Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site F140XY023NY
Shallow Till Uplands
Last updated: 5/20/2020
Accessed: 04/16/2024
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
Ecological site concept
Landform/Landscape Position:
The site occurs on hills, ridges, benches, and ground moraines. Slopes range from 0 to 80 percent.
Soils:
The site consists of shallow, well drained to somewhat excessively drained, gravelly, loamy soils that formed in glacial till derived mostly from acid sandstone, siltstone, shale, and conglomerates. Representative soil is Arnot.
Vegetation:
The reference plant community is an oak dominated forest. In some places the canopy may be more open forming a woodland. Black oak and chestnut are common trees in association with scarlet oak, red oak, pignut hickory, white ash, eastern white pine, and eastern hemlock. Common shrubs include black huckleberry and lowbush blueberry.
Table 1. Dominant plant species
| Tree |
(1) Quercus velutina |
|---|---|
| Shrub |
(1) Vaccinium angustifolium |
| Herbaceous |
(1) Carex pensylvanica |
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