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Paulding Plains

↑About the Paulding Plains

The Paulding Plains are a small, distinct part of the Huron/Erie Lake Plains characterized by clayey lake sediment, flat topography, and poorly-drained soils. The region is entirely located within northwest Ohio.

This region is nearly entirely flat, with relief usually ranging from 10-40 feet. The area is mostly covered in very fine, calcium-rich lake sediment, with some glacial till, over bedrock of limestone, dolomite, and shale.

This region was originally covered mostly in Elm-Ash swamp forest, with some beech forest.

Land has been artificially drained and cleared, and is highly utilized for agriculture, including production of soybeans, small grain, hay, and some corn. There is relatively less corn production here than in neighboring regions. The fine sediments are easily eroded under Western agricultural practices, and waterways in this area have a high turbidity due to soil erosion from agriculture.

Remaining forest is mostly a mix of woodlots and riparian buffers. Although only a small portion of the region is forested now, and the forest ist still highly fragmented, this region tends to have larger and more connected pieces of forest than the surroundings. There is a small amount of protected land, the largest area of forest being Goll Woods State Nature Preserve which preserves 321 acres of swamp forest, including some old growth of bur oak, white oak, chinquapin oak and cottonwoods. There is also a significant area of forest around Camp Lakota, owned by the Boy Scouts of America.

Defiance is the largest city in the mostly-rural region.

This region is almost entirely surrounded by the Maumee Lake Plain, which has slightly better drainage. There is also a small border to the northwest with the Clayey High Lime Till Plains, and area which is not far from this region even in areas where they do not border.

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↑References

1. Woods, A.J, Omernik, J.M., Brockman, C.S., Gerber, T.D., Hosteter, W.D., Azevedo, S.H. "Ecoregions of Indiana and Ohio (Poster)", US Geological Survey (1998) Web.