The Woody-Mesic classification is located along the west and east creek where there is generally the lowest elevations found on site. The topography is relatively flat with any slopes sloping down towards the center of the stream bed. Woody-Mesic is the most moist ecosystem of the six classified. This is due to the area’s low elevation. Most of the park’s runoff from storm events is drained towards this area. Runoff carries along sediment and gravity constantly pulls soil and debris down to these lower elevations. Therefore, the soil is at its deepest, allowing for the most retention of moisture, The main soil type in the Woody-Mesic ecosystem is Wymore-Kennebec, which is an alluvial soil type. There is also some Tully soil present. The A1 and B1 horizons of each soil are deep and their parent materials are mostly colluvial and alluvial clay (USDA, 1975).…show more content… Many species of tall woody plants were sampled in this area, but the most dominant was the Elm species, or Ulmus. Other woody species that were sampled include Chinkapin Oak, or Quercus muhlenbergii, Prairie Crabapple, or Malus ioensis, Red Cedar, or Juniperus virginiana, and Roughleaf Dogwood, or Cornus drummondii. The trees are densely grown along the creeks while other tall shrubs thrive within the floodplain beyond the tree community. The tallgrasses that can be identified were Big Bluestem, or Andropogon gerardii, Switchgrass, or Panicum virgatum, and Blue Grama, or Bouteloua gracilis (Keane,
