Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site F144AY006CT
High Floodplain Levee
Last updated: 4/30/2019
Accessed: 04/29/2024
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): 144A–New England and Eastern New York Upland, Southern Part
MLRA 144A: New England and Eastern New York Upland, Southern Part
The eastern half of the eastern part of this MLRA is in the Seaboard Lowland Section of the New England Province of the Appalachian Highlands. The western half of the eastern part and the southeastern half of the western part are in the New England Upland Section of the same province and division. The northwestern half of the western part is in the Hudson Valley Section of the Valley and Ridge Province of the Appalachian Highlands. This MLRA is a very scenic area of rolling to hilly uplands that are broken by many gently sloping to level valleys that terminate in coastal lowlands. Elevation ranges from sea level to 1,000 feet (0 to 305 meters) in much of the area, but it is 2,000 feet (610 meters) on some hills. Relief is mostly about 6 to 65 feet (2 to 20 meters) in the valleys and about 80 to 330 feet (25 to 100 meters) in the uplands.
This area has been glaciated and consists almost entirely of till plains and drumlins dissected by narrow valleys with a thin mantle of till. The southernmost boundary of the area marks the farthest southward extent of glaciation on the eastern seaboard. The river valleys and coastal plains are filled with glacial lake sediments, marine sediments, and glacial outwash. The bedrock in the eastern half of the area consists primarily of igneous and metamorphic rocks of early Paleozoic age. Granite is the most common igneous rock, and gneiss, schist, and slate are the most common metamorphic rocks. In the parts of the MLRA in northeastern Pennsylvania and in eastern and southeastern New York, Devonian- to Pennsylvanian-age sandstone, shale, and limestone bedrock is dominant. Carbonate rocks, primarily dolomite and limestone, are the dominant kinds of bedrock in the part of this MLRA in northwestern Connecticut.
Classification relationships
This ecological site is found in Major Land Resource Area 144A - the New England and Eastern New York Upland, Southern Part. MLRA 144A is located within Land Resource Region R - the Northeastern Forage and Forest Region (USDA 2006); and in the United States Forest Service National Hierarchical Classification: Province 221 - Eastern Broadleaf Forest, and Section 221A – Lower New England, while also touching Section 222O - Mohawk Valley, and Section M212C – Taconic Mountains and Section M212B – New England Adirondacks (Cleland et al. 2007). In addition, as classified by EPA Ecoregion Level III, MLRA 144AA falls within Area #59 – Northeast Coastal Zone and the southernmost part of Area #58 – the Northeaster Highlands (USEPA 2013) and touches the northern most reaches of Area #67 – Ridge and Valley.
Laurentian-Acadian Floodplain Forest SYSTEM- CES201.587 and
• Acer saccharinum - (Populus deltoides) / Matteuccia struthiopteris - Laportea canadensis Floodplain Forest ASSOCIATION- CEGL006147
(NatureServe 2017).
Ecological site concept
The site consists of deep, sandy, excessively drained alluvial soils occurring on high river levees. Representative soils are Suncook.
The reference community is characterized by Silver maple, eastern cottonwood, American elm, spicebush, silky dogwood, southern arrowwood, white snakeroot, stinging nettle, Virginia creeper, great ragweed, and ostrich fern.
Associated sites
F144AY012CT |
Sandy Low Floodplain Associated floodplain site on large to medium sized rivers |
---|---|
F144AY014CT |
Wet Sandy Low Floodplain Associated floodplain site on large to medium sized rivers |
F144AY015NY |
Wet Silty Low Floodplain Associated floodplain site |
F144AY016MA |
Very Wet Low Floodplain Associated floodplain site |
Similar sites
F144AY010NH |
Sandy High Floodplain |
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Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree |
(1) Acer saccharinum |
---|---|
Shrub |
(1) Lindera benzoin |
Herbaceous |
(1) Ageratina altissima |
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