Soils of the - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

BARDIS SOILS (SD)
Location and Extent : Sardis soils occupy scattered areas throughout the uplands and lowlands of the ma p
area . The largest areas are in the vicinity of Vedder Canal and along the Alouette River north and east of Haney .
About 1200 ha of pure map units and 1570 ha of soil complexes dominated by Sardis soils are mapped . Mos t
complexes are with Hopedale, Ross, Seymour and Judson soils and with shallow variants of Lickman and Bate s
soils .
Topography and Elevation : The topography of Sardis soils varies from nearly level to gently undulating .
Slope gradients are less than 5 percent and elevations lie between 10 and 100 m above sea level .
Parent Material and Texture : Sardis soils have developed from coarse-textured, variably stony, usuall y
stratified deposits of steams flowing over both the uplands and lowlands . The deposits usually occur either a s
floodplains or as low terraces along the stream margins . Surface textures range from gravelly sand to sand y
loam although gravelly sandy loam and gravelly loamy sand are most common . Subsurface and subsoi l
textures range from stony gravel to gravelly sand .
Soil Moisture Relationships : Sardis soils are mostly moderately well drained, although some slightl y
depressional areas are imperfectly drained or, occasionally, poorly drained . They are rapidly pervious and have
low water holding capacity and slow to moderate surface runoff . A groundwater table is sometimes present i n
the lower soil, depending on the water level in the adjacent streams . Flooding occurs in some areas (where no t
dyked) during periods of heavy, prolonged rain or rapid snowmelt .
General Soil Description : Sardis soils usually have up to 10 cm of variably decomposed forest litter mainl y
of deciduous origin, on the soil surface . Under this is about 20 cm of grayish-brown, weakly structured to loose ,
sandy material containing variable amounts of stones . This then grades to loose gravel or gravelly sand, ofte n
very stony. Reddish or brownish mottles are sometimes present below 50 cm . In cultivated areas the organi c
surface accumulation is missing and the upper 20 cm of mineral soil is usually brown or grayish-brown . Soi l
reaction is variable ; the upper soil usually varies from strongly acid to very strongly acid while the subsoil range s
from medium to strongly acid . Soil classification is mainly Orthic Regosol. Scattered areas of Gleyed Regosol s
also occur in imperfectly drained locations .
Commonly Associated Soils : Ross, Hopedale, Eastcap and Seymour soils as well as shallow variants o f
Lickman and Bates soils commonly occur in close association with Sardis soils . Ross and Hopedale soils diffe r
from Sardis soils by being poorly drained . Also, Ross soils are silty to clayey in texture while Hopedale soils hav e
silty surfaces, over sand . Eastcap and Seymour soils are texturally similar to Sardis soils but both are imperfectl y
drained . Additionally, Seymour soils have podzolic soil development . The shallow variants of Lickman an d
Bates soils differ texturally from Sardis soils and consist of silty surfaces over sand ; Bates soils are als o
imperfectly drained .
Vegetation : Uncleared areas of Sardis soils support a variable, mainly deciduous forest including blac k
cottonwood, bigleaf and vine maple, willow, red alder, western red cedar and western hemlock . Rooting i s
mainly restricted to the upper 70 cm by the coarse-textured, stony subsoil and periodic high watertables .
General Land Use Comments : (1) Sardis soils are limited for agricultural use by coarse, stony textures ,
droughtiness and, in some areas, by their susceptibility to flooding . Substantial amounts of irrigation and
fertilization are required for the satisfactory production of most crops . (2) Sardis soils also are limited for urba n
and similar uses . Periodic high groundwater tables make basements and other similar excavations impractica l
and, in most areas, their susceptibility to occasional flooding is also a hazard . Septic tank effluent disposal i s
usually good (except when watertables are high) but filtration and purification of the effluent is likely to b e
incomplete due to coarse soil textures . (3) Growth of species such as black cottonwood is good on Sardis soils .
Data from a limited number of plots indicates annual wood production by this species to be about 12 to 15 m3/
ha .
163