Thermic Very Deep Clayey Non-Cherty Limestone and Dolomite Residuum White Oak (Quercus alba)/Black Oak (Quercus velutina)

Description

The naturalized state for this ecological site is characterized by a closed-canopy hardwood forest dominated by oaks. Yellow poplar may be more common on these sites than on similar drier sites, indicating that fragment content is related to soil moisture. Yellow poplar would be more competitive on sites with more available moisture while white oak, for example, would likely do better on drier sites.

In order for this state to be maintained, the mixed hardwood species, especially oaks, must be present in multiple age classes. In most cases red maple, sugar maple and American beech are colonizing the midstory and understory. A species composition shift toward these more mesophytic species is widely recognized throughout the eastern United States (McEwan et al., 2011).

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Description

Forests in the high graded state have been logged using diameter-limit cut methods multiple times in most cases. This results in a stand with undesirable species composition, low vigor, and poor health. The genetic quality of the forest has been depleted due to the best trees being taken out over time.

While oak and hickory species are often still present in this state, individual trees are often "wolfy" and defective. These are the trees that would have been undesirable from a timber perspective and so left after multiple entries of logging. Notably, hickory has often been left because sawmills historically did not have the capability to process them.

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Description

This state represents a once-forested area now cleared for pasture. Most pastures are very old and have been established for a long time. Management practices focus primarily on maintaining healthy pasture conditions rather than new pasture establishment, although that is certainly an option. Balancing stocking rates, grazing rotation, and nutrient inputs are the primary management concerns.

Pastures in good condition fall into the MDWRV (G128XY021TN) forage suitability group (FSG) in Tennessee. Forage species rated as excellent for this site include the legumes alfalfa, ladino clover, and red clover. Cool season grasses rated as excellent include annual ryegrass, orchardgrass, tall fescue, timothy, and winter small grains. Warm season grasses rated as excellent include bermudagrass, big bluestem, caucasian bluestem, eastern gamagrass, indiangrass, little bluestem, switchgrass, pear millet and sorghum sudangrass. Some species listed as excellent were not included in this description because they are known to have invasive tendencies and should be avoided if possible.

In general, pasture management recommendations focus on maximizing desirable forage species to outcompete undesirable or weedy species. Production practices that result in overgrazing and low fertility levels favor emergence, propagation, and growth of weeds (Green et al., 2006). Effective pasture management includes the following practices:

- maintaining proper soil pH and fertility levels

- using controlled grazing practices

- mowing at proper timing and stage of maturity

- allowing new seedlings to become well established before use, and

- renovating pastures when needed (Green et al. 2006).

Perilla (Perilla frutescens) mint is an exotic, invasive weed that has become a major problem in many pastures. It causes more cattle deaths (in Tennessee) than any other toxic plant (Steckel and Rhodes, 2007). Keeping a ready supply of quality feed available for farm animals in the late summer and early fall will help to minimize the risk to livestock. Cattle will not normally feed on perilla unless there is a shortage of other feed.

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