Tensas Basin of Louisiana Potential Natural Vegetation

The Tensas Basin portion of the study area is that part of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley within Louisiana that is bounded by the Mississippi River mainstem levee on the east, Macon Ridge and the uplands southwest of Sicily Island on the west, the Red River levee on the south, and the Arkansas State line on the north. The Tensas River and Bayou Macon are the principal streams in the northern and central parts of the study area, and Black River drains the southern part, where it is formed from the confluence of the Tensas with the Ouachita River entering the basin from the west. Various smaller streams arise within the basin and flow to one of those major drainages. The Mississippi River on the eastern boundary has no direct influence on the study area, having been isolated since the mid-20th century by the mainstem federal levee system.  However, extensive parts of the landscape are composed of previous meander belts of the Mississippi River, and the alluvial features in those areas, such as abandoned channels and natural levees, are very large.  In contrast, the western portion of the basin is dominated by smaller-scale meander features deposited mostly by the Arkansas River.