Southern
Research Station

RNA: Green Ash

State: Mississippi

County: Sharkey

Forest: Delta National Forest

District: Delta Ranger District

Established: 1943; Acres: 60

To view Establishment records for Green Ash RNA in PDF format, Click Here

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Ecological/Physical Description:

Physical and Climatic Conditions  

Nearest weather station, with distance and direction from RNA: The nearest weather stations are at Anguilla, 8 miles to the northeast and Holly Bluff, 5 miles to the southeast.

Annual precipitation (type, seasonal distribution): The annual precipitation is 53”, fairly well distributed throughout the year, but highest from December to April (5-6” per month) and lowest from September to October (2-3” per month)

Maximum and minimum temperatures: The mean annual temperature is 65°F, with July the hottest month (average 82°) and December and January the coolest (average 43°)

Elevation:

Geology and Soils: The soils are relatively young inceptisols of the Sharkey-Alligator-Dowling Association (Scott and Walton, 1962), poorly drained clay soil formed in slackwater areas and in depressions. Parent material is fine textured alluvium from the Mississippi River. When dry, the soil may form cracks 2.5 to 12.5 cm deep.

Aquatic Features:The site is approximately 2.5 km east of the Big Sunflower River, usually flooded for one to three weeks per year, with a water depth of 1 to 1.3 meters (Johnson and Price, 1959).  Several small sloughs pass through the southern half of the RNA, from east to west.

Biological Information

Plant Communities: The dominant species are American elm (Ulmus americana), Nuttall oak (Quercus nuttallii), sugarberry (Celtis laevigata) and green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica).

SAF Cover Types: 
93 sugarberry – American elm – green ash

At Risk Species: none known

Common Shrub Species: the dominant species are sugarberry (Celtis laevigata) and possum haw (Ilex decidua).

Common Herbaceous Species: the dominant species is greenbrier (Smilax rotundifolia). Other species which showed high importance value are trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans), poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), Trachelospermum difforme.

Common Mammal Species:

Common Bird Species:  

Related Reports and Publications:

Additional reports and publications can also be found by clicking on the “RNA Publications and Products” link in the site menu or by clicking here.

Johnson, R.L. and T.L. Price. 1959. Resume of 20 years of hardwood management on the Delta Purchase Unit. Unpublished, Stoneville Research Center, Stoneville, Mississippi. 74p.

Allen, Bruce P. 2007. Vegetation dynamics and response to disturbance, in floodplain forest ecosystems with a focus on lianas. Dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University, The Ohio State University. (studied Red Gum, Overcup Oak, Green Ash and other sites)

Devall, Margaret S. and Paul Ramp. 1992. The Forest Service Research Natural Area Program and old growth forests in the South. Natural Areas Journal 12(2): 75-85.

Gucker, Corey L. 2005. Fraxinus pennsylvanica. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer) http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/frapen/all.html.

Ramp, P.F. 1990. Ecological Assessment of the Red Gum, Overcup Oak and Green Ash Research Natural Areas in the Delta National Forest, Mississippi. Unpublished Report, Center for Bottomland Hardwoods Research, Stoneville, MS. 22p.

Scott, F.T. and L.B. Walton. 1962. Soil survey of Sharkey County, Mississippi. United States Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service.

Last Modified: 1/13/2016 by Margaret Devall (mdevall@fs.fed.us)