Alabama Major Land Resource Areas

Map Text:

122-Highland Rim and Pennyroyal
125-Cumberland Plateau and Mountains
128-Southern Appalachian Ridges and Valleys
129-Sand Mountain
133A-Southern Coastal Plain
135-Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas Blackland Prairie
136Southern Piedmont
152A-Eastern Gulf Coast Flatwoods

122-Highland Rim and Pennyroyal
Alabama, Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky
52,640 sq. km (20,320 sq. mi)

Land use: Most of this area consists of small and medium-size farms. Urbanization is relatively small. Extensive forests are on the deeply dissected hills surrounding the Nashville Basin and along the western edge joining the Coastal Plain. Elsewhere, the forests consist mostly of small farm woodlots. Hay and pasture for beef cattle are the principal crops. Corn and soybeans, grown mostly on narrow strips of bottom land and on upland flats, are important locally. Tobacco, especially burley, is an important cash crop.

Soils: Most of the soils, southward from about the Kentucky-Tennessee border, are Udults that have a thermic temperature regime, an udic moisture regime, and siliceous and kaolinitic mineralogy. Udalfs and Udults of mesic temperature regime, udic moisture regime, and mixed mineralogy are dominant in Kentucky and in Indiana. The soils generally are very deep to cherty limestone and strongly acid and highly leached and have a subsoil rich in clay. In the southern part, well drained, cherty Paleudalfs and Paleudults (Baxter, Bodine, and Fullerton series) are on hillsides, and moderately well drained Fragiudults (Dickson and Sango series) are on upland flats. Fragiaquults (Guthrie series) are in small basins and depressions, and Dystrochrepts (Ennis and Lobelville series) are in narrow strips of bottom land. In the northern part, well drained Paleudalfs and Paleudults (Baxter and Frederick series) are on hill slopes, well drained Paleudalfs (Crider and Pembroke series) are on broad smooth areas capped with loess, and moderately well drained and Fragiudalfs (Bedford, Nicholson, and Lawrence series) are on upland flats. On the narrow strips of bottom land are mainly Hapludolls (Huntington series), Dystrochrepts (Haymond series), and Eutrochrepts (Nolin series). In the extreme northernmost part in Indiana, a sizable area is underlain by shale, sandstone, and limestone; loamy-skeletal Dystrochrepts (Weikert and Berks series) and Hapludults (Gilpin series) are on the slopes, and Hapludalfs (Wellston series) and Fragiudalfs (Zanesville series) are on upland flats capped with loess.

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125-Cumberland Plateau and Mountains
Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West-Virginia
63,840 sq, km (24,640 sq. mi)

Land use: Most of this area consists of small and medium-size farms. An extensive acreage in Kentucky is in the Daniel Boone National Forest, and some large tracts are owned by coal and timber companies. Urbanization is minor. About 80 percent of the area is forests of mostly mixed hardwoods. Lumber is an important product. About 8 percent of the area is cropland. Corn, hay, and tobacco are the major crops. About 8 percent is pasture used mostly for beef cattle. Stabilizing strip-mined areas is a major concern of management. Soil: Most of the soils are Udults. They are medium textured to fine textured. These soils have a mesic temperature regime, an udic moisture regime, and mixed or siliceous mineralogy. Hapludults (Shelocta, Jefferson, Clymer, Gilpin Latham, Lily, and Hartsells series) and Fragiudults (Tilsit series) on side slopes and ridges formed in loamy hillside colluvium or residuum. Medium textured, very gravelly Dystrochrepts (Dekalb, Berks, and Calvin series) are on upper side slopes and ridges. Loamy Dystrochrepts (Pope series) and Fluvaquents (Bonnie series) are on flood plains. Loamy Hapludults (Allegheny series) and Fragiudults (Monongahela series) are on stream terraces.

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128-Southern Appalachian Ridges and Valleys
Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia
69,430 sq. km (26,810 sq. mi)

Land use: Most of this area consists of small and medium-size farms. About 40 percent is forests of mixed hardwoods, most of which, except for a few wooded mountain ridges, are in small farm woodcuts. A large acreage in Virginia is in the George Washington and Thomas Jefferson National Forests. Hay, pasture, and some grain for beef cattle and dairy cattle are the principal crops. Burley tobacco is the important cash crop in the southern two-thirds of the area (excluding Georgia). Some cotton is grown south of Chattanooga. Small acreages of corn and soybeans are grown throughout the area, mainly on narrow strips of bottom land and on adjacent low terraces.

Soils: Most of the soils are Udults and, to a lesser extent, Ochrepts. They have an udic moisture regime and a thermic or mesic temperature regime. The soils dominantly are well drained, strongly acid, and highly leached and have a clay-enriched subsoil. They range from shallow on the sandstone and shale ridges to very deep in the valleys and on the large limestone formations. Paleudults (Dunmore, Decatur, Dewey, Frederick, and Fullerton series, commonly cherty) are on the numerous and extensive areas underlain by limestone that traverse the region in a southwest-northeast direction. Hapludults (Sequoia series) are dominant in the valleys underlain by acid shale. Steep, shallow to moderately deep, shaly and stony Dystrochrepts (Muskingum, Weikert, Wallen, Litz, Lehew, and Calvin series) are on the sides of the steep ridges. Shallow, shaly Eutrochrepts (Dandridge series) are on the shale formation that extends along the eastern side of the area. Hapludolls (Huntington and Staser series) and Eutrochrepts (Chagrin, Hamblen, Lobdell, Sullivan and Lindside series) occupy the narrow strips of bottom land. The proportion of poorly drained soils, mainly Aquepts and Aquults, is very small.

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129-Sand Mountain
Alabama and Georgia
17,540 sq. km (6,770 sq. mi)

Land use: This area is about 70 percent woodland, 18 percent cropland, and 9 percent pastureland. About 3 percent is used for coal mining, urban development, or other purposes. About 83 to 88 percent of the woodland is privately owned, 10 to 15 percent industry owned, and about 2 percent federally owned. Timber production is mostly in the southern half of the area. Poultry production is the major farm enterprise. Corn, cotton, and vegetables are the major cash crops. Controlling erosion on soils that are cropped is the primary concern of management. Pastures are grazed mainly by beef cattle and are important disposal areas for poultry wastes.

Soils: The dominant soils are Udults and Ochrepts. They have an udic moisture regime, a thermic temperature regime, and mixed mineralogy. They are over sandstone and shale and are mostly moderately fine textured to fine textured. Moderately deep, nearly level to steep Hapludults (Hartsells, Linker, and Townley series) are on broad plateaus, ridgetops, mountaintops, or upper side slopes. Deep Hapludults (Enders series) and Fragiudults (Wynnville series) are on some of the more level upland sites. Shallow, gravelly and very gravelly, nearly level to steep Dystrochrepts (Hector and Montevallo series) are on narrow upper valley slopes and ridgetops. Areas of rock outcrop are common on these sites. Deep Hapludults (Albertville series) and Paleudults (Allen series) are on lower side slopes and terraces.

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133A-Southern Coastal Plain
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia
285,050 sq. km (110,060 sq. mi)

Land use: This area is about 69 percent woodland, 17 percent cropland, and 11 percent pastureland. About 3 percent of the area is used for rangeland, urban development, or other purposes. The woodland is 65 to 75 percent privately owned and 25 to 35 percent industry owned. A small percentage is federally owned. Timber production is important. Cash crops include soybeans, corn, peanuts, and cotton. Major vegetable crops, melons, tobacco, and pecans are important in some parts. Recently, livestock farming has increased. Pastures are used mostly for beef cattle ' but some dairy cattle and hogs are raised. Controlling soil erosion and improving drainage on low wetland areas are major concerns of management.

Soils: The dominant soils are Udults. They are deep and have a thermic temperature regime, an udic moisture regime, a loamy or sandy surface layer, and a loamy or clayey subsoil. Well drained and moderately well drained, nearly level to strongly sloping Paleudults and Kandiudults (Bama, Dothan, Malbis, Norfolk, Orangeburg, Red Bay and Ruston series) are on uplands. Well drained, gently sloping to steep Hapludults and Kanhapludults (Cowarts, Smithdale, Springhill, Luverne, Saffell, and Sweatman in the south and Suffolk, Emporia, Rumford, Kenansville, and Craven in the north) are on uplands. Associated with these soils in less sloping areas are the moderately well drained and somewhat poorly drained, loamy Fragiudults (Ora, Bourne, Pheba, and Savannah series), Fragiudalfs (Dulac and Providence series), Paleudults (Izagora, Clarendon, and Goldsboro series) and the well drained to moderately well drained, clayey Paleudults and Kandiudults (Faceville, Greenville, Marlboro, and Shubuta series). Other well drained and somewhat excessively drained, nearly level to steep Paleudults and Kandiudults (Darco, Fuquay, Lucy, Troup, and Wagram series), which have a thick sandy surface layer, are on uplands. Less extensive but locally important soils are the nearly level to moderately steep Quartzipsamments (Alaga, Kershaw, and Lakeland series) on uplands (mostly in the south), Paleudalfs (Atwood, Boswell, Millwood, and Susquehanna series) and Glossaqualfs (Caddo, Guyton, Mollville, Waller, and Wrightsville series) (in the southwest), Paleudalfs (Lexington series) on some loess-capped hilltops in the north-central part of the area, and nearly level Endoaquults (Amy, Myatt, Rembert, and Weston series), Albaquults (Cantey and Leaf series), and Paleaquults (Byars, Coxville, Pantego, and Plummer series) on low wetland. Floodplain soils include Udifluvents (Collins, Iuka, and Ochlockonee series), Fluvaquents (Bibb, Kinston, Mantachie, and Waverly series), and Dystrochrepts (Chenneby, Ouachita, and Riverview series).

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135-Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas Blackland Prairie
Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi
21,550 sq. km (8,320 sq. mi)

Land use: In Alabama and Mississippi, this area is about 58 percent woodland, 26 percent pastureland, and 14 percent cropland. The small outlier in Arkansas is about 40 percent pastureland, 33 percent woodland, and 25 percent cropland. Most soil areas have been disturbed, and only small remnants of the former prairie vegetation remain. About 2 percent of the area is used for urban development or for other purposes. Soybeans are the major crop, but corn, small grains, and cotton are also grown. Pastures are used mainly for beef production, but in some places dairying is an important industry. The woodland is about 75 to 80 percent privately owned, and about 20 to 25 percent is owned by industry. This is not a very productive woodland area. Controlling soil erosion and infestation of Johnsongrass on soils that are cultivated are major concerns of management.

Soils: The dominant soils are Ochrepts and Uderts. They are fine or very-fine textured and have a thermic temperature regime, an udic moisture regime, and smectitic or carbonatic mineralogy. They are mainly moderately deep to deep over soft limestone or chalk and typically shrink, swell, and crack. Well drained and moderately well drained Eutrochrepts and Hapluderts (Sumter and Maytag series) and moderately well drained to somewhat poorly drained Dystruderts (Oktibbeha and Vaiden series), all of which are nearly level to gently sloping and strongly sloping, are on wide ridgetops and narrow side slopes. Shallow Udorthents (Demopolis series) occur locally but are of small extent. Moderately well drained to poorly drained, nearly level to gently sloping Epiaquepts (Leeper series), Hapludolls (Catalpa series), and Epiaquerts (Eutaw and Sucarnoochee series) are in floodplains and in low upland areas. The outer perimeter of the area is intermittently ringed with moderately well drained to somewhat poorly drained Paleudalfs (Boswell and Searcy series) and moderately well drained and well drained Hapludults (Luverne, Sweatman, and Smithdale series).

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136 Southern Piedmont
Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia
161,430 sq. km (62,330 sq. mi)

Land use: Most of this area is in small farms, but a sizable acreage is controlled by woodland companies. Land adjacent to major cities is used for residences and associated urban development. Although most of the land was once cultivated, much has reverted to mixed stands of pine and hardwoods. Most of the open land is pasture, but some crops, such as soybeans, small grain, corn, cotton, wheat, and, to a lesser extent, tobacco, are grown. Dairy cattle. and poultry are important locally.

Soil: The dominant soils are Udults. They have a clayey or loamy subsoil, a thermic temperature regime, a udic moisture regime, and kaolinitic or mixed mineralogy. Well drained very gently sloping to gently sloping Kanhapludults (Cecil, Madison, and Appling series) and Kandiudults (Davidson series) are on uplands. Well drained Kanhapludults, Dystrochrepts and Hapludalfs (Pacolet, Cecil, Gwinnett, Louisa, Louisburg, and Wilkes series) are on the steeper slopes. In some localities, these soils contain coarse fragments. Dystrochrepts (Chewacla series) Udifluvents (Congaree and Cartecay series), and Fluvaquents (Wehadkee series) are in alluvial deposits.

152A-Eastern Gulf Coast Flatwoods
Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi
34,120 sq. km (13,170 sq. mi)

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Land use: Very little of this area is in farms. Much of it is in large holdings owned by pulp and paper companies. Part of it is in state and national forests or is used as game refuges and for military training areas. Nearly nine-tenths of the area is forested; pulpwood and lumber are the principal forest products. Some of the woodland is grazed. Only about 4 percent is cropped and a like amount is in pasture. Corn, peanuts, tobacco, and soybeans are the major crops. Some fruits and vegetables are produced, mainly for home consumption.

Soils: The dominant soils are Aquults, Aquepts, and Aquods. They have a thermic temperature regime and an aquic moisture regime. They are sandy and poorly drained or very poorly drained. Paleaquults (Plummer and Pelham series) have a loamy subsoil. Humaquepts have a dark surface layer. Alaquods (Leon and Mascotte series) have a weakly cemented layer at a depth of about 2 ft. Other important soils are sandy, moderately well drained and excessively drained Quartzipsamments (Chipley, Fripp, and Lakeland series), very poorly drained Sulfaquents, Sulfihemists, and possibly Hydraquents near the coast.

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