Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site F122XY010KY
Moderately Well Drained Fragipan Terraces
Last updated: 5/14/2025
Accessed: 07/22/2026
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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): 122X–Highland Rim and Pennyroyal
MLRA 122 is in Tennessee (47 percent), Kentucky (43 percent), Indiana (7 percent), and Alabama (3 percent). It makes up about 21,530 square miles (55,790 square kilometers). Bloomington, Indiana, is in the small part of this area that extends into southern Indiana.
SOILS:
Many of the soils in this MLRA are Udalfs. The moderately deep to very deep, well drained, clayey soils formed in limestone residuum. They are dominantly in rolling to steep areas of the “Outer Basin” (Mimosa, Braxton, Gladdice, and Hampshire series) and the undulating to hilly areas of the “Inner Basin” (Talbott and Bradyville series). The most agriculturally productive soils are the very deep, well drained, clayey or loamy soils that formed in alluvium and/or loess over alluvium or limestone residuum in nearly level to undulating areas (Armour, Cumberland, Harpeth, Lomond, and Maury series). The less extensive soils generally are moderately well drained to somewhat poorly drained and formed in loamy or clayey alluvium and/or residuum (Byler, Capshaw, Colbert, and Tupelo series). This MLRA has a significant acreage of Mollisols. Shallow or moderately deep, well drained, clayey Udolls (Ashwood and Barfield series) formed in limestone residuum dominantly in rolling to steep areas. Very shallow, well drained, clayey Rendolls (Gladeville series) formed in limestone residuum dominantly in undulating to rolling areas of the “Inner Basin.” Very deep, well drained or moderately well drained Udolls (Arrington, Egam, Lynnville, and Staser series) and somewhat poorly drained or poorly drained Aquolls (Agee, Godwin, and Lanton series) formed in loamy or clayey alluvium derived from limestone on flood plains. Most of the remaining soils on flood plains are moderately well drained or well drained Udepts (Lindell and Ocana series). Udults are of small extent in this area. Most are very deep, well drained, and loamy and formed in gravelly colluvium or colluvium and the underlying residuum on steep hillsides (Dellrose soils). Rock outcrops are common on uplands.
BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES:
This area supports mixed oak forest vegetation. White oak, black oak, northern red oak, and some scarlet oak are the dominant tree species. Shagbark hickory, bitternut hickory, pignut hickory, and mockernut hickory also occur. Oak, blackgum, flowering dogwood, sassafras, Virginia pine, pitch pine, and shortleaf pine grow mostly on ridgetops.
(Excerpt from United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2006. Land Resource Regions and Major Land Resource Areas of the United States, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin. U.S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 296.)Classification relationships
Group: South-Central Interior Oak Forest & Woodland
Alliance: Interior Low Plateau Mixed Oak Woodland
Possible Associations:
Quercus falcata - Quercus alba - Quercus stellata - Quercus velutina Forest
Translated Name: Southern Red Oak - White Oak - Post Oak - Black Oak Forest
Common Name: Southern Red Oak - Mixed Oak Forest
Unique Identifier: CEGL005018
Classification Approach: International Vegetation Classification (IVC)Ecological site concept
10-Moderately Well Drained Fragipan Terraces
MLRA 122
Individual sites deserve a detailed understanding before conservation and restoration practices are implemented. The provisional ecological site (PES) communities described in this document reflect plant communities that can be found but does not encompass the entire complexity or diversity. Additional ecological field assessments are required to develop a full ecological site description which can be utilized for conservation planning and restoration purposes.
Only two tree species can be selected for entry into the database as dominants; however, multiple tree species may be dominant on these sites depending on aspect, soil depth, seed sources, management, and disturbance history.
State 1. Forestland
Phase 1.1:
white oak (Quercus alba) - black oak (Quercus velutina) / flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) –sassafras (Sassafras albidum) / Canadian snakeroot (Sanicula canadensis) – ticktrefoil (Desmodium spp.)
Other common trees may include: sugar maple, red maple, American beech, tulip poplar, white ash, black walnut, basswood, hickories, and other upland oak species. Other shrubs would include paw paw (Asimina triloba) and spicebush (Lindera benzoin). In older, establish, and undisturbed forests, a rich herb and forb layer would be present.
State: 2. Pasture
Phase 2.1: Managed Pasture. Plant species dominant: Schedonorus arundinaceus (tall fescue)
Pasture plant species are dependent on seeding, weed control, concurrent land uses, on-going levels of disturbance, and landowner goals.
State: 3 – Transitional Field
Phases 3.1: Plant species dominants: maple (Acer spp.) –tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)/ berries (Rubus spp.) – roses (Rosa spp.) / iron weed (Vernonia gigantea) –tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus)
State 3 is a successional state. Typified by a variety of grasses, forbs, herbs, and young trees.
State 4: Abandoned Croplands
Phase 4.1.: Plant species dominant:
henbit deadnettle (Lamium amplexicaule) – mouse-eared chickweed (Cerastium L. )
Abandonment of cropland would result in many weed species taking over the site. Initially, annual weeds would be predominate followed by grasses, shrubs and finally, pioneers trees.
State 5.0: Cropland
Phase 5.1: Plant species dominants: dependent upon seeding and management. Most common crops are corn and soybeans.
It would require years of management, plantings, and weed control to transition to a reference community from phases 2-5.Associated sites
F122XY011KY Somewhat Poorly Drained Fragipan Terraces And Uplands
Somewhat Poorly Drained Fragipan Terraces and Uplands
Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree (1) Quercus alba
(2) Quercus velutinaShrub (1) Cornus florida
(2) Sassafras albidumHerbaceous (1) Sanicula canadensis
(2) Desmodium
