Ecological site F134XY014MO

General information

Provisional. A provisional ecological site description has undergone quality control and quality assurance review. It contains a working state and transition model and enough information to identify the ecological site.

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Figure 1. Mapped extent

Areas shown in blue indicate the maximum mapped extent of this ecological site. Other ecological sites likely occur within the highlighted areas. It is also possible for this ecological site to occur outside of highlighted areas if detailed soil survey has not been completed or recently updated.

MLRA notes

Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): 134X–Southern Mississippi Valley Loess

The Southern Mississippi Valley Loess (outlined in red on the map; northern portion only) is a relatively narrow strip of the coastal plain bordering the Mississippi River valley, that is blanketed with loess. The northern part of this MLRA, discussed here, is locally referred to as Crowley’s Ridge. Elevation ranges from about 300 feet on the footslopes to nearly 600 feet on the highest ridges. Loess caps the summits and upper slopes, and Pliocene-aged sand and gravel deposits of the coastal plain influence soils on lower, steeper slopes.

Classification relationships

Terrestrial Natural Community Type in Missouri (Nelson, 2010):
The reference state for this ecological site is most similar to a Wet-Mesic Bottomland Forest.

Missouri Department of Conservation Forest and Woodland Communities (Missouri Department of Conservation, 2006):
The reference state for this ecological site is most similar to a Wet Bottomland Forest.

National Vegetation Classification System Vegetation Association (NatureServe, 2010):
The reference state for this ecological site is most similar to a Quercus macrocarpa – Quercus shumardii – Carya cordiformis / Chasmanthium latifolium Forest (CEGL004544).

Geographic relationship to the Missouri Ecological Classification System (Nigh & Schroeder, 2002):
This Ecological Site occurs primarily in the Crowley’s Ridge Subsection, and in the Benton Loess Woodland/Forest Hills Land Type Association of the Ozark Outer Border Subsection.

Ecological site concept

Wet Footslope Forests are within the green areas on the map (Missouri portion only; distributions farther south are currently under review). These sites are extensive on footslopes and drainageways on Crowley’s Ridge and adjacent areas. Soils are very deep, with a seasonal high water table. The reference plant community is forest with an overstory dominated by a variety of trees including bur oak, cherrybark oak, willow oak, sweetgum, pin oak, Nuttall oak, water oak, American elm, sugarberry, and green ash, an understory dominated by blue beech, spicebush, and Ohio buckeye, and a rich herbaceous ground flora.

Table 1. Dominant plant species

Tree	(1) Quercus macrocarpa (2) Fraxinus pennsylvanica
Shrub	(1) Vitis (2) Cornus foemina
Herbaceous	(1) Boehmeria cylindrica (2) Cardamine concatenata

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Physiographic features

This site is on footslopes and drainageways with slopes of less than 3%. The site receives runoff from adjacent upland sites. Some areas are subject to flooding.
The adjacent figure (adapted from Butler, 1985) shows the typical landscape position of this ecological site, and landscape relationships with other ecological sites. It is within the area labeled “3” on the figure, on footslopes and stream terraces along upland drainageways. Fragipan Upland Woodland sites and Deep Loess Backslope sites are typically upslope.

Figure 2. Typical landscape relationships for this ecologica

Table 2. Representative physiographic features

Landforms	(1) Hill (2) Stream terrace (3) Drainageway
Flooding frequency	None
Ponding frequency	None
Slope	3%
Water table depth	6 – 24 in
Aspect	Aspect is not a significant factor

Climatic features

Table 3. Representative climatic features

Frost-free period (characteristic range)	164-172 days
Freeze-free period (characteristic range)	197-211 days
Precipitation total (characteristic range)	48-49 in
Frost-free period (actual range)	163-173 days
Freeze-free period (actual range)	193-215 days
Precipitation total (actual range)	48-49 in
Frost-free period (average)	168 days
Freeze-free period (average)	204 days
Precipitation total (average)	48 in

Characteristic range

Actual range

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Figure 3. Monthly precipitation range

Characteristic range

Actual range

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Figure 4. Monthly minimum temperature range

Characteristic range

Actual range

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Figure 5. Monthly maximum temperature range

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Figure 6. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature

Figure 7. Annual precipitation pattern

Figure 8. Annual average temperature pattern

Climate stations used

(1) KENNETT RADIO KBOA [USC00234417], Kennett, MO
(2) ADVANCE 1 S [USW00093825], Advance, MO

Soil features

These soils have no rooting restriction. The soils were formed under forest vegetation, and have thin, light-colored surface horizons. Parent material is colluvium or local alluvium from loess. They have silt loam surface horizons, with loamy to clayey subsoils. They are affected by a seasonal high water table during the spring months. Soil series associated with this site include Calhoun, Dundee, Falaya, Overcup, and Zachary.
The accompanying picture of the Overcup series shows a thin silt loam surface horizon over a light-colored leached layer called an albic horizon at about 20 cm. Below this is the claypan, a clay horizon that impedes water movement and root penetration. Indicators of seasonal wetness (redoximorphic features) are visible in the lower part of the profile. Picture courtesy of Kevin Godsey and Dan Childress; scale is in centimeters.

Figure 9. Overcup series

Table 4. Representative soil features

Surface texture	(1) Silt loam
Family particle size	(1) Loamy
Drainage class	Poorly drained to somewhat poorly drained
Permeability class	Very slow to slow
Surface fragment cover <=3"	Not specified
Surface fragment cover >3"	Not specified
Available water capacity (0-40in)	6 – 8 in
Calcium carbonate equivalent (0-40in)	Not specified
Electrical conductivity (0-40in)	2 mmhos/cm
Sodium adsorption ratio (0-40in)	Not specified
Soil reaction (1:1 water) (0-40in)	4.5 – 7.3
Subsurface fragment volume <=3" (Depth not specified)	Not specified
Subsurface fragment volume >3" (Depth not specified)	Not specified

Ecological dynamics

State and transition model

More interactive model formats are also available. View Interactive Models
Click on state and transition labels to scroll to the respective text

Ecosystem states

1. Mesic Bottomland Forest

State 1 submodel, plant communities

1.1. Sugar Maple-Red Oak-Bitternut Hickory/PawPaw Forest

State 1
Mesic Bottomland Forest

Community 1.1
Sugar Maple-Red Oak-Bitternut Hickory/PawPaw Forest

Additional community tables

Table 5. Community 1.1 forest overstory composition

Common name	Symbol	Scientific name	Nativity	Height (ft)	Canopy cover (%)	Diameter (in)	Basal area (square ft/acre)
Tree
Kentucky coffeetree	GYDI	Gymnocladus dioicus	Native	–	–	–	–
black walnut	JUNI	Juglans nigra	Native	–	–	–	–
white oak	QUAL	Quercus alba	Native	–	–	–	–
American elm	ULAM	Ulmus americana	Native	–	–	–	–
slippery elm	ULRU	Ulmus rubra	Native	–	–	–	–
sugar maple	ACSA3	Acer saccharum	Native	–	–	–	–
northern red oak	QURU	Quercus rubra	Native	–	–	–	–
bitternut hickory	CACO15	Carya cordiformis	Native	–	–	–	–

Table 6. Community 1.1 forest understory composition

Common name	Symbol	Scientific name	Nativity	Height (ft)	Canopy cover (%)
Forb/Herb
northern spicebush	LIBE3	Lindera benzoin	Native	–	–
Virginia bluebells	MEVI3	Mertensia virginica	Native	–	–
Shumard's oak	QUSH	Quercus shumardii	–	–	–
American basswood	TIAM	Tilia americana	Native	–	–
zigzag spiderwort	TRSU2	Tradescantia subaspera	Native	–	–
Missouri violet	VIMI3	Viola missouriensis	Native	–	–
lowland bladderfern	CYPR4	Cystopteris protrusa	Native	–	–
common persimmon	DIVI5	Diospyros virginiana	Native	–	–
white fawnlily	ERAL9	Erythronium albidum	Native	–	–
common cowparsnip	HEMA80	Heracleum maximum	Native	–	–
zigzag iris	IRBR2	Iris brevicaulis	Native	–	–
butternut	JUCI	Juglans cinerea	Native	–	–
striped cream violet	VIST3	Viola striata	Native	–	–
Adam and Eve	APHY	Aplectrum hyemale	Native	–	–
green dragon	ARDR3	Arisaema dracontium	Native	–	–
spring blue eyed Mary	COVE2	Collinsia verna	Native	–	–
Shrub/Subshrub
Greek valerian	PORE2	Polemonium reptans	Native	–	–
Tree
pawpaw	ASTR	Asimina triloba	Native	–	–

Supporting information

Other references

Butler, E. Rex. 1985. Soil Survey of Stoddard County, Missouri. U.S. Dept. of Agric. Soil Conservation Service.

MDC, 2010. Missouri Forest and Woodland Community Profiles. Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City, Missouri.
NatureServe, 2010. Vegetation Associations of Missouri (revised). NatureServe, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Nelson, Paul W. 2010. The Terrestrial Natural Communities of Missouri. Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City, Missouri.

Nigh, Timothy A., & Walter A. Schroeder. 2002. Atlas of Missouri Ecoregions. Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City, Missouri.

Contributors

Fred Young

Rangeland health reference sheet

Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health is a qualitative assessment protocol used to determine ecosystem condition based on benchmark characteristics described in the Reference Sheet. A suite of 17 (or more) indicators are typically considered in an assessment. The ecological site(s) representative of an assessment location must be known prior to applying the protocol and must be verified based on soils and climate. Current plant community cannot be used to identify the ecological site.

Author(s)/participant(s)
Contact for lead author
Date
Approved by
Approval date
Composition (Indicators 10 and 12) based on	Annual Production

Indicators

Number and extent of rills:
Presence of water flow patterns:
Number and height of erosional pedestals or terracettes:
Bare ground from Ecological Site Description or other studies (rock, litter, lichen, moss, plant canopy are not bare ground):
Number of gullies and erosion associated with gullies:
Extent of wind scoured, blowouts and/or depositional areas:
Amount of litter movement (describe size and distance expected to travel):
Soil surface (top few mm) resistance to erosion (stability values are averages - most sites will show a range of values):
Soil surface structure and SOM content (include type of structure and A-horizon color and thickness):
Effect of community phase composition (relative proportion of different functional groups) and spatial distribution on infiltration and runoff:
Presence and thickness of compaction layer (usually none; describe soil profile features which may be mistaken for compaction on this site):
Functional/Structural Groups (list in order of descending dominance by above-ground annual-production or live foliar cover using symbols: >>, >, = to indicate much greater than, greater than, and equal to):

Dominant:

Sub-dominant:

Other:

Additional:
Amount of plant mortality and decadence (include which functional groups are expected to show mortality or decadence):
Average percent litter cover (%) and depth ( in):
Expected annual annual-production (this is TOTAL above-ground annual-production, not just forage annual-production):
Potential invasive (including noxious) species (native and non-native). List species which BOTH characterize degraded states and have the potential to become a dominant or co-dominant species on the ecological site if their future establishment and growth is not actively controlled by management interventions. Species that become dominant for only one to several years (e.g., short-term response to drought or wildfire) are not invasive plants. Note that unlike other indicators, we are describing what is NOT expected in the reference state for the ecological site:
Perennial plant reproductive capability:

Download reference sheet

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Natural ResourcesConservation Service

Ecological site F134XY014MO

Wet Footslope Forest

Accessed: 11/13/2024

General information

Figure 1. Mapped extent

MLRA notes

Classification relationships

Ecological site concept

Table 1. Dominant plant species

Ecosystem states

State 1 submodel, plant communities

Natural Resources
Conservation Service