As Virginia’s population grows, so does the demand for land. Forestland is often converted to other uses. As noted earlier, the most productive lands are often used for growing crops or for livestock pasture. Other lands may be developed for home sites, shopping centers, industry or other uses. Land may be flooded to build reservoirs or paved over for highways and parking lots. All of these human land-use choices affect the amount of forested land in Virginia. Ecoregion Summary Table Ecoregion Topography Soils Coastal Plain Flat; elevation range 0-250 feet Acidic, low in fertility; formed from sedimentary rock; vary above sea level from sandy and drought-prone to clay-based to poorly drained (wetlands) Piedmont Hilly; elevation range 200-2,500 Acidic low in fertility; formed from igneous and metamorphic feet above sea level rock; highly eroded from past farming Blue Ridge Mostly sloped, prone to erosion; Shallow and rocky; formed from sedimentary rock on elevation range 1,500 to 5,700 western slopes, igneous and metamorphic rock on eastern feet above sea level slopes Valley and Ridge Sloped on ridges to flat in valleys; Shallow and rocky on ridges, deeper in valleys; formed from elevation range 500-4,500 feet sedimentary rock, sometimes limestone, which makes them above sea level less acidic Appalachian Mostly sloped, often steeply; Shallow and rocky on ridges, deeper in the narrow valleys; Plateau elevation range 1,000-4,000 feet formed from sedimentary rock above sea level References Eyre, F.H. 1980. Forest Cover Types of the United States and Canada. Society of American Foresters, Washington, DC. Fleming, G.P., K.D. Patterson, K. Taverna and P.P. Coulling. 2012. The natural communities of Virginia: classification of ecological community groups. Second approximation. Version 2.5. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA. Smith, W.B., Vissage, J.S., Darr, D.R. and Sheffield, R.M., 2000. Forest Resources of the United States, 1997. St. Paul, MN, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. University of Virginia Climatology Office website: Agronomy Handbook from Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2000. Part VI. Soils of Virginia by James C. Baker, Extension Soils and Land-Use Specialist: Virginia Forest Cover Types Map
As Virginia’s population grows, so does the demand for land. Forestland is often converted to other uses. As noted earlier, the most productive lands are often used for growing crops or for livestock pasture. Other lands may be developed for home sites, shopping centers, industry or other uses. Land may be flooded to build reservoirs or paved over for highways and parking lots. All of these human land-use choices affect the amount of forested land in Virginia. Ecoregion Summary Table Ecoregion Topography Soils Coastal Plain Flat; elevation range 0-250 feet above sea level Acidic, low in fertility; formed from sedimentary rock; vary from sandy and drought-prone to clay-based to poorly drained (wetlands) Piedmont Hilly; elevation range 200-2,500 feet above sea level Acidic low in fertility; formed from igneous and metamorphic rock; highly eroded from past farming Blue Ridge Mostly sloped, prone to erosion; elevation range 1,500 to 5,700 feet above sea level Shallow and rocky; formed from sedimentary rock on western slopes, igneous and metamorphic rock on eastern slopes Valley and Ridge Sloped on ridges to flat in valleys; elevation range 500-4,500 feet above sea level Shallow and rocky on ridges, deeper in valleys; formed from sedimentary rock, sometimes limestone, which makes them less acidic Appalachian Plateau Mostly sloped, often steeply; elevation range 1,000-4,000 feet above sea level Shallow and rocky on ridges, deeper in the narrow valleys; formed from sedimentary rock References Eyre, F.H. 1980. Forest Cover Types of the United States and Canada. Society of American Foresters, Washington, DC. Fleming, G.P., K.D. Patterson, K. Taverna and P.P. Coulling. 2012. The natural communities of Virginia: classification of ecological community groups. Second approximation. Version 2.5. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA. Smith, W.B., Vissage, J.S., Darr, D.R. and Sheffield, R.M., 2000. Forest Resources of the United States, 1997. St. Paul, MN, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. University of Virginia Climatology Office website: Agronomy Handbook from Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2000. Part VI. Soils of Virginia by James C. Baker, Extension Soils and Land-Use Specialist: Virginia Forest Cover Types Map