Pines can survive and prosper on sandy sites with good to excessive drainage, and they can grow on some poorly drained sites. However, most desirable species of hardwoods have more demanding site requirements and will survive and grow well only on a comparatively narrow range of sites. Furthermore, stem grade or quality is a major consideration for hardwoods and may be greatly influenced by site conditions. Uplands occupy by far the greatest land area in the South. Soils on these areas were formed in place from the parent geologic material or from wind-blown materials.
Terraces are old floodplains of current or ancient stream systems.
The soils are alluvial in origin but generally are not as productive for hardwoods as are the floodplain soils. Because of their older age, nutrients have been leached and many terrace soils have hardpans. Soils on these sites are from recent alluvium, are relatively young, generally have good water relations, and may be highly productive for hardwoods. Floodplain sites in the South are somewhat arbitrarily divided into major and minor bottomlands. This difference may be obvious in the size of the stream, since major bottoms are usually associated with large rivers.