01_REQUIREMENTS PACKAGE - OSF SOW Exhibit C2 LTA Descriptions.doc

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OZARK-ST. FRANCIS NATIONAL FORESTS

ECOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (ECS)

LAND TYPE ASSOCIATIONS (LTAs)

December 1, 1997

LANDTYPE ASSOCIATION (LTA) #1: BOONE MOUNTAIN VALLEYS

LOCATION: This Landtype Association corresponds closely to the areas of the Ozark National Forest occurring on the Springfield Plateau in northern Arkansas. It is a small LTA occupying approximately 13,900 acres, within the Forest's proclamation boundary. It covers a small portion of the northern part of the Buffalo Ranger District and a large part of the Koen Experimental Forest.

TOPOGRAPHY: The land surface form is typified by very steep, rugged, heavily dissected uplands with bench and bluff topography. The slope gradient ranges from 3 to 60% and local relief is 200 feet per square mile. The elevation ranges from 1,000 to 1,200 feet above sea level.

GEOLOGY: This LTA is the transition between the Boston Mountains and the Springfield Plateau. It is predominantly Mississippian chert and limestone. The limestone is generally gray, compact, finely to coarsely crystalline, and massive bedded. These limestones contain many crinoid fossils.

The Boone is the dominant formation in this LTA. The Boone is cut by many narrow, canyon-like valleys along the larger streams. The larger streams formed valleys by downcutting and the smaller streams formed valleys by dissolving the limestone. The valleys of solution form a topographic pattern which can be used to identify the Boone.

Small areas of St. Peter sandstone and the Everton formation are also found in this LTA. The St. Peter sandstone and the Everton formation are of Middle Ordovician age. These formations are found in the deeper stream valleys. The St. Peter consists of well-rounded medium-sized, transparent quartz grains which are cemented by a small amount of calcium carbonate. Bluffs are formed in the St. Peter and they serve to identify the formation. The Everton formation is composed of limestone and sandstone members. The upper part consists of massive compact blue-gray limestone interbedded with some friable white sandstone and the lower part is conglomeratic.

HYDROLOGY: These streams are downcut into limestone with interspersed areas of sandstone and shale. Streams flow north outside the Forest boundary and are tributary to the Buffalo River. The small streams have seasonally no surface flow. During the winter-spring runoff period, peak discharges occur 1.25 times per year and they are associated with saturated soils and rainfall in excess of three inches. Nutrient concentrations are highly variable in this section.

SOILS: This LTA is comprised largely of moderately well to somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in residuum from loamy and clayey cherty limestone of Mississippian age. The soils within this LTA are low in plant nutrients and organic matter. The soils on the gently to strongly sloping narrow ridgetops are moderately well drained and contain a moderate amount of plant available water. The soils on the gently sloping to steep convex ridges and hillsides range from well to somewhat excessively drained and contain a moderate amount of plant available water. The dominant soils are : Clarksville, Nixa, and Noark.

CLIMATE: The mean annual temperature is 57 degrees Fahrenheit. The average minimum winter temperature ranges from 27 to 29 degrees Fahrenheit and the average maximum summer temperature ranges from 87 to 88 degrees Fahrenheit. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 51 to 55 inches, mainly in the form of rain. The mean annual growing season is 180 days.

POTENTIAL NATURAL VEGETATION (PNV): The PNV for this LTA is upland oak-hickory forest consisting of black-white-chinquapin oak mixtures associated with some northern and southern red oak, along with mockernut and bitternut hickory. Other associates are likely to include black-sweet gum and red maple.

Drier sites on ridge tops and southerly facing slopes may favor post oak-chinquapin oak-black oak mixtures. In some areas on northerly facing slopes and within sloping drainages, sites may include other species such as burr oak, sycamore, box elder and blue ash. Small open glades composed of largely herbaceous species with occasional eastern cedar, occur on some ridgetops where there are rocky outcrops with thin lithic soils present.

LANDTYPE ASSOCIATION (LTA) #2: MESIC LIMESTONE MOUNTAIN VALLEYS

LOCATION: This Landtype Association corresponds to the heavily dissected, mostly north-facing parts of the Boston Mountains, on the Ozark National Forest in northern Arkansas. It is a small LTA occupying approximately 24,300 acres, within the Forest's proclamation boundary. It covers a small part of the northern and central parts of the Buffalo Ranger District and a small portion of the Koen Experimental Forest.

TOPOGRAPHY: The land surface form is typified by very steep, heavily dissected uplands with bench and bluff topography. The slope gradient ranges from 8 to 40% and local relief is 400 feet per square mile. The elevation ranges from 1,000 to 1,400 feet above sea level.

GEOLOGY: LTA 2 is predominantly Mississippian age limestone, shale, and sandstone. The limestone consists of massive layers of compact, bluish gray rock.

The Pitkin limestone is the dominant formation in this LTA. Fossils of the bryozoan Archimedes are characteristic of this formation. The Pitkin is found on steep cliffs in many places.

Other formations found in this LTA are the Fayetteville shale, which includes the Weddington sandstone member and the Batesville sandstone, which includes the Hindsville limestone member. The Fayetteville formation consists of a black fissile, carbonaceous shale and a prominent sandstone which is the Weddington member. The shale outcrops on steep hillsides and in the valleys of actively eroding streams, The Weddington member is a dense, hard, gray to brown sandstone, commonly fine-grained and is calcareous in many locations. The sandstone forms a narrow bench above a low, steep escarpment. The Batesville formation consists of a coarse-grained, cream colored to brown sandstone and a dark gray limestone which is the Hindsville member. The Batesville sandstone is found along the base of the slopes of the isolated hills and mountains north of the Boston Mountain escarpment.

A west to east fault line runs along the southern boundary of LTA 2 and the northern boundary of LTA 3 in T13N R22&21W and continues to the east across the Forest boundary.

HYDROLOGY: These streams are downcut into limestone with interspersed areas of sandstone and shale. Most streams flow north outside the Forest boundary and are tributary to the Buffalo River. Two streams, Red Lick, and Walnut, are tributary to Big Piney Creek. The small streams have seasonally no surface flow. During the winter-spring runoff period, peak discharges occur 1.25 times per year and they are associated with saturated soils and rainfall in excess of three inches. Nutrient concentrations are highly variable in this section.

SOILS: Most of the soils in this LTA are well drained soils and formed in residuum from loamy and clayey material that weathered from interbedded limestone and calcareous shale of Mississippian age. These soils are moderate in plant nutrients and organic matter. The soils have very low to moderate plant available water. Permeability is slow. The dominant soils are : Eden, Newnata, Arkana and Moko.

CLIMATE: The mean annual temperature is 57 degrees Fahrenheit. The average minimum winter temperature ranges from 27 to 29 degrees Fahrenheit and the average maximum summer temperature ranges from 87 to 88 degrees Fahrenheit. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 53 to 57 inches mainly in the form of rain. The mean annual growing season is 180 days.

POTENTIAL NATURAL VEGETATION (PNV): The PNV for this LTA is upland oak-hickory forest consisting of black-white-chinquapin oak mixtures associated with some northern and southern red oak, along with mockernut and bitternut hickory. Other associates are likely to include black-sweet gum and red maple.

Drier sites on ridge tops and southerly facing slopes may favor post oak-chinquapin oak-black oak mixtures. In some areas on northerly facing slopes and within sloping drainages, sites may include other species such as burr oak, sycamore, box elder and blue ash.

LANDTYPE ASSOCIATION (LTA) #3: MESIC MORROW MOUNTAIN UPLANDS

LOCATION: This Landtype Association corresponds to moderately dissected, mostly north-facing parts of the Boston Mountains above 2,000 feet, on the Ozark National Forest in northern Arkansas. It is the Largest LTA occupying approximately 244,625 acres, within the Forest's proclamation boundary. It covers a large part of the Buffalo Ranger District.

TOPOGRAPHY: The land surface form is typified by moderately dissected uplands with broad rounded ridges and bench and bluff topography. The slope gradient ranges from 0 to 60% and local relief is less than 900 feet per square mile. The elevation ranges from 1,800 to 2,400 feet above sea level.

GEOLOGY: This LTA is predominantly Pennsylvania age shale, sandstone, and limestone. The Bloyd shale and the Prairie Grove member of the Hale formation are the dominant formations in this LTA.

The Bloyd formation consists of dark, carbonaceous shales interstratified with two limestone members. The middle Bloyd sandstone forms many of the vertical bluffs found in this LTA.

The Prairie Grove member of the Hale formation consists of limey sandstone. The Prairie Grove is dominant where the Bloyd is thinner.

The Atoka formation and the Cane Hill member of the Hale formation are also found in this LTA. The Atoka formation consists of a series of alternating beds of sandstone and shale. The Cane Hill consists predominantly of shale with some sandstone.

A fault system runs generally west to east along the southern boundary of this LTA.

HYDROLOGY: The stream channels are underlaid by shale and sandstone. The steep slopes and high stream gradients promote rapid runoff. The northern reach of Piney Creek is controlled by an east-west fault near Limestone which controls stream channel formation for several miles. Hurricane flows southwest into Piney Creek. It is deeply incised and substrates contain a high percentage of cobble size material which are composed of sandstones, siltstones, and shales. Richland and Falling Water Creeks flow northward into a widening valley. The limestone and shale outcrops along the streambanks are fossiliferous.

Streams do not have perennial flow. The surface water is soft with low alkalinity and nutrient concentrations. There is a small amount of stream canopy and large woody debris in the channels. Because of the lack of in-stream cover the use of the rubble and boulder substrate as a habitat component becomes more important to aquatic species. Summer water temperatures are very high.

SOILS: Most of the soils in this LTA are well drained and formed in residuum and colluvium from loamy and clayey material that weathered from sandstone and shale of Pennsylvanian age. These soils are low in plant nutrients and organic matter. The soils have very low to moderate plant available water. Permeability ranges from very slow in the moderately deep clayey soils on the sideslopes to moderately rapid in the shallow loamy soils on the ridgetops. The dominant soils are : Enders, Nella, Mountainburg, and Steprock.

CLIMATE: The mean annual temperature is 57 degrees Fahrenheit. The average winter minimum temperature ranges from 25 to 29 degrees Fahrenheit and the average summer maximum temperature ranges from 82 to 87 degrees Fahrenheit. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 53 to 57 inches mainly in the form of rain. The mean annual growing season is 180 days.

POTENTIAL NATURAL VEGETATION (PNV): The PNV for this LTA is upland oak-hickory forest consisting of white-northern red-black oak mixtures associated with mockernut, bitternut and some shagbark hickory; along with black gum, red maple and sugar maple on some sites.

In some areas on northerly facing slopes and within sloping drainages, sites may be dominated by beech-oak and or sugar maple-oak associate with bitternut hickory, hackberry, cucumber magnolia, white-blue ash and basswood.

LANDTYPE ASSOCIATION (LTA) #4: MESIC ATOKA MOUNTAIN UPLANDS

LOCATION: This Landtype Association corresponds to the highest uplands of the Boston Mountains, on the Ozark National Forest in northern Arkansas. It is a large LTA occupying approximately 150,500 acres, within the Forest's proclamation boundary. It covers the western part of the Buffalo Ranger District and a portion of the northern parts of the Pleasant Hill and Boston Mountain Ranger Districts.

TOPOGRAPHY: The rugged land surface form is characterized by moderately dissected uplands with broad ridges and sharply defined narrow valleys. The slope gradient ranges from 0 to 60% and local relief is less than 900 feet per square mile. The elevation ranges from 1,800 to 2,500 feet above sea level.

GEOLOGY: This LTA is predominantly Pennsylvanian age sandstone and shale. The Atoka formation is dominant in this LTA. The Atoka Formation consists of a series of alternating beds of sandstone and shale. The sandstones vary in composition, but most are medium-grained and are light to dark brown. The shales are commonly black and carbonaceous. The shales make up most of the formation. The sandstones of the upper part of the formation are very resistant to erosion and form many of the prominent bluffs in this LTA.

Small areas of the Bloyd shale formation and the Prairie Grove member of the Hale formation are also found in this LTA. The Bloyd formation consists of shale, sandstone, and limestone. The Prairie Grove consists of limey sandstone.

HYDROLOGY: Narrow flat ridges are highly dissected by stream networks. Valley floodplains are narrow with alternating shale slopes and resistant sandstone benches. Streams flow north and west. Streams do not have perennial surface flow. The surface water is soft with low alkalinity. The steep slopes and high stream gradients promote rapid runoff. There is a low amount of stream canopy and large woody debris in the channels. Because of the lack of in-stream cover the use of the rubble and boulder substrate as a habitat component becomes more important to aquatic species. Summer water temperatures are very high.

SOILS: Most of the soils in this LTA are well drained and formed in residuum and colluvium from loamy and clayey material that weathered from sandstone and shale of Pennsylvanian age. These soils are low in plant nutrients and organic matter. The soils have very low to moderate plant available water. Permeability ranges from very slow in the moderately deep clayey soils on the sideslopes to moderately rapid in the shallow loamy soils on the ridgetops. The dominant soils are : Enders, Nella, Mountainburg, and Steprock. The sandy loam soils along the streams are Ceda-Pickwick and have moderate fertility.

CLIMATE: The mean annual temperature is 57 degrees Fahrenheit. The average winter minimum temperature ranges from 25 to 28 degrees Fahrenheit and the average summer maximum temperature ranges from 82 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 53 to 57 inches mainly in the form of rain. The mean annual growing season is 180 days.

POTENTIAL NATURAL VEGETATION (PNV): The PNV for this LTA is mostly upland oak-hickory forests consisting of white-northern red-black oak mixtures that will have mockernut and shagbark hickories, black gum, red maple among others. Occasionally, pure stands of a single oak species will occur.

There are some small areas on northerly facing higher elevation and cove sites that are dominated by beech-oak or sugar maple-oak mixes with a few hickory, cucumber magnolia, walnut, ash among others.

LANDTYPE ASSOCIATION (LTA) #5: HALE MOUNTAIN VALLEYS

LOCATION: This Landtype Association corresponds to the parts of the Boston Mountains below 1,800 feet, on the Ozark National Forest in northern Arkansas. It is one of the larger LTAs and occupies approximately 101,500 acres, within the Forest's proclamation boundary. It covers a small part of the southwestern portion of the Buffalo Ranger District, the central part of the Boston Mountain Ranger District and the central part of the Pleasant Hill Ranger District.

TOPOGRAPHY: The land surface form is characterized by rugged, heavily dissected, mostly south facing very steep terrain, with bench and bluff topography. The slope gradient ranges from 0 to 65% with bluffs that are vertical, and local relief is 800 to 1,000 feet per square mile. The elevation ranges from 800 to 1,800 feet above sea level.

GEOLOGY: This LTA is predominantly Pennsylvanian age sandstone, shale, and limestone. The Atoka formation, the Bloyd formation, and the Prairie Grove member of the Hale formation are the dominant formations in the LTA.

The Atoka formation consists of a series of alternating beds of sandstone and shale. The sandstones vary in composition, but most are medium grained and are light to dark brown. The shales are commonly black and carbonaceous. The shales make up most of the formation. The sandstones of the upper part of the formation are very resistant to erosion and form many of the prominent bluffs in this LTA.

Bloyd Formation is exposed in the deepest stream cuts on the southern edge of this LTA with some small areas of exposed limestone. The southern boundary of this LTA is located on the upthrow side of a east-west fault-rift. The exposed surface material is older in geological time than the material in the LTAs immediately to the south

HYDROLOGY: The stream channels are underlain primarily by shale and sandstone with a few areas of exposed limestone in the deepest cuts on the southern edge. The main streams flow south-west. Only the largest streams in this LTA have perennial surface flow and this will be limited during periods of drought. Streams are flashy in response to storm runoff and have fairly high turbidity. The surface water is soft with low alkalinity and nutrient concentrations. Summer water temperatures are very high.

SOILS: Most of the soils in this LTA are well drained and formed in residuum and colluvium from loamy and clayey material that weathered from sandstone and shale of Pennsylvanian age. These soils are low in plant nutrients and organic matter. The soils have very low to moderate plant available water. Permeability ranges from very slow in the moderately deep clayey soils on the sideslopes to moderately rapid in the shallow loamy soils on the ridgetops. The dominant soils are : Enders, Nella, Mountainburg, and Steprock.

CLIMATE: The mean annual temperature is 59 degrees Fahrenheit. The average winter minimum temperature ranges from 27 to 28 degrees Fahrenheit and the average summer maximum temperature ranges from 84 to 91 degrees Fahrenheit. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 51 to 55 inches, mainly in the form of rain. The mean annual growing season ranges from 180 to 200 days.

POTENTIAL NATURAL VEGETATION (PNV): The potential vegetation of this LTA is mostly dry-mesic oak-hickory forests consisting of white, red, black, and other oaks and several dryland hickories like black and mockernut hickory, black gum, red maple and a scattering of other species.

LANDTYPE ASSOCIATION (LTA) #6: BLOYD MOUNTAIN VALLEYS

LOCATION: This Landtype Association corresponds to the parts of the Boston Mountains below 2,000 feet, on the Ozark National Forest in northern Arkansas. It is one of the largest LTAs occupying approximately 194,200 acres, within the Forest's proclamation boundary. It covers the eastern part of the Pleasant Hill Ranger District, the northern part of the Bayou Ranger District, and extends into the southern part of the Buffalo Ranger District.

TOPOGRAPHY: The land surface form is characterized by rugged, moderately dissected uplands with very steep sideslopes and bench and bluff topography. The slope gradient ranges from 1 to 65% and local relief is 500 to 1,000 feet per square mile. The elevation ranges from 600 to 1,800 feet above sea level.

GEOLOGY: This LTA is predominantly Pennsylvanian age shale, sandstone, and limestone. The Bloyd shale, the Prairie Grove member of the Hale formation, and the Atoka are the dominant formations in this LTA.

The Bloyd formation consists of dark, carbonaceous shales interstratified with two limestone members. The middle Bloyd sandstone forms many of the vertical bluffs found in this LTA.

The Prairie Grove member of the Hale formation consists of limey sandstone. The Prairie Grove is dominant where the Bloyd is thinner.

The Atoka Formation consists of a series of alternating beds of sandstone and shale. The sandstones vary in composition, but most are medium-grained and are light to dark brown. The shales are commonly black and carbonaceous. The shales make up most of the formation. The sandstones of the upper part of the formation are very resistant to erosion and form many of the prominent bluffs in this LTA.

Scattered faults, generally east-west in direction, exist in this LTA.

HYDROLOGY: Stream channels are underlaid by shale and sandstone and have 1 to 3 percent slopes. The major streams flow south-east. Only the larger streams have any perennial surface flow and this can be very limited during periods of drought. The steep slopes and high stream gradients promote rapid runoff. The surface water is soft with low alkalinity and low nutrient concentrations. There is a low amount of stream canopy and large woody debris in the channels. Summer water temperatures are very high.

SOILS: Most of the soils in this LTA are well drained and formed in residuum and colluvium from loamy and clayey material that weathered from sandstone and shale of Pennsylvanian age. These soils are low in plant nutrients and organic matter. The soils have very low to moderate plant available water. Permeability ranges from very slow in the moderately deep clayey soils on the sideslopes to moderately rapid in the shallow loamy soils on the ridgetops. The dominant upland soils are : Enders, Nella, Mountainburg, and Steprock. Spadra soils are adjacent to streams.

CLIMATE: The mean annual temperature is 59 degrees Fahrenheit. The average minimum winter temperature ranges from 28 to 29 degrees Fahrenheit and the average maximum summer temperature ranges from 84 to 91 degrees Fahrenheit. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 51 to 55 inches. The mean annual growing season ranges from 180 to 200 days.

POTENTIAL NATURAL VEGETATION (PNV): Potential Vegetation in this LTA varies from pine/hardwood and hardwood/pine mixes to hardwood.

Pine/hardwood and hardwood/pine mixes generally occur on the southerly aspects and ridge tops in areas where catastrophic events, like tornados or lightning fires, occur and on areas with shallow very dry soils and a southerly aspect. On all areas except the shallow dry soils, shortleaf pine can dominate the overstory, but upland hardwoods (oaks, hickories, blackgum, winged elm, others) will always be a significant component. On the dry shallow soil sites, shortleaf pine will maintain dominance.

On more protected and mesic sites hardwoods will dominate and overstory will be comprised of mixtures of oaks, hickories, gums, and other species.

LANDTYPE ASSOCIATION (LTA) #7: ATOKA MULBERRY MOUNTAIN VALLEYS

LOCATION: This Landtype Association corresponds to the parts of the Boston Mountains below 2,000 feet, on the Ozark National Forest in northern Arkansas. A narrow band of north-facing slopes is located immediately south of the Mulberry River and Little Piney Creek. It is a large LTA occupying approximately 124,800 acres, within the Forest's proclamation boundary. It covers the southeast corner of the Boston Mountain Ranger District, the south central part of the Pleasant Hill Ranger District, and small areas extends into the southwestern part of the Buffalo Ranger District.

TOPOGRAPHY: The land surface form is characterized by rugged, mostly south facing moderately dissected uplands with very steep sideslopes with bench and bluff topography. The slope gradient ranges from 0 to 65% and local relief is less than 400 feet per square mile. The elevation ranges from 800 to 2,200 feet above sea level.

GEOLOGY: This LTA is predominantly Pennsylvanian age sandstone and shale. The Atoka is the dominant formation in this LTA.

The Atoka Formation consists of a series of alternating beds of sandstone and shale. The sandstones vary in composition, but most are medium-grained and are light to dark brown. The shales are commonly black and carbonaceous. The shales make up most of the formation. The sandstones of the upper part of the formation are very resistant to erosion and form many of the prominent bluffs in this LTA.

This LTA has a series of mostly east-west faults/rifts on which, the present drainage patterns generally follow (Mulberry River and Little Piney Creeks).

A downthrow/fault line is located on the northern boundary of this LTA and LTA 5 to the north. This LTA has no exposed limestone and the geological material is younger than LTA 5 to the north.

HYDROLOGY: The major stream, the Mulberry River, flows west and is directionally controlled by a series of east-west trending normal faults. The steep slopes and high stream gradients promote rapid runoff. The Mulberry and Little Piney are the only streams to have perennial surface flow. The stream channels are underlain primarily by shale and sandstone. Rocks in the river bed are sandstones, siltstones, and shales. Where the Mulberry crosses resistant beds of sandstone small cascades and rapids form. The surface water is soft with low alkalinity and nutrient concentrations. Summer water temperatures are very high.

SOILS: Most of the soils in this LTA are well drained and formed in residuum and colluvium from loamy and clayey material that weathered from sandstone and shale of Pennsylvanian age. These soils are acidic and low in plant nutrients and organic matter. The soils have very low to moderate plant available water. Permeability ranges from very slow in the moderately deep clayey soils on the sideslopes to moderately rapid in the shallow loamy soils on the ridgetops. The dominant upland soils are : Enders, Nella, Linker, and Mountainburg. Pickwick-Spadra soils dominate along the streams. These soils are well drained, moderately permeable derived from alluvium washed from loamy uplands. They are medium to strongly acidic with moderate fertility.

CLIMATE: The mean annual temperature is 59 degrees. The average minimum winter temperature ranges from 25 to 27 degrees Fahrenheit and the average maximum summer temperature ranges from 82 to 91 degrees Fahrenheit. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 51 to 55 inches, mainly in the form of rain. The mean annual growing season ranges from 180 to 200 days.

POTENTIAL NATURAL VEGETATION (PNV): Potential Vegetation in this LTA varies from pine/hardwood and hardwood/pine mixes to hardwood.

Pine/hardwood and hardwood/pine mixes generally occur on the southerly aspects and ridge tops in areas where catastrophic events, like tornados or lightning fires occur and on areas with shallow very dry soils and a southerly aspect. On all areas except the shallow dry soils, shortleaf pine can dominate the overstory, but upland hardwoods (oaks, hickories, blackgum, winged elm, others) will always be a significant component. On the southerly facing, dry soil sites, shortleaf pine will maintain dominance.

On the upland xeric, shallow soil sites, post oak, eastern red cedar, shortleaf pine, southern red oak, and others will dominate the overstory.

On the mesic north-facing cove sites south of the Mulberry River and Little Piney Creek, northern red oak, white oak, beech, and hickories dominate and in some locations form almost pure stands of individual species.

LANDTYPE ASSOCIATION (LTA) #8: LOWER ATOKA HILLS AND MOUNTAINS

LOCATION: This Landtype Association corresponds to the parts of the Boston Mountains below 2,000 feet, on the Ozark National Forest in northern Arkansas. It is a large LTA occupying approximately 181,500 acres, within the Forest's proclamation boundary. It covers the south central part of the Pleasant Hill Ranger District and the central part of the Bayou Ranger District.

TOPOGRAPHY: The land surface form is characterized by moderately dissected terrain with very steep sideslopes, with bench and bluff topography. The slope gradient ranges from 0 to 65% and local relief is 1,000 feet per square mile. The elevation ranges from 800 to 1,800 feet above sea level.

GEOLOGY: This LTA is predominantly Pennsylvanian age sandstone and shale. The Atoka is the dominant formation in this LTA.

The Atoka Formation consists of a series of alternating beds of sandstone and shale. The sandstones vary in composition, but most are medium-grained and are light to dark brown. The shales are commonly black and carbonaceous. The shales make up most of the formation. The sandstones of the Atoka formation are very resistant to erosion and form many of the tall bluffs and other unique rock formations near the southern edge of this LTA.

A sharp downthrow line, called the Mulberry Fault, exists on the southern edge of this LTA. The geological strata in this LTA is 1,500 to almost 5,000 feet lower than similar strata in LTA 9 to the south.

HYDROLOGY: This section is topographically rugged. Stream channels are underlaid by shale and sandstone. The steep slopes and high stream gradients promote rapid runoff. The major streams flow south and south-east, draining the southern Boston Mountains. Smaller tributary orientation is controlled by east-west trending faults. Where mainstem streams intersect sandstone formations, waterfalls, cascades, and rapids are common. Only the main streams have any perennial surface flow and this will be very limited during extended droughts. The surface water is soft with low alkalinity and low nutrient concentrations. Summer water temperatures are very high.

SOILS: Most of the soils in this LTA are well drained and formed in residuum and colluvium from loamy and clayey material that weathered from sandstone and shale of Pennsylvanian age. These soils are low in plant nutrients and organic matter. The soils have very low to moderate plant available water. Permeability ranges from very slow in the moderately deep clayey soils on the sideslopes to moderately rapid in the shallow loamy soils on the ridgetops. The dominant upland soils are: Enders, Nella, and Mountainburg. Spadra and Ceda soils are found along the streams.

CLIMATE: The mean annual temperature is 59 degrees Fahrenheit. The average minimum winter temperature ranges from 27 to 28 degrees Fahrenheit and the average maximum summer temperature ranges from 84 to 91 degrees Fahrenheit. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 51 to 53 inches. The mean annual growing season is 200 days.

POTENTIAL NATURAL VEGETATION (PNV): Potential Vegetation in this LTA varies from pine/hardwood and hardwood/pine mixes to hardwood.

Pine/hardwood and hardwood/pine mixes generally occur on the southerly aspects and ridge tops in areas where catastrophic events, like tornados or lightning fires, occur and on areas with shallow dry soils and a southerly aspect. On all areas except the shallow dry soils, shortleaf pine can dominate the overstory, but upland hardwoods (oaks, hickories, blackgum, winged elm, others) will always be a significant component. On the dry shallow soil sites, shortleaf pine will maintain dominance.

Upland oak-hickory vegetation will dominate the drainages and more protected mesic slopes.

LANDTYPE ASSOCIATION (LTA) #9: ARKANSAS VALLEY HILLS

LOCATION: This Landtype Association corresponds to the gently rolling part of the Arkansas River Valley, on the Ozark National Forest in northern Arkansas. It is a small LTA occupying approximately 31,000 acres, within the Forest's proclamation boundary, but has extensive coverage outside the forest boundary. It covers the extreme southern parts of the Pleasant Hill and Bayou Ranger Districts.

TOPOGRAPHY: The land surface form is characterized by gently rolling terrain with occasional bluffs. The slope gradient ranges from 0 to 65% and local relief is less than 600 feet per square mile. The elevation ranges from 400 to 1,000 feet above sea level.

GEOLOGY: This LTA is predominantly Pennsylvanian age sandstone and shale. The Hartshorne formation, resting on top of the Atoka Formation, dominates in this LTA.

The Hartshorne Formation consists of a sandstone and sandy shales. The sandstones vary in composition, but most are medium-grained and are white to brown. The Spadra Formation rests on top of the Hartshorne and commonly contains blue-black to gray clay shales with some sandstone lenses. Valuable coal beds are found at the base of the Spadra formation, most of which are exposed just south of the Forest Boundary.

The Mulberry Fault divides this LTA from LTA 8 to the north. The upthrow displacement of this LTA is from 1,500 to almost 5,000 feet higher than LTA 8 to the north. Some sharp rock outcropings and other geological features exist on or near this fault.

HYDROLOGY: Stream channels are underlaid by shale and sandstone. Stream gradient is low and streams do not have perennial surface flow. The surface water is soft with low alkalinity and low nutrient concentrations. Summer water temperatures of pooled water are very high.

SOILS: This LTA is dominated by well drained soils on the hills and well to poorly drained soils on terraces. The hill soils were formed in loamy and clayey material that weathered from sandstone and shale of Pennsylvanian age. The terrace soils formed in loamy and clayey material that washed from the uplands.

The hill soils are low in plant nutrients and organic matter. Permeability ranges from very slow in the clayey soils on the sideslopes to moderately rapid in the shallow loamy soils on the ridgetops. The dominant soils found on the hills are : Linker, Mountainburg, and Enders.

The terrace soils are moderate to low in plant nutrients and area moderate in organic matter content. Permeability ranges from slow to moderate. The dominant soils found on the terraces are : Guthrie, Pickwick, and Spadra.

CLIMATE: The mean annual temperature is 61 degrees Fahrenheit. The average minimum winter temperature ranges from 30 to 31 degrees Fahrenheit and the average maximum summer temperature ranges from 92 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 51 to 53 inches, mainly in the form of rain. The mean annual growing season is 200 days.

POTENTIAL NATURAL VEGETATION: Potential Vegetation in this LTA varies from pine/hardwood mixes to hardwood.

Hardwood/pine and pine/hardwood mixes generally occur on the southerly aspects and small hill tops in areas where catastrophic events, like tornados or lightning fires, occur and on areas with shallow dry soils and a southerly aspect. On all areas except the shallow dry soils, shortleaf pine will be mixed with upland hardwoods including oaks, hickories, blackgum, winged elm, and others in the overstory. On other small dry shallow soil sites, shortleaf pine will maintain dominance.

Upland oak-hickory vegetation will dominate the drainages and more protected mesic slopes.

LANDTYPE ASSOCIATION (LTA) #10: LEE CREEK ROLLING HILLS

LOCATION: This Landtype Association corresponds to the moderately dissected, south and west-facing parts of the Boston Mountains below 1,800 feet, on the Ozark National Forest in northern Arkansas. It is a small LTA occupying approximately 21,600 acres, within the Forest's proclamation boundary. It covers the southern part of the Lee Creek Unit on the Boston Mountain Ranger District.

TOPOGRAPHY: The land surface form is typified by moderately dissected terrain with moderately steep sideslopes with very few bluffs. The slope gradient ranges from 1 to 50% and local relief is 400 feet per square mile. The elevation ranges from 1,000 to 1,800 feet above sea level.

GEOLOGY: This LTA is predominantly Pennsylvanian age sandstone and shale. The Atoka is the dominant formation in this LTA.

The Atoka Formation consists of a series of alternating beds of sandstone and shale. The sandstones vary in composition, but most are medium-grained and are light to dark brown. The shales are commonly black and carbonaceous. The shales make up most of the formation.

An east-west fault is the boundary between this LTA and LTA 11 to the north.

HYDROLOGY: This LTA has small seasonal-flow streams flowing south outside the Forest boundary. They are tributary to Lee Creek and Frog Bayou.

SOILS: Most of the soils in this LTA are well drained and formed in residuum and colluvium from loamy and clayey material that weathered from sandstone and shale of Pennsylvanian age. These soils are low in plant nutrients and organic matter. The soils have very low to moderate plant available water. Permeability ranges from very slow in the moderately deep clayey soils on the sideslopes to moderately rapid in the shallow loamy soils on the ridgetops. The dominant soils are : Enders, Nella, and Mountainburg.

CLIMATE: The mean annual temperature is 59 degrees Fahrenheit. The average minimum winter temperature ranges from 27 to 28 degrees Fahrenheit and the average maximum summer temperature ranges from 84 to 91 degrees Fahrenheit. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 45 to 47 inches, mainly in the form of rain. The mean annual growing season is 200 days.

POTENTIAL NATURAL VEGETATION: Potential Vegetation in this LTA varies from hardwood/pine mixes to hardwood.

Hardwood/pine mixes generally occur on small areas with southerly aspects and small hill tops in areas where catastrophic events, like tornados or lightning fires, occur and on areas with shallow dry soils and a southerly aspect. On all areas except the shallow dry soils, shortleaf pine will be mixed with upland hardwoods including oaks, hickories, blackgum, winged elm, and others in the overstory. On other small dry shallow soil sites, shortleaf pine will maintain dominance.

Eastern Red cedar, post oak, and other xeric adapted species exist on some shallow soil, upland sites that have a generally southerly aspect.

Upland oak-hickory vegetation will dominate the drainages and more protected mesic slopes.

LANDTYPE ASSOCIATION (LTA) #11: LEE CREEK ATOKA HILLS

LOCATION: This Landtype Association corresponds to the parts of the Boston Mountains below 1,200 feet, on the Ozark National Forest in northern Arkansas. It is a medium-sized LTA occupying approximately 65,700 acres, within the Forest's proclamation boundary. It covers the central and northeastern parts of the Lee Creek Unit on the Boston Mountain Ranger District.

TOPOGRAPHY: The land surface form is typified by slightly dissected terrain with moderately steep side slopes with some bench and bluff topography. The slope gradient ranges from 0 to 50% and local relief is 800 feet per square mile. The elevation ranges from 800 to 1,200 feet above sea level.

GEOLOGY: This LTA is predominantly Pennsylvanian age sandstone and shale. The Atoka is the dominant formation in this LTA. Small areas of the Bloyd formation and the Prairie Grove member of the Hale formation are also included.

The Atoka Formation consists of a series of alternating beds of sandstone and shale. The sandstones vary in composition, but most are medium-grained and are light to dark brown. The shales are commonly black and carbonaceous. The shales make up most of the formation.

The Bloyd formation consists of dark, carbonaceous shales interstratified with two limestone members.

The Prairie Grove member of the Hale formation consists of limey sandstone. The Prairie Grove is dominant where the Bloyd is thinner.

HYDROLOGY: Streams flow through narrow valleys which are moderately sloping to level. Stream slope is high gradient, often greater than 15 ft/mi. Small streams have no surface flow during summer and fall. The substrate is rocky and water color characteristically blue-green. Riparian and in-stream cover for fish is limited.

SOILS: Most of the soils in this LTA are well drained and formed in residuum and colluvium from loamy and clayey material that weathered from sandstone and shale of Pennsylvanian age. These soils are low in plant nutrients and organic matter. The soils have very low to moderate plant available water. Permeability ranges from very slow in the moderately deep clayey soils on the sideslopes to moderately rapid in the shallow loamy soils on the ridgetops. The dominant upland soils are : Enders, Nella, and Mountainburg. Spadra soils are found in the stream valleys.

CLIMATE: The mean annual temperature is 59 degrees Fahrenheit. The average minimum winter temperature ranges from 26 to 27 degrees Fahrenheit and the average maximum summer temperature ranges from 87 to 91 degrees Fahrenheit. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 47 to 51 inches, mainly in the form of rain. The mean annual growing season is 200 days.

POTENTIAL NATURAL VEGETATION (PNV): The potential vegetation of this LTA mostly dry-mesic oak-hickory forests consisting of white, red, black, and other oaks and several dryland hickories like black and mockernut hickory, black gum, red maple and a scattering of other species. Shortleaf pine occurs only on the dryest, shallow soil southwest slopes at lower elevations.

Eastern Red cedar, post oak and other xeric adapted species exist on some shallow soil, upland sites that have a generally southerly aspect.

LANDTYPE ASSOCIATION (LTA) #12: LEE CREEK LIMESTONE VALLEYS

LOCATION: This Landtype Association corresponds to the parts of the Boston Mountains below 1,800 feet, on the Ozark National Forest in northern Arkansas. It is a small LTA occupying approximately 12,900 acres, within the Forest's proclamation boundary. It covers the northwestern part of the Lee Creek Unit, on the Ozark National Forest.

TOPOGRAPHY: The land surface form is typified by moderately dissected terrain with moderately steep sideslopes. The slope gradient ranges from 1 to 50% and local relief is up to 1,000 feet per square mile. The elevation ranges from 800 to 1,800 feet above sea level.

GEOLOGY: This LTA is predominantly Pennsylvanian age sandstone and shale. The Atoka is the dominant formation in this LTA. Small areas of the Bloyd formation, the Prairie Grove and Cane Hill members of the Hale formation, Pitkin limestone, Fayetteville shale, and Batesville sandstone are also included.

The Atoka Formation consists of a series of alternating beds of sandstone and shale. The sandstones vary in composition, but most are medium-grained and are light to dark brown. The shales are commonly black and carbonaceous. The shales make up most of the formation.

The Bloyd formation consists of dark, carbonaceous shales interstratified with two limestone members.

The Prairie Grove member of the Hale formation consists of limey sandstone. The Prairie Grove is dominant where the Bloyd is thinner.

The Cane Hill member of the Hale formation consists of shale, sandstone, siltstone, and limestone. Some of the sandstones and siltstones are limey.

The Pitkin limestone is included in this LTA. Fossils of the bryozoan Archimedes are characteristic of this formation. The Pitkin is found on steep cliffs in many places.

The Fayetteville formation consists of a black fissile, carbonaceous shale and a prominent sandstone which is the Weddington member. The shale outcrops on steep hillsides and in the valleys of actively eroding streams. The Weddington member is a dense, hard, gray to brown sandstone, commonly fine-grained and is calcareous in many locations. The sandstone forms a narrow bench above a low, steep escarpment.

The Batesville formation consists of a coarse-grained, cream colored to brown sandstone and a dark gray limestone which is the Hindsville member. The Batesville sandstone is found along the base of the slopes of the isolated hills and mountains north of the Boston Mountain escarpment.

A southwest to northeast fault is the boundary between this LTA and LTA 11 to the southeast.

HYDROLOGY: This LTA has small streams flowing south to Mountain Fork and Lee Creek and north outside the Forest boundary to Evansville and Cove Creeks. These small streams have no surface flow during summer and fall. A small amount of stream canopy is resulting in a greater exposure time to sunlight, promoting both increasing stream temperatures and growth of aquatic vegetation in pools.

SOILS: Most of the soils in this LTA are well drained and formed in residuum and colluvium from loamy and clayey material that weathered from sandstone and shale of Pennsylvanian age. These soils are low in plant nutrients and organic matter. The soils have very low to moderate plant available water. Permeability ranges from very slow in the moderately deep clayey soils on the sideslopes to moderately rapid in the shallow loamy soils on the ridgetops. The dominant soils are : Enders, Nella, and Mountainburg, Eden, Newnata and Summit soils.

CLIMATE: The mean annual temperature is 59 degrees. The average minimum winter temperature ranges from 27 to 28 degrees Fahrenheit and the average maximum summer temperature ranges from 84 to 91 degrees Fahrenheit. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 47 to 51 inches, mainly in the form of rain. The mean annual growing season is 200 days.

POTENTIAL NATURAL VEGETATION (PNV): The potential vegetation of this LTA mostly dry-mesic oak-hickory forests consisting of white, red, black, and other oaks and hickories, black gum, red maple and a scattering of other species.

Eastern red cedar and xeric adapted oaks and hickories exist on some of the dryest, shallow soil southwest slopes and ridge top sites.

LANDTYPE ASSOCIATION (LTA) #13: WEDINGTON CALCAREOUS UPLANDS

LOCATION: This Landtype Association corresponds to the portion of the Springfield Plateau below 2,200 feet, on the Ozark National Forest in northern Arkansas. It is a small LTA occupying approximately 1,900 acres, within the Forest's proclamation boundary. It covers part of the southwestern portion of the Wedington Unit on the Boston Mountain Ranger District.

TOPOGRAPHY: The land surface form is typified by moderately dissected terrain with steep sideslopes. The slope gradient ranges from 0 to 40% and local relief is 600 feet per square mile. The elevation ranges from 1,000 to 1,600 feet above sea level.

GEOLOGY: This LTA is predominantly Mississippian age limestone, shale, and sandstone. The Pitkin limestone, Fayetteville shale, and Batesville sandstone are the dominant formations in this LTA.

The Pitkin limestone is the dominant formation in this LTA. Fossils of the bryozoan Archimedes are characteristic of this formation. The Pitkin is found on steep cliffs in many places.

The Fayetteville formation consists of a black fissile, carbonaceous shale and a prominent sandstone which is the Weddington member. The shale outcrops on steep hillsides and in the valleys of actively eroding streams. The Weddington member is a dense, hard, gray to brown sandstone, commonly fine-grained and is calcareous in many locations. The sandstone forms a narrow bench above a low, steep escarpment.

The Batesville formation consists of a coarse-grained, cream colored to brown sandstone and a dark gray limestone which is the Hindsville member. The Batesville sandstone is found along the base of the slopes of the isolated hills and mountains north of the Boston Mountain escarpment.

HYDROLOGY: This section has moderate topographic relief resulting in moderate stream gradients usually less than 10 ft/mi. Stream substrate is variable in size and supports a prevalent attached algae population. Small streams with seasonally no surface flow are tributary to the Lake Wedington.

SOILS: Most of the soils in this LTA are well drained and formed in residuum and colluvium from loamy and clayey material that weathered from interbedded limestone and calcareous shale of Mississippian age. These soils are moderate in plant nutrients and organic matter. The soils have very low to moderate plant available water. Permeability is slow. The dominant soils are : Eden, Newnata and Summit.

CLIMATE: The mean annual temperature is 59 degrees Fahrenheit. The average minimum winter temperature ranges from 26 to 28 degrees Fahrenheit and the average maximum summer temperature ranges from 84 to 87 degrees Fahrenheit. The mean annual precipitation is 44 inches, mainly in the form of rain. The mean annual growing season is 200 days.

POTENTIAL NATURAL VEGETATION (PNV): The potential vegetation of this LTA mostly dry-mesic oak-hickory forests consisting of white, red, black, and other oaks and dryland hickories, red maple and a scattering of other species including eastern red cedar.

LANDTYPE ASSOCIATION (LTA) #14: WEDINGTON BOONE HILLS

LOCATION: This Landtype Association corresponds to the part of the Springfield Plateau below 1,600 feet, on the Ozark National Forest in northern Arkansas. It is a small LTA occupying approximately 25,700 acres, within the Forest's proclamation boundary. It covers most of the Wedington Unit on the Boston Mountain Ranger District.

TOPOGRAPHY: The land surface form is characterized by long narrow, gently sloping ridges separated by moderately steep V-shaped valleys. The slope gradient ranges from 0 to 20% and local relief is 200 to 800 feet per square mile. The elevation ranges from 800 to 1,400 feet above sea level.

GEOLOGY: This LTA is predominantly Mississippian age chert and limestone. The limestone is generally gray, compact, finely to coarsely crystalline, and massive bedded. These limestones contain many crinoid fossils.

The Boone is the dominant formation in this LTA. Small areas of the Chattanooga shale, Clifty limestone, and Penter's chert are also included.

The Boone formation is cut by many narrow, canyon-like valleys. The larger streams formed valleys by downcutting and the smaller streams formed valleys by dissolving the limestone. The valleys of solution form a topographic pattern which can be used to identify the Boone.

The Chattanooga shale is a…