Soils of the - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

HAMMOND SOILS . (HA)
Location and Extent : Hammond soils occur only on the Alouette River floodplain north of Haney, and in th e
vicinity of Coquitlam . About 180 ha of pure map units and 300 ha of soil complexes dominated by Hammon d
soils are classified . The complexes are with Alouette, Bonson and Sturgeon soils .
Topography and Elevation : Hammond soils are slightly depressional to gently undulating with slopes les s
than 2 percent . They lie between 2 and 6 m above sea level .
Parent Material and Texture : Hammond soils have developed from medium-textured, stone-free deposit s
of the Alouette and Coquitlam Rivers. These deposits, usually 1 m or more thick, overly sand . Surface ,
subsurface and subsoil textures are silt loam or loam, changing to sand or loamy sand below about 1 m .
Soil Moisture Characteristics : Hammond soils are poorly to very poorly drained . They are moderatel y
pervious and have high water holding capacity and slow surface runoff . The watertable is near and sometime s
at the surface for most of the winter and surface ponding is common after heavy rains . Periodic flooding from th e
Alouette River also occurs in some areas .
General Soil Description : Hammond soils generally have a cultivated surface layer about 20 cm thick ,
consisting of dark brown, dark yellowish-brown or black, friable, silty material containing 20 to 30 percen t
organic matter. This is underlain by about 80 cm of olive-gray, gray or olive, massive, silty material containin g
common, prominent, yellowish-red to strong brown mottles located mainly around old root channels . Below
about 1 m, loose, gray or olive-gray sand occurs . Soil reaction varies from extremely acid in the upper part t o
very strongly acid in the subsoil . Soil classification is Rego Humic G/eysol .
Commonly Associated Soils : Bonson, Alouette and Sturgeon soils are usually closely associated wit h
Hammond soils . Bonson soils diffr from Hammond soils by occupying slightly higher landscape positions an d
being imperfectly drained . Alouette and Sturgeon soils both have organic surfaces in contrast to the silt y
surface of Hammond soils .
Vegetation : Most Hammond soil areas are cleared and cultivated . Uncleared areas support mainly deciduous
vegetation including willow, black cottonwood, red alder, blackberry and other shrubs ; scattered wester n
red cedar, western hemlock and Sitka spruce also occur . Rooting is restricted mainly to the upper 50 cm of soi l
by the high watertables .
General Land Use Comments : (1) Most areas are presently used for forage and pasture production an d
for blueberries . Poor drainage is the main agricultural limitation . Its improvement will allow production of a muc h
wider range of crops, including vegetables and field crops . Adequate fertilization is also required, includin g
liming to improve the extremely acid surface conditions . (2) Urban or similar use is limited due to potentia l
subsidence problems because of low soil bearing strengths ; basements and other excavations will commonl y
contain water and septic tank operation is severely impaired by high watertables . (3) Hammond soils are
moderately well suited for forest species such as cottonwood . Potential wood growth of this species is estimate d
to be from 9 to 12 m 3/ha/yr.
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