Ecological dynamics

26 – Clayey Limestone Terrace and Uplands
Thermic
MLRA 122
Mapunits in this preliminary grouping: Cookeville, Cumberland, Decatur, Dewey, Fullerton, Sengtown, Waynesboro, Wolftever. Future ESD development may result in adding or removing soil mapunits from this initial group.

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 extensively field verified. This document also does not encompass the entire complexity or diversity possible. Additional field studies or ESD development is needed for conservation planning uses.

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 county soil surveys listed trees on site as southern red oak, white oak, black oak, pignut hickory, white hickory, “hybrid” hickory, tulip poplar, and pines.

NASIS trees-on-site showed a predominance of southern red oak and white oak on these sites. Other trees listed in NASIS include black oak, northern red oak, black walnut, tulip poplar, multiple pines, eastern red cedar, and flowering dogwood.

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 14:
Hilly Redlands-North Aspect
Dominant soils include Fullerton, Decatur, Dewey, Waynesboro
Vegetation: Southern red oak, scarlet oak, white oak, chestnut oak, black oak, red maple, hickories, yellow-poplar, northern red oak, and eastern redcedar. Occasional. American beech, elms, white ash, black walnut, black cherry, bur oak, sugar maple, loblolly pine, shortleaf pine, hackberry, and Virginia pine. Flowering dogwood, persimmon, sassafras, sourwood, eastern hophornbeam, wild plum, and red mulberry are common in the understory.

Description of Landtype 15:
Hilly Redlands-South Aspect
Dominant soils include Fullerton, Decatur, Dewey, Waynesboro
Vegetation: southern red oak, scarlet oak, white oak, hickories, black oak, and eastern redcedar. Occasional trees: chestnut oak, bur oak, post oak, red maple,
elms, hackberry, white ash, sugar maple, black walnut, black cherry, shortleaf pine, Virginia pine, and loblolly pine. Flowering dogwood, persimmon, sassafras, sourwood, eastern hophornbeam, wild plum, winged elm, and vacciniums are common in the understory.

Description of Landtype 16:
Redland Slopes-North Aspect
Dominant soils: Cumberland Decatur, Dewey, Waynesboro
Vegetation: White oak, black oak, northern red oak, hickories, yellow-poplar, red maple, and elms. Occasional southern red oak, scarlet oak, American beech, bur oak, black walnut, black cherry, white ash, sugar maple, eastern redcedar, shortleaf pine, Virginia pine, and loblolly pine. Flowering dogwood, persimmon, sassafras, sourwood, red mulberry, eastern hophornbeam, wild plum, winged elm, and vacciniums are common in the understory.

Description of Landtype 17:
Redland Slopes-South Aspect
Dominant soils: Cumberland Decatur, Dewey, Waynesboro
Black oak, white oak, scarlet oak, northern red oak, southern red oak, hickories, and eastern redcedar; occasional chestnut oak, post oak, bur oak, yellow-poplar, red maple, elms, American beech, white ash, black walnut, black cherry, sugar maple, shortleaf pine, Virginia pine, and loblolly pine. Flowering dogwood, persimmon, eastern hophornbeam, sassafras, wild plum, winged elm, and vacciniums are common in the understory,

Description of Landtype 4:
Cherty North Slopes
Dominants soils include Fullerton
Vegetation -White oak, black oak, southern red oak, yellow-poplar, northern red oak, hickories, blackgum, red maple; occasional scarlet oak, chestnut oak, chinkapin oak, post oak, elms, white oak, black walnut, black cherry, eastern redcedar, American beech, sugar maple, shortleaf pine, loblolly pine, and Virginia pine, Flowering dogwood, sassafras, persimmon, eastern hophornbeam, eastern redbud, devil’s club, euonymuses, hydrangea, and vacciniums are in the understory.

Description of Landtype 5:
Cherty South Slopes
Dominants soils include Fullerton
Vegetation: White oak, scarlet oak, chestnut oak, chinkapin oak southern red oak, post oak, hickories, black oak, eastern redcedar, loblolly pine, Virginia pine, and shortleaf pine. Occasional trees include red maple, elms, blackgum, and yellow-poplar. Eastern redbud, eastern hophornbeam, flowering dogwood, vacciniums, euonymuses, winged elm, sassafras, and wild plum are in the understory.



Ecological Dynamics
Only two tree species can be selected for entry into the ESIS/EDIT database as dominants; however, multiple tree species may be co-dominant on these sites and it will vary depending on aspect, soil depth, seed sources, management, and disturbance history.

State 1. Phase 1.1. Forestland
southern red oak (Quercus falcata)- white oak (Quercus alba) / hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) - sassafras (Sassafras albidum) / mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum)

Most areas of these soils are used to grow corn, soybeans, wheat and hay or utilized for pasture.
Very few areas are still in native forest.

State: 2. Phase 2.1. Pasture
Most common plant species dominant: Schedonorus arundinaceus (tall fescue)

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. Depending on levels of management, dozens of weed species may be present.

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. Phase 3.1. Transitional Field
eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) - tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) / sumac (Rhus spp.) - berries (Rubus spp.) / fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus)

A mix of species including eastern red cedar and pines would be found on these sites. Seedlings and saplings of Acer spp., (especially red maple, sugar maple, and boxelder), tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), sassafras (Sassafras albidum), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), Quercus spp., and Carya spp. may be present depending on disturbance levels and adjacent seed sources. The shrub layer would likely include poison ivy, sumac, blackberries, dewberries, multiflora rose, Carolina rose, and other successional species.

Tree 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, fire, timber cutting), slope, and aspect.

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