MLRA 93 Superior Stony and Rocky Loamy Plains and Hills

Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin

56,080 km² (21,650 mi²)

Land Use

More than four-fifths of this area is forested, about half of which is privately owned, and half consists of county, state, or national forests. Lumbering, mining, and recreation are important. Only about 10 percent of the area is cropland or pasture. Feed grains and forage for dairy cattle and other livestock are the main crops. In places potatoes are an important cash crop. Cranberries are grown on wet soils in some parts of Wisconsin. Some soils are too stony or too rocky to be used for crops. A short growing season, improving drainage on wet soils, and maintaining fertility are the principal concerns of management.

Elevation and Topography

Elevation ranges from 1000 to 2000 feet (300 to 600 meters), but on a narrow strip bordering the Great Lakes it is about 700 feet (200 meters). These undulating to rolling glacial drift plains are bordered on the north by high hills. Local relief is mainly a few feet to several feet. In many places the hills rise 300 or 700 feet (100 or 200 meters) above the adjacent lowlands. Many small lakes and some large lakes are in this area.

Climate

Average annual precipitation-30 inches (750 mm). About two-thirds of the precipitation falls during the growing season. Precipitation in winter is snow. Average annual temperature - 36 to 43° F (2 to 6° C). Average freeze-free period - 80 to 140 days, decreasing with increasing elevation and from the Great Lakes inland.

Water

The moderate precipitation generally is adequate for crops and pasture, but in years of little or no precipitation, crops on sandy soils are damaged by a lack of moisture. Most of the soils on wet lowlands need to be drained for good crop and forage production. Ground water is abundant in deep glacial deposits but scarce in areas where the drift is thin. The lakes and streams are additional sources of water.

< Back to MLRA 93