Central Irregular Plains

From Oklahoma

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   CENTRAL IRREGULAR PLAINS

The Central Irregular Plains have a mix of land use and are topographically more irregular than the Western Corn Belt Plains to the north, where most of the land is in crops. The region, however, is less irregular and less forest covered than the ecoregions to the south and east. The potential natural vegetation of this ecological region is a grassland/forest mosaic with wider forested strips along the streams compared to the Western Corn Belt to the north. The mix of land use activities in the Central Irregular Plains also includes mining operations of high-sulfur bituminous coal. The disturbance of these coal strata in southern Iowa and northern Missouri has degraded water quality and affected aquatic biota.