Ecological dynamics

31 -Poorly Drained Alluvium
MLRA 122

Soil mapunits included in this preliminary grouping include: Melvin, Dunning

Future ecological site description (ESD) development may result in mapunits being added or removed from this PES group.

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 extensively 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 likely 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.

The PES reference community was determined primarily by information found in NASIS, 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 predominately swamp white oak, willow oak, water oak, pin oak, sweetgum, cottonwood, sycamore, willow, yellow poplar, and green ash.

NASIS data for these mapunit listed willow oak, swamp white oak, sweetgum, tulip poplar, pines, and American sycamore.

Vegetation as listed in Official Soil Series Description (OSD):
Dunning: Most areas are cleared and, where drained, produce hay, pasture, grain sorghum, corn, and soybeans. Native forest is water-tolerant hardwoods such as red maple, sycamore, gums, boxelder, willow, pin oak, water oak, swamp white oak, and cottonwood, interspersed with glades of cane, grass, and sedge.
Melvin: Most areas are in pasture and woodland. These soils, where previously drained, are used for corn, sorghum, soybeans, and hay. Many areas are used for wetland wildlife habitat. Native vegetation consists of water-tolerant hardwoods, chiefly water oak, pin oak, and swamp white oak, American sycamore, black willow, alder, sweetgum, blackgum, red maple, box elder, and cottonwood. Some areas were in canebrakes.

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 19: Upland Flats, Depressions, and Sinkholes with Poor Drainage
Dominant soils include Dunning, Melvin.
Vegetation-Willow oak, water oak, blackgum, sweetgum, red maple, pin oak, and elms. Occasional - hickories, American sycamore, northern red oak, Shumard oak, swamp white oak, southern red oak, white oak, boxelder, green ash, black willow, cottonwood, yellow-poplar, and loblolly pine. Dogwoods, alder, willows, euonymuses, and cane are common in the understory,

Description of Landtype 39: Upland Flats, Sinkholes, Terraces, and Stream bottoms with
Poor Drainage
Dominants soils include Dunning, Melvin
Vegetation-Willow oak, sweetgum, red maple, blackgum, green ash, and American sycamore; Occasional - boxelder, elms, white ash, swamp white oak, cottonwood, pin oak, shingle oak, black willow, yellow-poplar, silver maple, American beech, and shagbark hickory. Cane, alder, dogwoods, grasses, and sedges are common in the understory.

Description of Landtype 45: Terraces and Floodplains with Poor Drainage
Dominant soils include Dunning.
Vegetation-Willow oak, water oak, sweetgum, green ash, elms, blackgum, and water tupelo; occasional American beech, red maple, white oak, southern red oak, silver maple, black willow, boxelder, yellow- poplar, American sycamore, loblolly pine, hickories, cottonwood, sugarberry, and hackberry. Willows, elderberry, dogwoods, cane, grasses, and sedges are common in the understory.

Description of Landtype 49: Terraces and Floodplains with Poor Drainage
Dominant soils include Dunning, Melvin
Vegetation - Willow oak, sweetgum, pin oak, green ash, elms, and blackgum; occasional silver maple, red maple, American beech, swamp white oak, black willow, boxelder, yellow-poplar, white oak, southern red oak, American, sycamore, hickories, cottonwood, and hackberry. Dogwoods, alder, American hornbeam, possumhaw, elderberry, cane, grasses, willows, and sedges are common 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.

This PES grouping includes soils generally found along streams and in low lying areas adjacent to water bodies. Soils are classified as very poorly and poorly drained soils. The natural vegetation of these sites will vary in relationship to the setting, patterns of drainage, flooding frequency, other disturbances (grazing, farming, logging, etc), and previous vegetation communities. Most of these sites within MLRA 122 are now being utilized for agricultural purposes and many have been ditched or tiled.


State 1. Phase 1.1. (Reference): Forestland
Plant species dominants:
Quercus (willow, water, white, pin) – sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) / willows (Salix spp.) / sedges (Carex spp.) – elderberry (Sambucus nigra L. ssp. Canadensis)

Wetland oaks were likely part of the historic reference community for these sites but existing communities today are often dominated by a stand of mixed hardwoods such as sycamore, cottonwood, boxelder, silver maple, elms, and green ash. Most of these sites are absent of oaks, due to historic logging. Maples, ashes, elm, boxelder, and other shade-tolerant, fast-growing hardwoods will dominant post-disturbance without forest stand management.

Understory species include paw paw, spicebush, and dogwood. The herbaceous layers are variable depending on substrate, flooding frequency, flooding duration, drainage, and topography.

The flooding/ponding regime characteristic of individual soil mapunits will greatly influence the forest community as well and soil mapunits currently in this group may be further split based on future field evaluations.

State: 2. Pasture
State 2, Phase 2.1: Managed Pasture. Plant species dominants: 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. If tiled or ditched, hydrologic restoration would be needed.

State: 3 – Transitional (Abandoned) Field
State 3, Phases 3.1: maples (Acer spp.) –green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) / roses (Rosa spp.) – berries (Rubus spp.) / fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus)

Tree species regeneration on these sites will depend on the severity and duration of disturbance, soil characteristics, available water, adjacent plant communities, seed sources, post-disturbance management inputs, and presence or absence of continued site disturbances (grazing). Pioneer tree species that are common in MLRA 122 on wet sites include sycamore, cottonwood, green ash, silver maple, boxelder, red maple, and willows.

Restoration to the reference site (State 1) would require substantial and long-term inputs including planting, timber stand improvement practices, and weed control. Hydrological changes to the site would have to be assessed and restored.

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. Due to the drainage issues on these soils, many have been tiled or ditched extensively to facilitate crop production, so hydrological restoration would also be required.

State: 5. Cropland

Phase 5.1: Plant species dominants: Zea spp. – Glycine spp.
Plants on these sites will be dependent upon seeding and management. Most common crops are corn and soybeans. Due to the drainage issues of these soils, most sites have been tiled or ditched to facilitate crop production.

Restoration of these sites would require a return to the natural hydrologic state and extensive, long-term restoration efforts.


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.