Ecological dynamics

MLRA 122-Thermic
22-Gravelly Colluvial Footslopes

Mapunits included in this initial provisional ecological site (PES) grouping include: Algood, Allen, Minvale, Nella, Standingstone-Hayter.

Future ESD development may result in mapunits being added or removed from this preliminary grouping.

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.

The PES reference community was determined by information gathered from NASIS, NRCS county soil surveys (trees on site, common trees) and Glendon Smalley’s U.S. Forest Service technical report SO-43 entitled, “Classification and Evaluation of Forest Sites on the Eastern Highland Rim and Pennyroyal.”

NRCS Official Soil Series Descriptions (OSD) vegetation:
Algood: Gently sloping or sloping areas are mostly cleared and used for growing corn, small grains, mixed hay, burley tobacco, and assorted truck crops. Steeper areas are in pasture or woodland. Native vegetation consists mainly of secondary growth yellow poplar. Oak, walnut, cherry, and sassafras are other common species.
Allen: About one-fourth is in forest consisting chiefly of oaks, hickories, yellow poplar, beech and shortleaf and Virginia pine. Cleared areas are used chiefly for pasture, but some areas are cropped to tobacco, corn, truck, and small grain.
Minvale: Most of the soil is cleared and used for growing hay, pasture, vegetables, corn, cotton, tobacco, and small grains. The native vegetation was mixed hardwoods.
Nella: Most of the soil is cleared and used for growing hay, pasture, vegetables, corn, cotton, tobacco, and small grains. The native vegetation was mixed hardwoods.

NASIS and Soil Surveys:
Trees on site recorded in soil surveys and NASIS include: southern red oak, white oak, black oak, northern red oak, black walnut, tulip poplar, and pines.


The following information is from Glendon Smalley’s U.S. Forest Service technical report SO-43 entitled, “Classification and Evaluation of Forest Sites on the Eastern Highland Rim and Pennyroyal.”

Description of Landtype 8: Footslopes, Terraces, and Stream bottoms- Good Drainage
Dominant soils include cherty Etowah
Vegetation - white oak, yellow-poplar, northern red oak, blackgum, hickories, sweetgum, red maple, and American sycamore; occasional cottonwood, elms, American beech, hackberry, black oak, eastern redcedar, black walnut, black cherry, white ash, sugar maple, loblolly pine, river birch, shortleaf pine, and Virginia pine. Dogwoods, cane, persimmon, American hornbeam, spicebush, eastern redbud, vacciniums, sassafras, boxelder, pawpaw, euonymuses, hawthorns, and hydrangea are common in the understory.


Ecological Dynamics:
State 1. Phase 1.1. (Reference) Forestland
Plant species dominants: southern red oak (Quercus falcata) - white oak (Quercus alba) / flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) / euonymus (Euonymus spp.)

Various oak species may dominant on these sites. Other trees may include hickories, tulip poplar, black gum, maples, black cherry, ashes, dogwoods, sassafras, and elms. Additional field work is needed to better understand the composition and co-dominance of tree species on these sites. Shrubs and vines on these sites may include spicebush, various grapes, Virginia creeper, hydrangeas, euonymuses, vacciniums, and poison ivy. The understory would contain an array of native herbs and forbs.

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

Narrative: Plant species within all of these pasture phases is 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 other species of grass, both warm and cool season, are possible for these sites.

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: 3 – Transitional (Abandoned Field)
Phases 3.1:

tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) / berries (Rubus spp.) / fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus)

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 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.



TO VALIDATE THE INFORMATION IN THIS PROVISIONAL ECOLOGICAL SITE DESCRIPTION FUTURE FIELD WORK IS NEEDED. This will include detail field inspections and monitoring and multi-site data collection including medium to high intensity vegetation sampling, soil correlations, and an in-depth analysis of gathered 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 accurate on-site conservation planning.