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Ecological site F136XY009GA

PROVISIONAL - Dry Mountain Slope Acidic Piedmont Forest, Mesic Temperature Regime

Accessed: 04/25/2024

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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.

MLRA notes

Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): 136X–Southern Piedmont

This area is in North Carolina (29 percent), Georgia (27 percent), Virginia (21 percent), South Carolina (16 percent), and Alabama (7 percent). It makes up about 64,395 square miles (166,865 square kilometers). (Ag Bulletin 296)

The northeast-southwest trending Piedmont ecoregion comprises a transitional area between the mostly mountainous ecoregions of the Appalachians to the northwest and the relatively flat coastal plain to the southeast. It is a complex mosaic of Precambrian and Paleozoic metamorphic and igneous rocks with moderately dissected irregular plains and some hills. (EPA Ecoregions descriptions)

ADD APPROPRIATE ECOREGION DESCRIPTION(S)

Classification relationships

A PROVISIONAL ECOLOGICAL SITE is a conceptual grouping of soil map unit components within a Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) based on the similarities in response to management. Although there may be wide variability in the productivity of the soils grouped into a Provisional Site, the soil vegetation interactions as expressed in the State and Transition Model are similar and the management actions required to achieve objectives, whether maintaining the existing ecological state or managing for an alternative state, are similar. Provisional Sites are likely to be refined into more precise group during the process of meeting the APPROVED ECOLOGICAL SITE DESCRIPTION criteria.

This PROVISIONAL ECOLOGICAL SITE has been developed to meet the standards established in the National Ecological Site Handbook. The information associated with this ecological site does not meet the Approved Ecological Site Description Standard, but it has been through a Quality Control and Quality Assurance processes to assure consistency and completeness. Further investigations, reviews and correlations are necessary before it becomes an Approved Ecological Site Description.

Ecological site concept

This ecological site generally occurs on steep, well-drained uplands. The type is typically found on dry portions of the landscape. Parent material is colluvium or loamy residuum. However, part of the “dry” charter derives from the infertility of the soils and the consequent low growth rates and low canopy density.

The vegetation is dominated by Quercus species and lesser amounts of Carya species. The canopy is continuous, and several species of Quercus may be present or codominant (e.g., Quercus falcata, Quercus alba, Quercus velutina, Quercus coccinea, and Quercus stellata). The subcanopy closure is variable, ranging from less than 25% to more than 40% cover, and the shrub and herb layers generally are sparse. Subcanopy species include canopy species and Acer rubrum, Liriodendron tulipifera, Oxydendrum arboreum, Liquidambar styraciflua, Ulmus alata, Cornus florida, Nyssa sylvatica, Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana, and Vaccinium arboreum. The tall-shrub stratum may contain Rhododendron canescens and Vaccinium arboreum. The low-shrub stratum can be sparse to moderate and may be dominated by various ericaceous shrubs such as Vaccinium pallidum, Vaccinium stamineum, Vaccinium fuscatum, and Gaylussacia baccata. Smilax glauca and Vitis rotundifolia are common vines. Herbaceous species that may be present include Aristolochia serpentaria, Symphyotrichum dumosum (= Aster dumosus), Clitoria mariana, Desmodium nudiflorum, Euphorbia corollata, Galium circaezans, Chimaphila maculata, Polystichum acrostichoides, Asplenium platyneuron, Hexastylis arifolia, Coreopsis major, Solidago odora, Tephrosia virginiana, Potentilla simplex, Porteranthus stipulatus, Pteridium aquilinum, Lespedeza spp., Dichanthelium spp., and Hieracium venosum.

Table 1. Dominant plant species

Tree	(1) Quercus falcata (2) Carya ovata
Shrub	(1) Vaccinium stamineum
Herbaceous	Not specified

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Physiographic features

Most of MLRA 136 is in the Piedmont Upland Section of the Piedmont Province of the Appalachian Highlands. A very small part of the MLRA, in central North Carolina, is in the Atlantic Plain Division. A very small part in the Roanoke, Virginia, area is on the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Province of the Appalachian Highlands. This MLRA is a rolling to hilly upland with a well-defined drainage pattern. The original plateau has been dissected by streams, resulting in narrow to fairly broad upland ridgetops and short slopes. Valley floors are very narrow, and stream terraces are minor. Elevation ranges from 330 to 1,310 feet (100 to 400 m), increasing gradually from south to north.

Geology:
Precambrian and Paleozoic metamorphic and igneous rocks underlie almost all of this MLRA. The dominant metamorphic rock types include biotite gneiss, schist, slate, quartzite, phyllite, and amphibolite. The dominant igneous rock types are granite and metamorphosed granite. Some gabbro and other mafic igneous rocks also occur, and diabase dikes are not uncommon. The Carolina Slate terrane occurs just east of an imaginary centerline in this MLRA. It consists of metamorphic rocks with some metavolcanics and metasediments. Scattered graben basins, which are bounded by faults where the ground between the faults has dropped down, occur from South Carolina to south of Charlottesville and Richmond, Virginia. These basins have Triassic and Jurassic siltstone, shale, sandstone, and mudstone. River valleys have recent alluvium and few terraces.

Figure 1. EPA Level IV Ecoregion map.

Table 2. Representative physiographic features

Landforms	(1) Hill (2) Interfluve (3) Ridge
Flooding frequency	None
Ponding frequency	None
Slope	6 – 80%

Climatic features

The average annual precipitation is 37 to 45 inches (940 to 1,145 millimeters) at the northern end of this area, is 45 to 60 inches (1,145 to 1,525 millimeters) at the southern end, and is as much as 75 inches (1,905 millimeters) in a small, high-elevation area in northeastern Georgia. The precipitation generally is evenly distributed throughout the year. It is lowest in autumn. Most of the rainfall occurs as high-intensity, convective thunderstorms during the growing season. Significant moisture also comes from the movement of warm and cold fronts across the MLRA from November to April. High amounts of rain can occur during hurricanes at the same time of the year. Snowfall typically is light. The average annual temperature is 53 to 64 degrees F (12 to 18 degrees C). The freeze-free period averages 230 days and ranges from 185 to 275 days. Both the mean annual temperature and length of the freeze-free period increase from north to south and with decreasing elevation.

Table 3. Representative climatic features

Frost-free period (average)	174 days
Freeze-free period (average)	198 days
Precipitation total (average)	48 in

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Figure 2. Monthly precipitation range

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Figure 3. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature

Figure 4. Annual precipitation pattern

Figure 5. Annual average temperature pattern

Climate stations used

(1) FOREST CITY 6 SW [USC00313150], Forest City, NC
(2) SHELBY 2 NNE [USC00317845], Shelby, NC
(3) BROOKNEAL [USC00441082], Brookneal, VA
(4) HICKORY FAA AP [USW00003810], Hickory, NC
(5) YADKINVILLE 6 E [USC00319675], East Bend, NC
(6) CROZIER [USC00442142], Maidens, VA
(7) MARTINSVILLE FLTR PLT [USC00445300], Martinsville, VA
(8) WASHINGTON DC DULLES AP [USW00093738], Chantilly, VA
(9) GASTONIA [USC00313356], Gastonia, NC
(10) APPOMATTOX [USC00440243], Appomattox, VA
(11) LOUISA [USC00445050], Louisa, VA
(12) PALMYRA 3S [USC00446491], Palmyra, VA
(13) LENOIR [USC00314938], Lenoir, NC
(14) ROCKY MT [USC00447338], Rocky Mount, VA
(15) TYE RIVER 1 SE [USC00448600], Amherst, VA

Influencing water features

The extent of the major Hydrologic Unit Areas (identified by four-digit numbers) that make up this MLRA is as follows: Edisto-Santee (0305), 18 percent; Chowan-Roanoke (0301), 14 percent; Apalachicola (0313), 10 percent; Pee Dee (0304), 10 percent; Ogeechee-Savannah (0306), 10 percent; Alabama
(0315), 9 percent; Altamaha-St. Marys (0307), 9 percent; Lower Chesapeake (0208), 9 percent; Neuse-Pamlico (0302), 5 percent; Cape Fear (0303), 5 percent; and Potomac (0207), 1 percent. Some of the major rivers in this MLRA are, from north to south, the Roanoke, Cape Fear, Savannah, Altamaha, Chattahoochee, and Alabama Rivers. These rivers typically form within the Piedmont Province and flow east and south across the Coastal Plain Province and empty into the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico.

Soil features

Soils associated with this ecological site occur in the mesic soil temperature regime of MLRA 136. This soil temperature regime is defined as: The mean annual soil temperature is 8 degree C or higher but lower than 15 degrees C, and the difference between mean summer and mean winter soil temperatures is 6 degrees C or more either at a depth of 50 cm below the soil surface or at a densic, lithic, or paralithic contact, whichever is shallower. These Typic Hapludults are well drained and have mixed mineralogy. Depth to a restrictive layer is greater than 50 cm (20 inches). Dominant soil components are the Braddock, Brevard, Pine Mountain, and Sauratown soil series.

Table 4. Representative soil features

Surface texture	(1) Extremely cobbly fine sandy loam (2) Stony loam (3) Sandy loam
Drainage class	Well drained
Soil depth	30 in
Surface fragment cover <=3"	60%
Available water capacity (0-40in)	3 – 9 in
Calcium carbonate equivalent (0-40in)	Not specified
Electrical conductivity (0-40in)	Not specified
Sodium adsorption ratio (0-40in)	Not specified
Soil reaction (1:1 water) (0-40in)	4.5 – 5.5

Ecological dynamics

Historically, oak forests were maintained by fires, as rural agricultural populations used fire much as Native Americans has before them. By 1940, fire suppression became common, dramatically decreasing the frequency and size of fires, which gradually altered the species composition of oak forests.
Frequent fires favored oaks over most other hardwoods because oaks have thick bark and a tenacious ability to resprout after their tops are killed by a fire. Frequent fires also favored oak regeneration because competition from shade tolerant, fire intolerant understory and midstory species was reduced. The reduction in fire frequency over the past century has allowed shade-tolerant, fire-sensitive trees such as American beech to replace oaks in many previously oak-dominated forests in the Southeastern United States (Spira, 2011). Oak forests are now less open than in the past, due to less frequent fires.
The lack of oak regeneration, particularly on moist sites, is a concern to conservationists. Here the density of moisture-loving species in the understory prevents the establishment of young oaks as the overstory oaks die or are harvested. On drier sites, the understory is more open, and oaks are able to regenerate and maintain themselves.
A combination of prescribed burns and selective removal can open up the understory and facilitate oak regeneration, thereby helping restore a forest that historically was dominated by oaks.

State and transition model

Supporting information

Other references

Edwards, L., J. Ambrose, and L.K. Kirkman. 2013. The Natural Communities of Georgia. The University of Georgia Press. Athens and London.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2004. Level III and IV Ecoregions of EPA Region 4. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory. Western Ecology Division, Corvallis, Oregon. Scale 1:2,000,000.

Fleming, Gary P. and Karen D. Patterson. 2013. Natural Heritage Report 13-16. Natural Communities of Virginia: Ecological Groups and Community Types. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, Virginia. 36 pages.

NatureServe. 2013. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 7.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed May 24, 2013).

Nelson, John B. 1986. The natural Communities of South Carolina: Initial Classification and Description. South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department.

Schafale, M. P. 2012. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina, 4th Approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh.

Schafale, M. P., and A. S. Weakley. 1990. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina. Third approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh. 325 pp.

Spira, Timothy P. 2011. Wildflowers and Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont. The University of North Carolina Press. Chapel Hill.

United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, 2006. Land Resource Regions and Major Land Resource Areas of the United States, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin. U.S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 296.

Wharton, C.H. 1978. The natural environments of Georgia. Bulletin 114. Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Atlanta.

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:

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