Batture - Frequently Flooded Moderately Wet Low Ridge Forest

Dominant plant species

1. Nuttall oak (Quercus texana), tree

2. willow oak (Quercus phellos), tree

3. sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), tree

4. sugarberry (Celtis laevigata), tree

5. American elm (Ulmus americana), tree

6. cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda), tree

Submodel

Description

This state consists of forest canopy openings that are created by catastrophic disturbances, allowing sunlight to reach understory strata and ground surfaces. Depending on local conditions and disturbance regime and intensity, a continuum or range of successional stages and community structure (physiognomy) is represented. Provisionally, this state includes seral stages ranging from recent disturbances that consist mainly of sparse herbaceous cover over mostly bare soil to the regeneration of woody species among a dense herbaceous cover (early stand initiation stage) to the initial stem exclusion stage where woody growth overtops and shades out the herbaceous stratum. In future ecological site development efforts, multiple community phases that describe the composition and progression from one stage to the next may be warranted for specifying management strategies and actions.

The nature of the batture area makes it difficult to get slower growing species tall enough to withstand the deeper flood waters during regeneration. They can be planted and survive only to be lost in the next flood event. It is difficult to get some species back in this area once they are gone from an area.

Submodel

Description

This site is an undulating landscape, so it is variably suited for crop production due to potential wetness and different soil textures, this will present inconsistencies in production across a field. The site can be managed as cropland; however, production is impacted by the potential for flooding. This site will be the highest local elevation and will be the last to flood and it may be utilized by wildlife and livestock as refuge from rising floods, which could damage or destroy crop production.

A form of crop field that is found in irregular shapes and sizes on the landscape in the Batture region are wildlife food plots. This site is suited for this landuse and can be productive.

Careful planning considerations should be made when utilizing Batture areas for crop production. Extreme and innovative practices may be needed at times for management. Access, water management, and wildlife impacts are considerations that require careful planning and multiple techniques in any given crop cycle. Irrigation may be warranted at one time or part of a field while at another time or part of the field river flooding may be destroying the crop, so multiple techniques are required to address these concerns. The potential for river flooding is ever present and and monitoring forecasts and river stages will be required to plan for impacts. Construction and maintenance of additional hydrologic control systems may be warranted, depending on local conditions. Even with control, production could still be below expectation or may only be possible on an irregular basis.

Submodel

Description

Pasture or grassland is characterized by a monoculture or mixture of forage species planted or established from naturalized species and is managed for forage production or herbaceous ground cover.

This site can be utilized for forage production, however there are limitations. Maintenance of the hydrologic control systems may be needed to maintain production. Wet conditions will reduce forage production and limit the ability of livestock to graze. When alluvial sites are utilized for forage production, wetness and/or flooding must be monitored to prevent the loss of livestock or forage crop. Additionally, adjacent higher elevation or protected areas may be needed for storage of harvested forage or holding of livestock when wet or flooded conditions occur.

The potential for flooding will limit the forage species that can or should be established on the site. When sites flood, the addition of sediment or erosion of the surface may destroy some perennial forages and will impact future productivity. Conditions for establishing forage crops are site-specific and all available site data should be analyzed to determine species, management, and usage for forage production.

Submodel