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Northern Terraces

Ecoregion in Central Valley, CA

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The Northern Terraces ecoregion occurs on gently sloping to sloping terraces and alluvial fans at the northern end and eastern side of the Sacramento Valley. It is mostly rolling grassland and has less agriculture than in the alluvium of adjacent Ecoregion 7b or in the floodplain soils of Ecoregion 7e. It also generally lacks the oaks that are upslope in Ecoregion 6. Soil temperature regimes are thermic and soil moisture regimes are xeric. Common soil series include Tuscan and Anita on the east and Corning, Redding, Hillgate, and Newville on the west. Although the terraces of the Tuscan Formation on the east have geological and soil differences from the Tehama Formation terraces on the west, the landforms, climate, vegetation, and land cover generally are similar. The vegetation of annual grasses and forbs is used mostly for dryland range and pasture. A few areas of blue oak woodlands occur, primarily at high elevations near the boundary with Ecoregion 6. Vernal pools are in some areas. Streams drain mostly to the Sacramento River, with a few in the south draining to the lower San Joaquin River.

— EPA

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Ecoregion