Soils of the - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

BANFORD SOILS (BD)
Location and Extent : Banford soils occupy scattered locations throughout the lowlands, mostly in associa -
tion with Fraser River floodplain deposits . There are about 190 ha of pure map units and a further 390 ha of soi l
complexes dominated by Banford soils . The complexes are mainly with Gibson, Annis and Niven soils .
Topography and Elevation : Depressional to gently undulating with slopes below 2 percent is the usua l
topography of Banford soils . They lie mostly between 5 and 10 m above sea level .
Parent Material and Texture : Banford soils have developed from shallow organic accumulations (40 to 16 0
cm thick) which overlie medium to moderately fine textured Fraser River floodplain or lacustrine deposits .
Textures consist of 40 to 160 cm of well-decomposed (humic), organic material over 50 cm or more of silt loam o r
silty clay loam . Some silty material is often admixed with the organic material .
Soil Moisture Characteristics : Banford soils are poorly to very poorly drained . They are moderately
pervious and have very high water holding capacity and slow surface runoff . The watertable is near an d
sometimes at the soil surface most of the winter and after heavy, prolonged summer rain . Runoff and seepag e
from adjacent higher areas also tends to accumulate on Banford soils . Some areas have been ditched and a fe w
are tile drained .
General Soil Description : Banford soils consist of 40 and 160 cm of black to very dark gray, well -
decomposed organic material often containing, in the lower part, thin, gray or light gray, silty bands . Th e
underlying mineral deposits are massive, grayish-brown to gray, silt loam or silty clay loam, usually wate r
saturated, and contain a few, brownish or yellowish mottles . Soil reaction varies from extremely to very strongl y
acid throughout (1 :1 H 2 0) . Soil classification is Terric Humisol.
Commonly Associated Soils : Annis, Gibson, Niven and Hazelwood soils are usually closely associate d
with Banford soils . Annis soils differ from Banford soils by having only 15 to 40 cm of organic material over th e
underlying mineral soil . Gibson soils are similar to Banford soils except that the organic material is only partially -
decomposed . Hazelwood soils have silty to clayey textures to the surface while Niven soils consist of 30 to 10 0
cm of silty mineral soil over organic materials .
Vegetation : Substantial areas of Banford soils are cleared and cultivated . The remaining uncleared area s
support a variety of species, including willow, red alder, salmonberry, thimbleberry, blackberry, sedges, reed s
and grasses as well as some western red cedar and western hemlock . Rooting depth is restricted to about 50
cm by high groundwater tables .
General Land Use Comments : (1) Cleared areas are used mainly for pasture, forages, blueberries an d
some vegetables . Poor drainage and high watertables are the main restrictions to agricultural use . Wit h
controlled watertables, Banford soils are suitable for a much wider range of crops, particularly annuals . Where
tiles or similar material are used for drainage, they should be placed in the underlying mineral soil, otherwis e
differential settling in the organic material may lead to disruption of the system . (2) High watertables and low
bearing capacities make building and road construction difficult and expensive . Septic tank effluent disposa l
fields and excavations (e .g . basements) are severely limited by the high watertables .
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