Chestnut and Edneyville soils have ochric epipedons and are on warmer and drier parts of the landscapes, typically on south to west aspects. Cullasaja, Haywood, Tuckasegee, and Tusquitee soils formed in colluvium, have C horizons of colluvial material, and are in coves and on toe slopes at locally lower elevations. Porters soils are deep to bedrock and have a thinner A horizon than Plott. Runoff class is medium on strongly sloping or moderately steep slopes, and high on steeper slopes. Runoff is much lower where forest litter has little or no disturbance.
Permeability is moderate in the subsoil and moderately rapid in the underlying material.
Most of this soil is in forest. The dominant forest type consists of northern red oak associated with black cherry, sugar maple, American beech, black oak, black birch, yellow birch, yellow-poplar, eastern hemlock, and black locust. In the drier, warmer part of the range, upland oaks, hickory, blackgum, red maple, and eastern white pine are associated. Flowering dogwood, mountain-laurel, silverbell, striped maple, serviceberry, rhododendron, red maple, blueberry, trillium, Solomons seal, and woodfern are common understory species. Approximately 20 percent of this soil is cleared and used for pasture, ornamentals, and Christmas trees.