Northeastern Area

The Highlands of Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania

Putnam Uplands Land Type Association (LTA) 221 Ae 06

Figure 3-30. Low relief landscape, Putnam County, New York. 
Photo by Jeff Wiegert.

This LTA lies wholly within New York State.  It is characterized by rolling hills and ridges.  The landscape is much less rugged than that in the adjacent New York Hudson Highlands due to the infilling of valleys with glacial till during the Wisconsinan glaciation.

Most of the landscape is covered with glacial till deposits that are deepest in major valleys.  Sand and gravel outwash deposits, kames, swamps and bedrock occur but to a minor extent.  Mid-slope rock outcrops including cliff and talus formations are more common than the rocky balds that are typical of the New York Hudson Highlands LTA.

The Putnam Uplands LTA lies in the Croton/Hudson drainage basin but these major rivers lie outside the units.  Most of the streams within the Putnam Uplands are headwater and small tributary streams.

Figure 3-31. Location map of LTA 221 Ae 06.

The soils include very deep, well-drained loamy soils as well as moderately deep to shallow, excessively drained coarse-textured soils.  The nearly level valleys are largely occupied by more fertile well-drained loamy soils that formed in sub glacial till.  These soils are very deep to bedrock but moderately deep to a densic contact.  Soils series include Paxton, Woodbridge, Charlton, Hollis, and Chatfield.

About a third of the land in the LTA is upland forest.  Another 7% is wetland forest.  Vegetation in the Putnam Uplands resembles that of the Rockaway Highlands.  Ridgetop barrens are rare, oak-dominant forests occupy dry hills and upper slopes, and maple-dominant forests prevail in valleys and on lower slopes.  Deep fertile till soils support a diversity of common trees.  Any of the following may be co-dominant in the tree canopy of the forest communities: northern red oak, white oak, black oak, chestnut oak, sugar maple, red maple, white ash, and American elm.  Less common, but widespread are tuliptree, American beech, pignut hickory, bitternut hickory and white pine.  Sassafras, basswood, black gum, shagbark hickory and eastern hemlock are found locally in special habitats.

Almost half the land in this LTA is developed.  There is only a small amount of agricultural land.