and Dystrudepts (Brownstown series) are on moderately sloping to very steep side slopes. Hapludalfs (Coolville, Rarden, Stonehead, and Wellrock series) are on the gently sloping to moderately steep lower parts of side slopes. Hapludalfs (Elkinsville series), Fragiudalfs (Pekin series), and Fragiaqualfs (Bartle series) are on stream terraces. Dystrudepts (Beanblossom, Cuba, and Steff series) and Endoaquepts (Stendal series) are on flood plains.

Classification relationships

NatureServe Ecological System. Scientific Name: Southern Interior Low Plateau Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Unique Identifier: CES202.898

Ecological site concept

The Loamy Skeletal Uplands ecological site is found on hillsides and ridges. Represetative soils include: Berks, Brownstone, Trevlac.

The communities described in this provisional document reflect plant communities that are likely to be found on these soils 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 restoration plan for these sites.

The following information is a compilation of data acquired from the Hoosier National Forest, Purdue University, Nature Conservancy, NatureServe Explorer, Vegbank.org, and USDA plants database.

Forest (phases influences by aspect and topography):

State 1, Phase 1.1. chestnut oak (Quercus prinus)- post oak (Quercus stellata)/ blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) –greenbrier (Smilax spp.) / poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) - sedges (Carex spp.).

Common trees in this community are white oak, chestnut oak, black oak, post oak and pignut hickory. Shrub species include members of the Vaccinium species including V. arboreum and V. pallidum.

Sapling tree species may include black oak, white oak, pignut hickory, persimmon, black cherry, eastern red cedar, sassafras and the more shade tolerant species such as white ash and sugar maple.

Subcanopy tree species will include flowering dogwood, winged elm, ironwood, serviceberry, eastern redbud, and southern blackhaw.

Understory species are variable depending on canopy cover, aspect, soil depth and micro-topography. Characteristic dry site species may include Orbexilum pedunculatum (Sampson’s snakeroot), Scleria oligantha (little headed nutrush) and Antennaria plantaginifolia (pussytoes).

In areas of canopy openings, Andropogon scoparius (little bluestem) and Liatris spp. (blazing stars) may occur.

On the north and east slopes of these soils the community will exhibit less post oak and more white oak, chestnut oak, black oak, and hickories. Understory plants will transition to more dry-mesic species and increase in species numbers and diversity.

Topography, aspect and soil depth influence the plant communities on these sites. Sites may exhibit a gradient between these two communities but on the same mapunits.

Pasture:
State 2, Phase 2.1: Schedonorus arundinaceus (tall fescue). Species present would be dependent upon seeding and management.

Transitional (abandoned) field.
State 3, Phase 3.1: eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) / greenbrier (Smilax spp.) – blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) / broomsedge bluestem (Andropogon virginicus)

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. Species present would depend on adjacent seed sources and the presence of on-going disturbances such as grazing, mowing, etc.

Due to low available water and high slope percentages, cropland was not included as a major state in this ecological model.

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

Similar sites

Table 1. Dominant plant species