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

Fagus grandifolia - Acer saccharum - Liriodendron tulipifera Unglaciated Forest
American Beech - Sugar Maple - Tuliptree Unglaciated Forest
Beech - Maple Unglaciated Forest CEGL002411

Ecological site concept

The Low Mesic Slopes ecological site occurs on moderately drained to somewhat pporly drained lower slope. Representative soils include: Rarden. Additional mapunits may be added to this group pending field investigations.

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 native plant restoration plan for these sites.

The hypotheses below were developed utilizing information from the following sources:
Purdue University data for the Hoosier National Forest (Andriy Vladimirovich Zhalnin and George R. Parker, 2007, Delineation and spatial analysis of ecological classification units for the Hoosier National Forest in Southern Indiana), NatureServe.org Explorer, VegBank.org, Plant Communities of the Midwest –Indiana Subset, and Indiana DNR.


Forest:
1.1. American beech (Fagus grandifolia) – sugar maple (Acer saccharum) / northern spicebush (Lindera benzoin) / bedstraws (Galium spp.) - springbeauty (Claytonia virginica)

These lower slope sites will have diversity in the overstory, shrub layer and especially the herbaceous layer due to the protected environment and available water. Other trees on these sites may include Liriodendron tulipifera, Acer rubrum, Acer saccharum, Fraxinus americana, Tilia americana, Ulmus americana, Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, Carya glabra, and Carya cordiformis. Shrubs commonly found in this community are spicebush (Lindera benzoin) and in some areas, paw paw (Asimina triloba). Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) may be in the understory.

Herbaceous species are diverse, featuring many spring wildflowers, and during the summer form a dense cover. They include Adiantum pedatum, Arisaema triphyllum, various species of sedges (Carex spp.), bedstraws (Galium spp.) and toothworts (Dentaria spp.), white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima), avens, mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum), snakeroots (Sanicula spp.), common blue violet (Viola sororia), and Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides).
Pasture:

Areas that have been converted to pasture and are usually planted with tall fescue or a combination of cool-season grasses.
State 2, Phase 2.1. Plant species dominants: Schedonorus arundinaceus (tall fescue).
Species present are dependent upon seeding and management.

Transitional Field:
This phase is best described as an old field habitat with a mixture of native and introduced grasses, herbs, forbs, seedlings, and saplings.
State 3, Phase 3.1. maples (Acer spp.) / berries (Rubus spp.) / tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus.

Cropland was not included in this initial state and transition model.

Associated sites

Similar sites

Table 1. Dominant plant species