Ecological regions and soil conditions in the Hoosier-Shawnee ecological assessment area

I present information on the ecological sections, subsections, and soils within the Hoosier-Shawnee Ecological Assessment Area. The assessment area falls within the Ozark Highlands Section, the Upper Golf Coastal Plain Section, and the Shawnee Hills and Highland Rim Sections of the Interior Low Plateau. I reviewed physical, chemical, and biological soil properties; soil loss; compaction; and productivity. Management practices such as logging, fire or its exclusion, water drainage, and conversion to agricultural uses have led to much change in soil productivity and forest cover type since presettlement times. Although fire appears to have had little or no direct long-term impacts on soils in these forests, its use can significantly impact vegetation growth and composition. Private landowners within the Shawnee and Hoosier National Forest Purchase Areas are taking advantage of State and Federal programs to improve their land; their goals are similar to the goals of the two national forests, which include enhancing timber production, watershed protection, and wildlife habitat.