Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site F144BY801ME
Rockland (reserved)
Last updated: 9/27/2024
Accessed: 05/20/2025
General information
Provisional. A provisional ecological site description has undergone quality control and quality assurance review. It contains a working state and transition model and enough information to identify the ecological site.
MLRA notes
Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): 144B–New England and Eastern New York Upland, Northern Part
This major land resource area (MLRA) is in Maine (56 percent), New Hampshire (22 percent), Vermont (14 percent), Massachusetts (6 percent), Connecticut (1 percent), and New York (1 percent). It makes up about 22,728 square miles (58,864 square kilometers). The MLRA consists of a relatively young landscape shaped by the Laurentide Ice Sheet, which covered the region from 35,000 to 10,000 years ago. Rolling hills of dense basal till converge on ridges of shallow bedrock that were scoured by glacial ice. River valleys that were flooded by melting glacial water or seawater house large expanses of glacial outwash and stratified drift in inland areas and, to a lesser extent, glaciomarine and glaciolacustrine sediment deposits in coastal areas. Organic bogs, ablation till, and alluvial flood plains make up the remaining portions of the MLRA.
The soils in this region are dominantly Entisols, Spodosols, and Inceptisols. They commonly have a fragipan. The dominant suborders are Ochrepts, Orthods, Aquepts, Fluvents, and Saprists. The soils in the region dominantly have a frigid soil temperature regime with some cryic areas at higher elevation, a udic soil moisture regime, and mixed mineralogy. Most of the land is forested, and 98 percent is privately owned. Significant amounts of forest products are produced including lumber, pulpwood, Christmas trees, and maple syrup. Principal agricultural crops include forage and grains for dairy cattle, potatoes, apples, and blueberries. Wildlife habitat and recreation are important land uses. Stoniness, steep slopes, and poor drainage limit the use of many of the soils.
Classification relationships
NRCS:
Land Resource Region: R—Northeastern Forage and Forest Region
MLRA: 144B—New England and Eastern New York Upland, Northern Part
Ecological site concept
This site occurs on boulder fields, rock outcrops, rubble land, and all other landforms dominated by rock. It may occur at all elevations, though further study is needed to determine potential differences between these rock-dominated sites.
This site is characterized as having little or no soil as a growth medium for plants. What little soil may become lodged between rock may support small amounts of vegetation. These rocky substrates may support important lichen communities and further study is needed to characterize the community dynamics of these rocklands.
Additional research and on-site data collection is needed to further develop interpretations for this ecological site.
Associated sites
| F144BY704ME |
Shallow Organic Rock Pocket The Shallow Organic Rock Pocket site is often interspersed with rock outcrop, and often grades into the Rockland Site. |
|---|---|
| F144BY701ME |
Shallow Till The Shallow Till site often grades into the Rockland Site. |
Table 1. Dominant plant species
| Tree |
Not specified |
|---|---|
| Shrub |
Not specified |
| Herbaceous |
Not specified |
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