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 Classification:

PA Natural Heritage Program Plant Community Classification:
Hemlock – Mixed Hardwood Palustrine Forest
Highbush Blueberry – Sphagnum Wetland

International Vegetation Classification Associations:
Hemlock - Hardwood Swamp (CEGL006226)
Highbush Blueberry Bog Thicket (CEGL006190)
Highbush Blueberry Poor Fen (CEGL005085)

NatureServe Ecological Systems
North-Central Appalachian Acidic Swamp (CES202.604)
North-Central Interior and Appalachian Acidic Peatland (CES202.606)

Ecological site concept

Climate:
Mean annual precipitation is 46 inches and evenly distributed throughout the year. Most of the rainfall occurs as high intensity, convective thunderstorms during the summer. Snowfall is heavy from late in autumn to early spring. Average frost-free and freeze-free days are 98 and 132, respectively.

Landform/Landscape Position:
The site occurs in swamps on till plains, lake plains, outwash plains, and flood plains. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent.

Soils:
The soils consists of moderately deep organic material over mineral soils. They are very poorly drained and ponded soils formed in organic material of highly decomposed woody plants in glacially blocked drainage patterns. Soil temperature regime is mesic. The reaction ranges from ultra acid to extremely acid throughout the organic layers and from extremely acid to strongly acid in the C horizon. Soil component is Paupack.

Vegetation:
The reference community is variable and is dependent on local hydrological conditions. Reference community can either be a a mixed conifer-hardwood peat swamp or a broadleaf palustrine shrubland. Characteristic vegetation includes:

Trees: hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), red maple ( (Acer rubrum), gray birch (Betula populifolia), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis), and black ash (Fraxinus nigra), white pine (Pinus strobus), tamarack (Larix laricina), and black gum (Nyssa sylvatica).

Shrubs: highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), swamp azalea (Rhododendron viscosum), leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata) witherrod (Viburnum cassinoides), winterberry (Ilex verticillata), witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana).

Herbaceous: cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea), marsh fern, (Thelypteris palustris), skunk-cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus), purple-stem aster (Symphyotrichum puniceum), Three-seeded sedge (Carex trisperma).

Bryophytes: Sphagnum spp.

Associated sites

Similar sites

Table 1. Dominant plant species