Soils of the - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
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Soils of the - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Soils of the - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Soils of the - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

sis.agr.gc.ca
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26.11.2014 Views

STAVE (Continued) (SE) General Land Use Comments : (1) Stave soils are moderately suited for agricultural use, particularly i f irrigated. Their main limitations are low waterholding capacities and, in some areas, adverse topography an d moderate stoniness . Most areas are presently uncleared . (2) Urban related uses are well to moderately suited for Stave soils (except in areas adjacent to Stave Lake where groundwater conditions may exist during parts o f the year) . In some areas stoniness and boulders may interfere with excavation . Numerous septic tank installa - tions may cause seepage to occur in downslope locations . Road building properties are good owing to th e relatively coarse subsoil and subdued topography. (3) Forest growth is good . Limited plot data indicates that Douglas-fir and western hemlock produce between 12 and 15 m 3 of wood/ha/yr. Some growth limitations are imposed by the low waterholding capacity during dry summers . 176

STEELHEAD SOILS Location and Extent : Steelhead soils occupy scattered areas on the uplands and lower mountain slope s north of the Fraser River and east from Howe Sound . About 330 ha of pure map units and 1430 ha of soi l complexes dominated by Steelhead soils are mapped . The complexes are mostly with Buntzen soils and, i n some areas, with Cannel) or Nicholson soils . Topography and Elevation : The topography of Steelhead soils varies from moderately sloping and gentl y undulating to steeply sloping or strongly rolling . Slope gradients range from 5 to 20 percent . The soils usuall y occur in lower slope positions or in slightly depressional locations . Elevations range between 150 and 700 m above sea level . Parent Material and Texture : Steelhead soils have developed from moderately coarse textured (an d occasionally medium-textured) glacial till . Medium-textured aeolian material, usually less than 20 cm thick, i s mixed into the surface, particularly in the eastern part of the map area . Surface textures vary from loam to sand y loam while subsurface and subsoil textures are mostly gravelly sandy loam, occasionally varying to loam o r gravelly loamy sand . Moderate stone contents are usual and the subsoil is strongly cemented below about 8 0 cm . Soil Moisture Characteristics : Steelhead soils are imperfectly drained . They are moderately pervious i n the surface and subsurface ; this decreases to slow in the cemented subsoil . They also have moderate wate r holding capacity and slow surface runoff . The slightly depressional and lower slope landscape positions allo w temporary perched watertables to develop above the cemented layer due to seepage from upslope . General Soil Description : Steelhead soils usually have 10 to 15 cm of organic forest litter on the soi l surface, the lower two-thirds of which is partially to well-decomposed and dark reddish brown to black in colour . The organic surface layer is underlain by 2 to 5 cm of friable, gray to grayish-brown, strongly leached, loam y material which, in turn, is abruptly underlain by about 15 cm of friable to firm, moderately structured, dark reddish brown to black, loamy soil containing a few, scattered, moderately cemented patches . This zone i s underlain by about 50 cm of friable, weakly structured, strong brown, yellowish-red or yellowish-brown, sandy o r loamy material containing a few, distinct, reddish mottles in the upper part and common to many mottles in th e lower part . Abruptly under this is extremely firm, massive, strongly cemented, sandy material, grayish-brown t o olive-gray in colour, which contains common, yellowish-red mottles . A zone of root concentration, 5 to 10 c m thick and dark brown to reddish-brown in colour, usually immediately overlies the cemented zone . The cemented zone grades to unweathered, olive-gray to grayish-brown glacial till below about 150 cm . Soil reaction grades from extremely acid in the upper soil to medium acid in the lower subsoil . Soil classification i s Duric Ferro-Humic Podzol. Commonly Associated Soils : Buntzen and Cannell soils commonly occur in close association wit h Steelhead soils . Buntzen soils are generally similar to Steelhead soils except that they usually occup y somewhat higher landscape positions and are well to moderately well drained . Cannel) soils differ by bein g underlain by bedrock within 100 cm of the surface and are wll to rapidly drained . Vegetation : Most areas of Steelhead soils have been logged and currently support a second-growth fores t that includes coast Douglas-fir, western hemlock and western red cedar with red alder and maple . Rooting i s unrestricted in the upper 80 to 100 cm but is severely impeded below that by the cemented subsoil . Well defined root concentrations (root mat) are usually present immediately above the cemented material . 8 177

STAVE (Continued)<br />

(SE)<br />

General L<strong>and</strong> Use Comments : (1) Stave soils are moderately suited for agricultural use, particularly i f<br />

irrigated. Their main limitations are low waterholding capacities <strong>and</strong>, in some areas, adverse topography an d<br />

moderate stoniness . Most areas are presently uncleared . (2) Urban related uses are well to moderately suited<br />

for Stave soils (except in areas adjacent to Stave Lake where groundwater conditions may exist during parts o f<br />

<strong>the</strong> year) . In some areas stoniness <strong>and</strong> boulders may interfere with excavation . Numerous septic tank installa -<br />

tions may cause seepage to occur in downslope locations . Road building properties are good owing to th e<br />

relatively coarse subsoil <strong>and</strong> subdued topography. (3) Forest growth is good . Limited plot data indicates that<br />

Douglas-fir <strong>and</strong> western hemlock produce between 12 <strong>and</strong> 15 m 3 <strong>of</strong> wood/ha/yr. Some growth limitations are<br />

imposed by <strong>the</strong> low waterholding capacity during dry summers .<br />

176

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