Ecological dynamics

F122XY001KY
Deep Well Drained Cherty Uplands
MLRA 122
Initial Soil Series: Baxter, Britwater, Christian, Cumberland, Frederick, Hammack, Vertrees

Individual sites deserve a detailed understanding before conservation and restoration practices are implemented; therefore, it should be noted that 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. Therefore, 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 also 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.

Forest Vegetation as listed in Official Series Descriptions (OSD):
Baxter: Native forests are oak, hickory, elm, maple, beech, ironwood, persimmon, dogwood, hackberry, black walnut, eastern redcedar, shortleaf and Virginia Pine.

Britwater: Native vegetation was mostly hardwoods such as oaks, hickory, and black walnut.

Christian: Forest consists of red, white, and black oaks, hickory, pines, dogwood, and red cedar.

Cumberland: About 5 percent is in woodland consisting chiefly of oaks, hickory, elm, maple, and beech. (Cumberland is a thermic soil series. Mapunits located in Kentucky may be placed in this group pending field verification).

Frederick: Vegetation is largely hardwoods such as oak, hickory, maple, and yellow poplar.

Hammack: Some of the steeper areas are in forest consisting of oak, hickory, gum, maple, hackberry, and poplar.

Vertrees: Native forests consisted of oaks, hickory, elm, maple, dogwood, red cedar, persimmon, and sassafras as the dominant species.

State 1. Forestland. Only two tree species can be selected for entry into the database as dominants; however, multiple tree species may be dominant on these sites and it will vary depending on aspect, soil depth, seed sources, management, and disturbance history.

Phase 1.1: Plant species dominants:

White oak – southern red oak/ blueberry – smilax / Virginia snakeroot – licorice bedstraw.
(Quercus alba - Quercus falcata / Vaccinium spp. - Smilax spp. / Aristolochia serpentaria –Galium circaezans)

Forests on these limestone-influenced sites are generally mixed oak or oak-hickory. In areas with more topography, the north and east slopes may show an increase in shade tolerant hardwood species such as maples. Understory communities are usually well-developed and contain herbs and forbs that thrive on limestone soils. The shrub layer is usually sparse in older, reference type communities but may be dense in successional stages.

Depending upon external influences such as fire and site management history, tree species may include white oak, southern red oak, Shumard oak, black oak, sugar maple, shagbark hickory, mockernut hickory, eastern redbud, dogwood, white ash, and blue ash. (Quercus alba, Quercus falcata, Quercus muehlenbergii, Quercus velutina, Acer saccharum, Carya ovata, Carya tomentosa, Cercis canadensis, Cornus florida, Fraxinus americana, and Fraxinus quadrangulata).

Higher quality understory communities reflect the limestone influence and may include:
twinleaf, false rue anemone, early meadow rue, Dutchman’s breeches, squirrel corn, nodding trillium, shooting star, alumroot, false Solomon’s seal, yellow trout lily, celandine poppy, yellow corydalis, large-flowered bellwort, sessile trillium, blue-eyed Mary, wild yam, jack in the pulpit, smooth Solomon’s seal, avens, glade bluets, beaked agrimony, white snakeroot. (Delphinium tricorne, Jeffersonia diphylla, Enemion biternatum, Thalictrum dioicum, Dicentra cucullaria, Dicentra canadensis, Trillium flexipes, Dodecatheon meadia, Heuchera americana, Maiantheum racemosa, Erythronium americanum, Stylophorum diphyllum, Corydalis flavula, Uvularia grandiflora, Trillium sessile, Collinsia verna, Dioscorea quaternata, Arisaema triphyllum, Geum canadense, Agrimonia rostellata, and Ageratina altissima.)

Shrubs and vines on these sites may include coralberry, spicebush, various grapes, Virginia creeper, and poison ivy. (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus, Lindera benzoin, Vitis spp., Parthenocissus quinquefolia, and Toxicodendron radicans).

The absence of a natural fire regime and a history of disturbances (logging, grazing, etc.) are influences that will move this community from an old growth mixed-oak or oak-hickory community to a more mesic hardwood community. Long-term lack of a natural fire regime or human disturbances can create a more mesic, shady environment which enhances the reproduction of quick growing, fire intolerant, shade-tolerant species such as maples and reduces the successful regeneration of oaks and hickories.

This state may in impacted by the invasion of non-native honeysuckle within the understory. Lonicera spp. (usually L. maackii in central Kentucky) alters the native plant communities due to shade and competition. Long-term, multi-year control efforts are required to control this aggressive non-native plant and restore native woodlands.

State: 2. Pasture
Phase 2.1: Managed Pasture. Plant species dominants: Schedonorus arundinaceus (tall fescue)

Narrative: Pasture plant species are dependent on seeding, weed control, concurrent land uses, on-going levels of disturbance, and landowner goals. Individual site and soil characteristics, along with management activities, will influence production levels.

Many species of grass, both warm and cool season, are available and suitable for these sites. Common forage species include tall fescue, orchard grass, Kentucky bluegrass, Johnson grass, timothy, and various species of clover.

Management of pasture sites should follow conservation planning standards and protocols which include watershed protection, soil health, and adequate forage species.

Transitioning this state to a reference condition would require long-term timber stand improvement practices to control non-native vegetation and manage for desired hardwood species.

State: 3 – Transitional (Abandoned Field)
Phases 3.1: Plant species dominants: Juniperus virginiana/ Rubus spp.- Rosa multiflora/ Vernonia gigantea -Schedonorus arundinaceus
Eastern red cedar /blackberry – multiflora rose/ ironweed- tall fescue

Narrative: Tree species regeneration on these sites will depend on the severity and duration of disturbance, soil characteristics, adjacent plant communities and seed sources, post-disturbance management inputs, presence or absence of continued site disturbances (grazing), slope, and aspect.

Transitioning this state to a reference condition will likely require timber stand improvement practices to control non-native vegetation and manage for desired hardwood species.

State 4: Phase 4.1. Abandoned Croplands

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 grasses, shrubs and finally, pioneers trees.

It would require years of management, plantings, and weed control to establish successional communities that could transition to a reference community.


State 5: Phase 5.1. Cropland
Dependent upon seeding and management. Most common crops are corn and soybeans.

It would require years of management, plantings, and weed control to establish successional communities that could transition to a reference community.

TO VALIDATE THE INFORMATION IN THIS PROVISIONAL ECOLOGICAL SITE DESCRIPTION FUTURE FIELD WORK IS NEEDED. This will include field inspection and data collection including medium to high intensity sampling, soil correlations, and analysis of that data. A final field review, peer review, quality control, and quality assurance reviews of the ESD will be needed to produce a document to be utilized for on-site conservation planning.