Ecological site F111XC015IN

F111XC007IN	Glacial Ridge Located outside of the floodplain on adjacent, generally steep uplands. White oak and shagbark hickory are the dominate tree species.
F111XC014IN	Wet Floodplain Located in floodplain, but not on terrace or levee. Dominated by sycamore and cottonwood trees.

F111XC014IN	Wet Floodplain Located in floodplain, but not on terrace or levee. Dominated by sycamore and cottonwood trees.

Tree	(1) Acer saccharum (2) Quercus bicolor
Shrub	Not specified
Herbaceous	Not specified

Landforms	(1) Flood plain (2) Flood-plain step
Runoff class	Negligible to low
Flooding duration	Very brief (4 to 48 hours) to long (7 to 30 days)
Flooding frequency	Occasional to very frequent
Elevation	525 – 1181 ft
Slope	0 – 2 %
Water table depth	20 – 0 in
Aspect	Aspect is not a significant factor

Ecological dynamics

The historic plant community of the Dry Floodplain ecological site is a dry floodplain forest. The dominant species in the canopy are sugar maple and swamp white oak, with silver maple, elm, and basswood being common as well. This site is the result of hydrologic and geomorphic process at the macro scale and windthrow on a more local scale. The disturbance regime is one of somewhat frequent low intensity flooding events punctuated punctuated by high intensity events (ie. 100+ year floods, tornados, or ice storms). Since settlement, approximately 30% of this site is in agriculture production. The balance being largely a mix of the reference state and the invaded state.

State and transition model

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State 1
Dry Floodplain Forest

This is the reference or diagnostic plant community for this site. In reference condition (mature), this site was dominated by sugar maple and swamp white oak trees. Other canopy tree species include black walnut, shagbark hickory, and elm. Prior to settlement, the dynamics of the site were largely controlled by flooding, channel meandering, sedimentation and erosion. These process still occur, at some level, yet to this day, but have been greatly altered from pre-settlement conditions by bank stabilization, dams, diversions, and channel straightening. Approximately 30% of this site is in agricultural production, most of which is used to grow corn and soybeans. Many of the areas that are relatively intact have been affected by invasive species and the disruption of the hydrologic and geomorphic processes listed above.

Community 1.1
sugar maple/swamp white oak

This phase is characterized by tree species dominance, particularly sugar maple and swamp white oak. Additional canopy species include black walnut, basswood, and shagbark hickory. Understory woody species include hornbeam, spicebush, and eastern redbud.

State 2
Invaded State

This state is characterized by the establishment and eventual dominance of invasive species in the understory. This greatly reduces the species richness and diversity of the site as a whole. Common invasives for this site include, but are not limited to, species of Asian bush honeysuckle, Callery pear, autumn olive and ailanthus.

Community 2.1
sugar maple/swamp white oak/invasives

This phase is characterized by the understory being dominated by woody, mostly non-native, invasive species.

State 3
Agriculture State

This state is characterized by the conversion of the site to agricultural use. Most common practice is a corn and soybean rotation of various types. About 10% of the historic acres are use for forage and pasture.

Community 3.1
corn/soybeans

This phase is characterized by row crop agriculture of small grains, primarily corn and soybeans.

Community 3.2
cool season forage/pasture

This phase is characterized by forage or grazing agriculture. Different mixes of, generally, cool season grasses and forbs, largely clovers, are grown.

Pathway CP 3.1-3.2
Community 3.1 to 3.2

Planting of cool season pasture/forage species and management to maintain them.

Transition T 1-2
State 1 to 2

The establishment of an invasive species without management to remove or control it will transition the site to the Invaded State (2).

Transition T 1-3
State 1 to 3

Removal of the trees and, in some cases, the installation of a drainage system are the first steps in converting the site to the Agriculture State. Regular agricultural practices will maintain the site in that state.

Restoration pathway R 2-1
State 2 to 1

Chemical and mechanical treatment of the invasive species. Planting of desired species may be needed if they are not enough left to recolonize the site.

Transition T 2-3
State 2 to 3

Removal off trees and other wood species. Install drainage system (if warranted), prepare the site for planting the agricultural crop, and regular agricultural practices.

Restoration pathway R 3-1
State 3 to 1

Removal of drainage system (if warranted), site preparation, and tree planting.

Additional community tables

Table 3. Community 1.1 plant community composition

Group	Common name	Symbol	Scientific name	Annual production ()	Foliar cover (%)

Table 4. Community 2.1 plant community composition

Group	Common name	Symbol	Scientific name	Annual production ()	Foliar cover (%)

Table 5. Community 3.1 plant community composition

Group	Common name	Symbol	Scientific name	Annual production ()	Foliar cover (%)

Table 6. Community 3.2 plant community composition

Group	Common name	Symbol	Scientific name	Annual production ()	Foliar cover (%)

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	08/20/2026
Approved by
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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Ecological site F111XC015IN

Dry Floodplain

Accessed: 08/20/2026

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General information

MLRA notes

Classification relationships

Ecological site concept

Associated sites

Similar sites

Table 1. Dominant plant species

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