Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site F146XY032ME
Loamy Till Bottom
Accessed: 04/26/2024
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.
Ecological site concept
This site typically occurs on relatively-flat areas (1-2 percent slopes) where water saturates glacial till deposits for much of the growing season. Often it is found in valley bottoms, near open wetlands and drainageways, or in surface water discharge areas such as slope breaks. Northern white cedar is the dominant overstory plant on this site, often with small diameter hardwoods and softwoods such as brown ash, balsam fir, and yellow birch present but not dominant.
Soils formed in mineral glacial till deposits, and consist of poorly-drained hummocks and very-poorly-drained depressions. Trees grow mostly on the hummocks, and diverse understory species occupy various niches associated with the complex microtopography. Dark organic materials are present on the soil surface, but the subsoil consists of lighter grey and brown mineral soils that are regularly saturated with water. These soils receive significant extra water from the above watershed, often with ponding in the depressions during wet periods.
The plant community is characterized by 50-75 percent overstory canopy cover, with diverse, productive, herbaceous understory and generally few shrubs. This site may be subject to ponding as a result of beaver activity or man-made structures. In such cases, the site may persist in a ponded state, or if obstructions are removed, may progress through several open wetland and pioneer forest phases prior to cedar re-establishment. Logging and wind may result in patches of increased herbaceous production, and are expected to revert to conifer dominance over time.
Logging and wind may open up patches of tree canopy which result in increased herb production. In areas where this site is cleared, drained, and cultivated, it is used for mostly hay and pasture, or rarely as cropland.
Associated sites
F146XY021ME |
Marsh The Marsh site may occur near this site as it grades into wetter soils with deeper organic deposits. Marsh sites are typically open herbaceous wetlands or red maple wetlands, rather than cedar woodlands found on loamy till bottoms. |
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F146XY051ME |
Rockland The mucky beat bottom site often intergrades with the loamy till bottom site as soils get wetter and organic deposits get deeper. |
Similar sites
F146XY051ME |
Rockland This site has organic soil throughout the profile, rather than mineral soil under an organic surface layer. Both sites have abundant northern white cedar, but overstory canopy cover is usually less than 50 percent on the mucky peat bottom site, allowing for more herbaceous production in the understory than the loamy till bottom site. |
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Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree |
(1) Thuja occidentalis |
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Shrub |
Not specified |
Herbaceous |
Not specified |
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