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Ecological site F144AY035MA
Shallow Semi-Rich Well Drained Till Uplands
Last updated: 10/04/2024
Accessed: 08/16/2026
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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 hills, drumlins, and bedrock-controlled uplands with a mantle of till. It is dissected by narrow glacio-fluvial valleys. The southernmost boundary of the area marks the farthest southward extent of Wisconsinian 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 eastern and southeastern New York, Devonian- to Pennsylvanian-age sandstone, shale, and limestone are dominant. Carbonate rocks, primarily dolomite and limestone, are the dominant kinds of bedrock in the part of this MLRA in northwestern Connecticut.Classification relationships
USDA-NRCS (USDA 2006):
Land Resource Region (LRR): N—East and Central Farming and Forest Region
Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): 144A— New England and Eastern New York Upland, Southern Part.
USDA-FS (Cleland et al. 2007)
Province: 221 - Eastern Broadleaf Province
Section: 221A - Lower New England
Subsection: 221Aa – Boston Basin
221Ac – Narragansett-Bristol Lowland and Islands
221Ad – Southern New England Coastal Lowland
221Ae – Hudson Highlands
221Ag - Southeast New England Coastal Hills and Plains
221Ah - Worcester-Monadnock Plateau
221Ai – Gulf of Maine Coastal Plain
221Ak - Gulf of Maine Coastal Lowland
Section: 221B – Hudson Valley
Subsection: 221Ba – Hudson Limestone Valley
221Bb - Miami – Taconic Foothills
221Bc – Hudson Glacial Lake PlainsEcological site concept
The Shallow Semi Rich Well-Drained Till Uplands ecological site consists of shallow, well drained and somewhat excessively drained soils formed in till. The soils are nearly level to very steep slopes on glaciated uplands hills and mountains. Soil pH is considered circumneutral (pH 5.5-7.4). Representative soil is Farmington and Wasaic. The reference plant communities may include chinkapin oak (Quercus muhlenbergii) and Red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) woodlands.
Similar sites
F144AY034CT Well Drained Till Uplands
Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree (1) Juniperus virginiana
(2) Acer saccharumShrub (1) Ostrya virginiana
(2) Swida alternifoliaHerbaceous (1) Carex eburnea
(2) Allium tricoccumPhysiographic features
The site occurs on nearly level to very steep soils on glaciated uplands.
Figure 1. Shallow Semi-rich Well Drained Till Uplands - Farm
Table 2. Representative physiographic features
Landforms (1) Till plain > Hill
(2) Upland > Ridge
(3) Till plain
(4) Bench
(5) Ground moraine
Runoff class Low to very high Flooding frequency None Ponding frequency None Elevation 3 – 1200 ft Slope 0 – 70 % Water table depth 72 in Aspect Aspect is not a significant factor Climatic features
The Koppen-Geiger climate classification of the area in which this MLRA occurs varies between Dfb (Warm-summer humid continental) in the North, and Dfa (Hot-summer humid continental) in the southern portion of the MLRA. Precipitation is usually uniformly distributed throughout the year. Near the coast, however, it is slightly lower in summer. Precipitation is slightly higher in spring and fall in inland areas. Rainfall occurs as high-intensity, convective thunderstorms during the summer. During the winter, most of the precipitation occurs as moderate-intensity storms (northeasters) that produce large amounts of rain or snow. The freeze-free period increases in length to the south.
Table 3 Representative climatic features
Frost-free period (characteristic range) 110-130 days Freeze-free period (characteristic range) 140-160 days Precipitation total (characteristic range) 40-50 in Frost-free period (actual range) 110-140 days Freeze-free period (actual range) 140-180 days Precipitation total (actual range) 40-50 in Frost-free period (average) 120 days Freeze-free period (average) 160 days Precipitation total (average) 50 in Characteristic rangeActual rangeBarLineFigure 2. Monthly precipitation range
Characteristic rangeActual rangeBarLineFigure 3. Monthly minimum temperature range
Characteristic rangeActual rangeBarLineFigure 4. Monthly maximum temperature range
BarLineFigure 5. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature
Figure 6. Annual precipitation pattern
Figure 7 Annual average temperature pattern
Climate stations used
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(1) FALLS VILLAGE [USC00062658], Falls Village, CT
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(2) NEWTON [USC00286177], Newton, NJ
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(3) SARATOGA SPRINGS 4 SW [USC00307484], Saratoga Springs, NY
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(4) RUTLAND [USC00436995], Rutland, VT
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(5) STORMVILLE [USC00308304], Stormville, NY
">Influencing water features
NONE
Wetland description
NONE
Soil features
The site consists of shallow to moderately deep, well drained and somewhat excessively drained soils formed in glacial till. The till is derived from limestone, dolomite, shale, schist, and sandstone. Soil pH is considered circumnuetral (pH 5.1-7.8) resulting in nutrient rich plant indicators. Representative soils are Farmington and Wassaic.
Table 4. Representative soil features
Parent material (1) Till – limestone, sandstone, and shale
(2) Dolomite
(3) Schist
Surface texture (1) Gravelly silt loam
(2) Silt loam
(3) Loam
Family particle size (1) Fine-loamy
(2) Loamy
Drainage class Well drained to somewhat excessively drained Permeability class Moderately slow Depth to restrictive layer 13 – 28 in Surface fragment cover <=3" Not specified Surface fragment cover >3" 0 – 25 % Available water capacity
(Depth not specified)2 – 4 in Calcium carbonate equivalent
(0-40in)0 – 5 % Soil reaction (1:1 water)
(0-40in)5.1 – 7.8 Subsurface fragment volume <=3"
(Depth not specified)0 – 15 % Subsurface fragment volume >3"
(Depth not specified)0 – 3 % Ecological dynamics
[Caveat: The vegetation information contained in this section and is only provisional, based on concepts, not yet validated with field work.*]
The vegetation groupings described in this section are based on the terrestrial ecological system classification and vegetation associations developed by NatureServe (Comer 2003). Terrestrial ecological SYSTEMS are specifically defined as a group of plant community-types called ASSOCIATIONS that tend to [co-]occur within landscapes with similar ecological processes, substrates, and/or environmental gradients. Any given system will typically manifest itself in a landscape at intermediate geographic scales of tens-to-thousands of hectares and will persist for 50 or more years. A vegetation association is a plant community that is much more specific to a given soil, geology, landform, climate, hydrology, and disturbance history. It is the basic unit for vegetation classification and recognized by the US National Vegetation Classification (US FDGC 2008). Each association will be named by the diagnostic and often dominant species that occupy the different height strata (tree, sapling, shrub, and herb). Within the NatureServe Explorer database (NatureServe, 2015), ecological systems are numbered by a Community Ecological System Code (CES) and individual vegetation associations are assigned an identification number called a Community Element Global Code (CEGL).
Additional and more localized vegetation information is provided by the State Natural Heritage Programs of Connecticut (Metzler and Barrett 2001), Massachusetts (Swain and Kearsley 2001), New Hampshire (Sperduto and Nichols, 2011), New York (Edinger et al., 2014), and Rhode Island (Enser and Lungren, 2006).
The Shallow Semi Rich Well-Drained Till Uplands ecological site is characteristic of the Central Appalachian Dry Oak-Pine Forest system (CES202.591) and the Laurentian-Acadian Calcareous Rocky Outcrop system (CES201.572). The Representative plant communities are typically dominated by a mixed oak-sugar maple forest or a red cedar woodland. The vegetation is not well-described. Natural disturbances include climate extremes such as, excessive droughts, or storm activity ranging from windthrows to downbursts to ice-storms. Atmospheric deposition may effect trees at high elevations. Wildfires do happen but are largely suppressed. Over-browsing by deer can occur. Other agents-of-change include land conversions and fragmentation by agricultural, development, limestone quarrying, and logging. The most invasive plants associated with this community include buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), common barberry (Berberis vulgaris), Oriental bitter-sweet (Celastris orbiculatus), and spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe ssp. micranthos).
[*Caveat] The information presented is representative of very complex vegetation communities. Key indicator plants and ecological processes are described to help inform land management decisions. Plant communities will differ across the MLRA because of the naturally occurring variability in weather, soils, and geography. The reference plant community is not necessarily the management goal. The drafts of species lists are merely representative and are not botanical descriptions of all species occurring, or potentially occurring, on this site. They are not intended to cover every situation or the full range of conditions, species, and responses for the site.State and transition model
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Click on state and transition labels to scroll to the respective textState 2 submodel, plant communities
State 3 submodel, plant communities
State 1
Reference State (minimally-managed)The reference plant community includes:
Juniperus virginiana - Ostrya virginiana / Carex eburnea Woodland
Translated Name: Eastern Red-cedar - Hophornbeam / Bristleleaf Sedge Woodland
Common Name: Northeast Red Cedar Calcareous Rocky Summit (CEGL006180)
Acer saccharum - Quercus muehlenbergii / Carex platyphylla Forest
Translated Name: Sugar Maple - Chinquapin Oak / Broadleaf Sedge Forest
Common Name: Sugar Maple - Chinquapin Oak / Sedge Forest (CEGL006162)Community 1.1
1.1a Eastern Red-cedar - Hophornbeam / Bristleleaf Sedge Woodland (CEGL006180) 1.1b Sugar Maple - Chinquapin Oak / Broadleaf Sedge Forest (CEGL006162)Community 1.1a
Juniperus virginiana - Ostrya virginiana / Carex eburnea Woodland
Translated Name: Eastern Red-cedar - Hophornbeam / Bristleleaf Sedge Woodland
Common Name: Northeast Red Cedar Calcareous Rocky Summit (CEGL006180)
The open canopy is dominated by red cedar (Juniperus virginiana). Other canopy species include hop hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), white ash (Fraxinus americana), white oak (Quercus alba), red oak (Quercus rubra), and shagbark hickory (Carya ovata), and possibly northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis). In some examples, hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) occurs as a prominent shrub. The herbaceous layer is characterized by bristle-leaved sedge (Carex eburnean). Other herbs may include Michaux’s sandplant (Minuartia michauxii [= Arenaria stricta]), grooved yellow flax (Linum sulcatum), wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), ebony spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron), late purple American aster (Symphyotrichum patens [= Aster patens]), way leaved American Aster (Symphyotrichum undulatum [= Aster undulatus]), stiff flat-topped goldenrod (Oligoneuron rigidum [= Solidago rigida]), grey goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis), white goldenrod (Solidago bicolor), poverty oatgrass (Danthonia spicata), purple virgin’s bower (Clematis occidentalis), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), and long-leaved bluet (Houstonia longifolia). (Source: NatureServe 2018 [accessed 2019], USNVC 2017 [accessed 2019]).
Cross-referenced plant community concepts (typically by political State):
CT: Eastern red cedar – hop hornbeam Woodland (Metzler and Barrett, 2006)
MA: Calcareous Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop (Swain and Kearsley, 2001)
NY: Red Cedar Rocky Summit (Edinger et al., 2014)
RI: Red Cedar Rocky Summit (Enser and Lundgren, 2006)
Community 1.1b
Acer saccharum - Quercus muehlenbergii / Carex platyphylla Forest
Translated Name: Sugar Maple - Chinquapin Oak / Broadleaf Sedge Forest
Common Name: Sugar Maple - Chinquapin Oak / Sedge Forest (CEGL006162)
The somewhat open canopy is characterized by a diversity of tree species, including sugar maple (Acer saccharum), chinkapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii), American basswood (Tilia americana), whit ash (Fraxinus americana), and occasionally tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera), white oak (Quercus alba), chestnut oak (Quercus montana [= Quercus prinus]), white walnut (Juglans cinerea), black walnut (Juglans nigra), bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis), slippery elm (Ulmus rubra), shagbark hickory (Carya ovata), or pignut hickory (Carya glabra). Hop hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), sweet birch (Betula lenta), mockernut hickory (Carya tomentosa), hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), and/or flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) in the subcanopy. Shrubs can include witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana), hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana ssp. virginiana), American bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia), alternate-leaved dogwood (Cornus alternifolia), maople leaf viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium), eastern black currant (Ribes Americanum), and occasionally common prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum) or downy arrowwood (Viburnum rafinesquianum). Vines may include wild yam (Dioscorea villosa), Canada moonseed (Menispermum canadense), Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), and poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans). The herb layer is extraordinarily diverse with running groundsel (Packera obovata [= Senecio obovatus]), bristle-leaved sedge (Carex eburnean), broad-leaved sedge (Carex platyphylla), Seneca milkwort (Polygala senega), red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), smooth false foxglove (Aureolaria flava), black-seeded mountain rice grass(Piptatherum racemosa [= Oryzopsis racemosa]), tall anemone (Anemone virginiana), blunt-lobed hepatica (Hepatica nobilis var. obtusa [= Hepatica americana]), late purple American aster (Symphyotrichum patens [= Aster patens]), wavy-leaved American aster (Symphyotrichum undulatum [= Aster undulatus]), orange-fruited horse-gentian (Triosteum aurantiacum), early meadow rue (Thalictrum dioicum), purple virgin’s bower (Clematis occidentalis), four-leaved milkweed (Asclepias quadrifolia), sicklepod rockcress (Boechera canadensis [= Arabis canadensis]), spotted geranium(Geranium maculatum), northeastern beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus), white trillium (Trillium grandiflorum), bland sweet cicely (Osmorhiza claytonia), white baneberry (Actaea pachypoda), catnip giant hyssop (Agastache nepetoides), ramps (Allium tricoccum), lyre-leaved thale-cress (Arabidopsis lyrate [= Arabis lyrate[), Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum), poke milkweed (Asclepias exaltata), northern horsebalm (Collinsonia canadensis), Bosc’s rosette-panicgrass (Dichanthelium boscii), broad loose-flowered sedge (Carex laxiflora), bashful bulrush (Trichophorum planifolium [= Scirpus verecundus]), and others. (Source: NatureServe 2018 [accessed 2019], USNVC 2017 [accessed 2019]).
Cross-referenced plant community concepts (typically by political State):
CT: Sugar Maple – Chinkapin Oak / Bristle-leaved Sedge Woodland (Metzler and Barrett, 2006)
MA: Yellow Oak Dry Calcareous Forest (Swain and Kearsley, 2001)
NY: Limestone woodland (Edinger et al., 2014)Community 1.2
Ruderal Forest/WoodlandCommunity 1.3
Abandoned Field/MeadowDisturbance
Pathway P1.1A
Community 1.1 to 1.2Disturbance
Pathway P1.1B
Community 1.1 to 1.3Disturbance
Pathway P1.2A
Community 1.2 to 1.1Succession
Pathway P1.2B
Community 1.2 to 1.3Disturbance
Pathway P1.3A
Community 1.3 to 1.2Abandonment, Succession
State 2
Semi-natural StateThe Semi-natural State would expect plant communities where ecological processes are primarily operating with some land conditioning in the past or present, e.g., managed forests, or plant communities that are an artifact of land management e.g., predominately invasive plants.
Community 2.1
Managed Trees/Shrubs/Herbs(?)Community 2.2
Invasive PlantsPathway P2.1A
Community 2.1 to 2.2Disturbance, Invasive species establishment
Pathway P2.2A
Community 2.2 to 2.1Invasive spp. Control, Forest mgmt.
State 3
Cultural StateThe Cultural State would expect the ecological site to be very strongly conditioned by land management conversion, by transformation to Cultivated/Pasture/Plantation.
Community 3.1
CultivatedCommunity 3.2
PastureCommunity 3.3
PlantationPathway P3.1A
Community 3.1 to 3.2Changing agricultural phases
Pathway P3.1B
Community 3.1 to 3.3Changing agricultural phases
Pathway P3.2A
Community 3.2 to 3.1Changing agricultural phases
Pathway P3.2B
Community 3.2 to 3.3Changing agricultural phases
Pathway P3.3A
Community 3.3 to 3.1Changing agricultural phases
Pathway P3.3B
Community 3.3 to 3.2Changing agricultural phases
Transition T1A
State 1 to 2altered by human- induced Disturbance or Management
Conservation practices
Tree/Shrub Establishment Forest Land Management Forest stand improvement for habitat and soil quality Key drivers
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Timber management
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Nonnative plant species presence and/or establishment
Transition T1B
State 1 to 3Disturbance, clearing, cutting
Restoration pathway R2A
State 2 to 1Plant removals, plantings, Invasive plant control, successional mgmt., forestry practices Restoration & Mgmt, Forest Stand Improvement, Early Successional Habitat Development, Upland Wildlife Mgmt, Invasive spp. Control, Plant establishment
Conservation practices
Brush Management Tree/Shrub Establishment Early Successional Habitat Development/Management Forest Stand Improvement Restoration and Management of Natural Ecosystems Native Plant Community Restoration and Management Forest Land Management Invasive Plant Species Control Transition T2A
State 2 to 3Land clearing, cutting
Conservation practices
Brush Management Land Clearing Herbaceous Weed Control Restoration pathway R3A
State 3 to 1Plant removals, plantings, Invasive plant control, successional mgmt., forestry practices Restoration & Mgmt, Forest Stand Improvement, Early Successional Habitat Development, Upland Wildlife Mgmt, Invasive spp. Control, Plant establishment
Conservation practices
Restoration and Management of Natural Ecosystems Native Plant Community Restoration and Management Transition T3A
State 3 to 2Abandonment. Plant establishment, Forest mgmt.
Conservation practices
Tree/Shrub Establishment Forest Stand Improvement Forest Land Management Key drivers
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Timber management
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Nonnative plant species presence and/or establishment
Additional community tables
Table 5. Community 1.1 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Table 6. Community 1.2 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Table 7. Community 1.3 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Table 8. Community 2.1 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Table 9. Community 2.2 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Table 10. Community 3.1 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Table 11. Community 3.2 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Table 12. Community 3.3 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Interpretations
Supporting information
Inventory data references
Future work is needed, as described in a future project plan, to validate the information presented in this provisional ecological site description. Future work includes field sampling, data collection and analysis by qualified vegetation ecologists and soil scientists. As warranted, annual reviews of the project plan can be conducted by the Ecological Site Technical Team. A final field review, peer review, quality control, and quality assurance reviews of the ESD are necessary to approve a final document.
Other references
REFERENCES
Cleland, D.T., J.A. Freeouf, J.E. Keys, G.J. Nowacki, C.A. Carpenter, and W.H.McNab. 2007. Ecological Subregions: Sections and Subsections for the conterminous United States. [Map. presentation scale 1:3,500,000, colored; A.M. Sloan, cartographer] Gen. Tech. Report WO-76D. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Washington, DC. (https://www.fs.fed.us/research/publications/misc/73326-wo-gtr-76d-cleland2007.pdf)
Comer, P., D. Faber-Langendoen, R. Evans, S. Gawler, C. Josse, G. Kittel, S. Menard, M. Pyne, M. Reid, K. Schulz, K., Snow, and J.Teague. 2003. Ecological Systems of the United States: A Working Classification of U.S. Terrestrial Systems. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
Edinger, G.J., Evans, D.J., Gebauer, S., Howard, T.G., Hunt, D.M., and A.M. Olivero, A.M. (eds.). 2014. Ecological Communities of New York State, Second Edition: A revised and expanded edition of Carol Reschke's Ecological Communities of New York State. New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY.
Enser, R.W. and Lundgren, J.A. 2006. Natural Communities of Rhode Island. A joint project of the Rhode Island Dept. of Environmental Management Natural Heritage Program and The Nature Conservancy of Rhode Island. Web published by R.I. Natural History Survey, Kingston, RI. www.rinhs.org.
FGDC [Federal Geographic Data Committee]. 2008. National Vegetation Classification Standard, Version 2. Federal Geographic Data Committee, Vegetation Subcommittee, Washington DC..
Metzler, K.J. and Barrett, J.P., 2006. The Vegetation of Connecticut, a Preliminary Classification. Department of Environmental Protection, State Geological and Natural History Survey of Connecticut.
NatureServe 2015. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 7.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://explorer.natureserve.org. (Accessed: December 2015).
PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University. Available http://prism.oregonstate.edu, (created February 26, 2013).
Soil Survey Staff, Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture. 2006. Land Resource Regions and Major Land Resource Areas of the United States, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin. Agricultural Handbook 296. (https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs142p2_051845.pdf).
Swain, P.C. and Kearsley, J.B., 2001. Classification of the natural communities of Massachusetts. Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.
Thompson, E.H. and Sorenson, E.R., 2000. Wetland, woodland, wildland. Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife and The Nature Conservancy. Publ. University Press of New England.
USNVC [United States National Vegetation Classification]. 2017 (Date accessed). United States National Vegetation Classification Database V2.01. Federal Geographic Data Committee, Vegetation Subcomittee, Washington DC.Contributors
Nels Barrett, Ph.D. (vegetation)
Approval
Greg Schmidt, 10/04/2024
Acknowledgments
Michael Margo and tech team provided earlier drafts. Josh Hibit made compliance updates w/ 2021 Checklist V.2
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 08/16/2026 Approved by Approval date Composition (Indicators 10 and 12) based on Annual Production Indicators
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Number and extent of rills:
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Presence of water flow patterns:
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Number and height of erosional pedestals or terracettes:
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Bare ground from Ecological Site Description or other studies (rock, litter, lichen, moss, plant canopy are not bare ground):
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Number of gullies and erosion associated with gullies:
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Extent of wind scoured, blowouts and/or depositional areas:
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Amount of litter movement (describe size and distance expected to travel):
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Soil surface (top few mm) resistance to erosion (stability values are averages - most sites will show a range of values):
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Soil surface structure and SOM content (include type of structure and A-horizon color and thickness):
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Effect of community phase composition (relative proportion of different functional groups) and spatial distribution on infiltration and runoff:
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Presence and thickness of compaction layer (usually none; describe soil profile features which may be mistaken for compaction on this site):
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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:
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Amount of plant mortality and decadence (include which functional groups are expected to show mortality or decadence):
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Average percent litter cover (%) and depth ( in):
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Expected annual annual-production (this is TOTAL above-ground annual-production, not just forage annual-production):
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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:
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Perennial plant reproductive capability:
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