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Conservation Service

Ecological site F140XY004NY

Frigid Shallow Moist Till

Last updated: 10/01/2024
Accessed: 12/21/2024

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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): 140X–Glaciated Allegheny Plateau and Catskill Mountains

This area is primarily in the Southern New York Section of the Appalachian Plateaus Province of the Appalachian Highlands. The top of the dissected plateau in this MLRA is broad and is nearly level to moderately sloping. The narrow valleys have steep walls and smooth floors. The Catskills in the east have steep slopes. Elevation is typically 650 to 1,000 feet on valley floors; 1,650 to 2,000 feet on the plateau surface; and 3,600 feet or more in parts of the Catskills.

The average annual precipitation in most of this area is 30 to 45 inches. Rainfall occurs as high-intensity, convective thunderstorms during the summer, but most of the precipitation in this area occurs as snow. The average annual temperature is 40 to 50 degrees F.

The dominant soil order in this MLRA is Inceptisols. The soils in the area dominantly have a mesic soil temperature regime, an aquic or udic soil moisture regime, and mixed mineralogy. Frigid soils are found within the higher elevations.

This area supports forest vegetation, particularly hardwood species. Beech-birch-maple and elm-ash-red maple are the potential forest types. The extent of oak species increases from east to west, particularly in areas of shallow and dry soils. In some areas conifers, such as white pine, are important. Aspen, hemlock, northern white-cedar, and black ash grow on the wetter soils. In some parts of the area, sugar maple has potential economic significance. Some of the major wildlife species in this area are white-tailed deer, cottontail, turkey, pheasant, and grouse.

Classification relationships

USDA NRCS:
LRR: R - Northeastern Forage and Forest Region
MLRA 140 - Glaciated Allegheny Plateau and Catskills Mountains

EPA Ecoregions:
Level III: 60 - Northern Allegheny Plateau and 58 - Northeastern Highlands
Level IV: 60a - Glaciated Low Allegheny Plateau, 60b - Delaware-Neversink Highlands, 60c - Catskills Transition, and 58y - Catskill High Peaks

USDA USFS:
200 Humid Temperate Domain
212 Laurentian Mixed Forest Province
M212 Adirondack - New England Mixed Forest - Coniferous Forest - Alpine Meadow Province

NY Natural Heritage Program Plant Community Classifications:

International Vegetation Classification Associations:

NatureServe Ecological Systems:

Ecological site concept

Landform/Landscape Position:

The site occurs on bedrock controlled benches, steps, and footslopes. Slopes range from 0-5%

Soils:
The soils consists of shallow (to bedrock), somewhat poorly to poorly drained soils formed in a thin mantle of flaggly loamy till derived from sandstone, siltstone, and shale. Soil temperature regime is frigid. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid throughout the mineral soil. Soil component is Tor.

Vegetation:
Reference community is a red maple dominant hardwood Forest. Characteristic vegetation includes:

Trees: Red maple (Acer rubrum), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), red oak (Quercus rubra), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis). Conifers such as eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) and hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) are minor components.

Shrubs: Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), American witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), hobblebush (Viburnum lantanoides).

Herbaceous: Cinnamon fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum), Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum), and sessile-leaved bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia)

Similar sites

F140XY010NY	Frigid Moist Till Uplands

F140XY010NY

Frigid Moist Till Uplands

Table 1. Dominant plant species

Tree	(1) Acer saccharum (2) Acer rubrum
Shrub	(1) Lindera benzoin
Herbaceous	(1) Osmunda cinnamomea

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Physiographic features

The site occurs on bedrock controlled benches, steps, and footslopes. Slopes range from 0-5%

Table 2. Representative physiographic features

Landforms	(1) Mountains > Bench (2) Hill (3) Mountain
Flooding frequency	None
Ponding frequency	None
Elevation	1,801 – 2,401 ft
Slope	5%
Water table depth	8 – 10 in
Aspect	Aspect is not a significant factor

Climatic features

The Koppen-Geiger climate classification of the area in which this MLRA occurs is
Dfb, Warm-summer humid continental. Rainfall occurs as high-intensity, convective thunderstorms in the summer. However, snow comprises most of the precipitation in this area. The frost-free-free period in this area averages 165 days and ranges from 130 to 200 days, with the coldest temperatures and the shortest frost-free periods occurring in the high-elevation areas in the eastern part of the MLRA.

Table 3. Representative climatic features

Frost-free period (characteristic range)	90-109 days
Freeze-free period (characteristic range)	124-143 days
Precipitation total (characteristic range)	38-51 in
Frost-free period (actual range)	89-110 days
Freeze-free period (actual range)	118-144 days
Precipitation total (actual range)	38-60 in
Frost-free period (average)	98 days
Freeze-free period (average)	132 days
Precipitation total (average)	46 in

Characteristic range

Actual range

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Figure 1. Monthly precipitation range

Characteristic range

Actual range

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Figure 2. Monthly minimum temperature range

Characteristic range

Actual range

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Figure 3. Monthly maximum temperature range

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Figure 4. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature

Figure 5. Annual precipitation pattern

Figure 6. Annual average temperature pattern

Climate stations used

(1) EAST JEWETT [USC00302366], Tannersville, NY
(2) WELLSVILLE [USC00309072], Wellsville, NY
(3) ALFRED [USC00300085], Alfred Station, NY
(4) DELHI 2 SE [USC00302036], Delancey, NY
(5) LANSING MANOR [USC00304575], Gilboa, NY
(6) SLIDE MTN [USC00307799], Big Indian, NY

Soil features

The soils consists of shallow (to bedrock), somewhat poorly to poorly drained soils formed in a thin mantle of flaggy loamy till derived from sandstone, siltstone, and shale. Soil temperature regime is frigid. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid throughout the mineral soil. Soil component is Tor.

Table 4. Representative soil features

Parent material	(1) Till – sandstone and shale (2) Till – siltstone
Surface texture	(1) Flaggy loam (2) Channery loam
Family particle size	(1) Loamy-skeletal
Drainage class	Somewhat poorly drained to poorly drained
Depth to restrictive layer	19 in
Surface fragment cover <=3"	Not specified
Surface fragment cover >3"	2%
Available water capacity (Depth not specified)	2 in
Soil reaction (1:1 water) (Depth not specified)	3.6 – 5.5
Subsurface fragment volume <=3" (Depth not specified)	24%
Subsurface fragment volume >3" (Depth not specified)	19%

Ecological dynamics

Reference community is a red maple dominant hardwood Forest. Characteristic vegetation includes:

Trees: Red maple (Acer rubrum), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), red oak (Quercus rubra), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis). Conifers such as eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) and hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) are minor components.

Shrubs: Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), American witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), hobblebush (Viburnum lantanoides).

Herbaceous: Cinnamon fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum), Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum), and sessile-leaved bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia).

Natural disturbances that create forest canopy openings include windthrow, ice storms, and insect damage. Alternative states are a semi-natural forest (timber harvest, invasive species) and a pasture state.

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

State 1
Mixed Hardwood Forest - Reference

Minimally managed hardwood forest. Natural disturbances primarily from weather events, insect damage, tree fall create pockets of young forest communities (early successional). Red maple, sugar maple, American beech, yellow birch, red oak, eastern hemlock, and eastern white pine are some characteristic trees.

Community 1.1
Closed Canopy Forest

Community 1.2
Young Forest (early successional)

Pathway P1.1
Community 1.1 to 1.2

Conservation practices

Early Successional Habitat Development/Management

Pathway P1.2
Community 1.2 to 1.1

State 2
Semi-Natural

Timber harvest common, invasive species such as bush honesuckle, oriental bittersweet, Japanese barberry, and multiflora rose may be common in disturbed areas.

Community 2.1
Closed Canopy Forest

Community 2.2
Young Forest (early successional)

Pathway P2.1
Community 2.1 to 2.2

Pathway P2.2
Community 2.2 to 2.1

State 3
Pasture

Forest has been converted to pastureland/grassland for either livestock grazing, hay production, or wildlife habitat.

Community 3.1
Introduced Grasses and Forbs

Grasses and forbs introduces for livestock grazing, hay production, or wildlife habitat.

Community 3.2
Shrub Encroached

Pathway P3.1
Community 3.1 to 3.2

Lack of mowing, grazing, or fire.

Pathway P3.2
Community 3.2 to 3.1

Brush management and/or fire.

Conservation practices

Brush Management
Prescribed Burning

Transition T1A
State 1 to 2

Human disturbances (roads, timber harvest,) affect species composition and allow the potential for non-native and invasive species to establish and persist.

Transition T1B
State 1 to 3

Conservation practices

Land Clearing
Forage and Biomass Planting

Restoration pathway R2A
State 2 to 1

Conservation practices

Brush Management
Forest Stand Improvement
Forest Management Plan - Written
Forest stand improvement for habitat and soil quality
Herbaceous Weed Control

Restoration pathway R3A
State 3 to 1

Conservation practices

Native Plant Community Restoration and Management

Additional community tables

Supporting information

Inventory data references

Future work is needed, as described in a future project plan, to validate the information presented in this provisional ecological site description. Future work includes field sampling, data collection and analysis by qualified vegetation ecologists and soil scientists. As warranted, annual reviews of the project plan can be conducted by the Ecological Site Technical Team. A final field review, peer review, quality control, and quality assurance reviews of the ESD are necessary to approve a final document.

Contributors

Joshua Hibit

Approval

Greg Schmidt, 10/01/2024

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	05/20/2020
Approved by	Greg Schmidt
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 F140XY004NY

Frigid Shallow Moist Till

Last updated: 10/01/2024 Accessed: 12/21/2024

General information

MLRA notes

Classification relationships

Ecological site concept

Similar sites

Table 1. Dominant plant species

Ecosystem states

State 1 submodel, plant communities

State 2 submodel, plant communities

State 3 submodel, plant communities

Natural Resources
Conservation Service

Last updated: 10/01/2024
Accessed: 12/21/2024