80 A STUDY OF FOREST CONDITIONS 



western limit of longleaf pine in Mississippi and shows 

 the location and extent of the different forest types in the 

 region covered. The shaded portions of the map show 

 roughly the location of the areas on which the largest bodies 

 of pine timber are still standing. It must not be inferred 

 that all this area is heavily timbered, but the greater part 

 of the remaining pine timber in this region does occur in 

 these shaded areas.* 



The area included in this study is approximately 6,200 

 square miles and consists of the following counties: Pike, 

 Marion (west of Pearl River), Lincoln, Lawrence (west 

 of Pearl River), Copiah, Franklin, Amite, Wilkinson, 

 Adams, Jefferson and Claiborne. 



THE REGION. 



Geology and Soil. — The region consists of a rolling, more 

 or less broken plateau which varies from 100 to 500 feet in 

 elevation and falls off precipitously in the vicinity of the 

 Mississippi River to the level bottom-lands. 



The formations of this portion of the State are included 

 within the later Cenozoic period of geological history and 

 consequently represent the most recent deposits. These 

 formations consist largely of Lafayette, Loess, Columbia, 

 and the recent river deposits in the bottom-lands. 



The Lafayette deposit consists of sands, gravels, clays, 

 etc. It occupies the greater portion of southern Mississippi, 

 and coincides with the longleaf pine belt. The thickness 

 of the formation rarely exceeds fifty feet. 



In the southeastern and southern portions of the State, 

 the Lafayette clays occupy most of the uplands close to or 

 on the surface of the ground. Toward the west they be- 

 come deeper seated and are covered by brown and yellow 

 Columbia loams. These loams are of considerable depth 

 in the hill country and often represent the deposit since 

 the clays were laid down. 



Extending approximately northeast and southwest at 



* A preliminary report on "The Condition of Cut-Over Long- 

 leaf Pine Lands in Mississippi," has been issued as Circular 149 

 of the Forest Service. 



