About 20 percent is mixed hardwood forest vegetation, but wood products are not important. The topography ranges from highly dissected hills that have local relief of about 50 to 100 m to undulating broad upland plains that have local relief of about 25 m. Average annual precipitation -About 1,125 mm. About one-half of the precipitation falls during the growing season. The variable snowfall averages about 37 cm.
Water is abundant in most of the area.
In most years, precipitation is adequate for crops, but in some years, yields are reduced by droughts. The large streams and constructed lakes supply most of the water in urban areas, and waterlines supply much of the water in nearby rural communities. Farm ponds, wells, and cisterns are the major sources of water in other rural communities. Large quantities of ground water are available in the valley of the Ohio River and its major tributaries, but only small quantities are locally available throughout the rest of the area. They are fine textured and moderately fine textured and have a mesic temperature regime, an udic moisture regime, and mixed mineralogy.