Soils of the - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

BEHARREL SOILS .
(BL)
Location and Extent : Beharrel soils occur mostly in the central part of Matsqui Valley with lesser areas i n
Glen Valley. There are about 310 ha of pure map units and 200 ha of soil complexes dominated by Beharrel soils .
The complexes are mainly with Bates and Hazelwood soils .
Topography and Elevation : Gently sloping to undulating with slopes between 2 and 6 percent is the usua l
topography of Beharrel soils . They lie between 5 and 10 m above sea level .
Parent Material and Texture : Beharrel soils have developed from moderately fine to fine-textured, verticall y
accreted, stone-free, Fraser River floodplain deposits with some inclusions of local stream deposits . Thi n
organic strata alternating with thicker mineral layers are often present below 50 cm . Surface and subsurfac e
textures range from silty clay loam to silty clay. The subsoil is usually silty clay loam, grading gradually to sil t
loam below about 80 cm .
Soil Moisture Characteristics : Beharrel soils are moderately poorly to poorly drained . They are slowly t o
moderately pervious and have high water holding capacity and moderate to slow surface runoff . The watertable
is near the surface during much of the winter but recedes to 1 m or more during the growing season . I n
slightly depressional areas surface water accumulates temporarily during heavy, prolonged rains .
General Soil Description : Beharrel soils have a very dark gray, firm, clayey, cultivated surface layer abou t
20 cm thick which is underlain by a gray, leached, 10 cm layer containing common, reddish mottles . This, i n
turn, is underlain by a very firm, strongly structured (prismatic), dark gray or brownish-gray, clay accumulatio n
layer about 20 cm thick containing common, brownish mottles . Under this is 50 cm or more of gray or light gray ,
massive, silty material containing some yellowish-brown mottles and thin, black organic strata . Soil reactio n
grades from medium acid in the upper soil to slightly acid in the subsoil (1 :1 H 2 O) . Soil classification is Humic
Luvic Gleysol.
Commonly Associated Soils : Hazelwood, Bates, Hallert and Sim soils are often closely associated wit h
Beharrel soils . Hazelwood and Sim soils differ from Beharrel soils by having a black surface layer high in organi c
matter. They also lack a well-defined clay accumulation zone in the subsurface . Sim soils are also silty rathe r
than clayey in texture . Bates soils differ by also being silty as well as occupying slightly higher topographi c
positions and being imperfectly drained . Hallert soils differ by consisting of alternating strata of organic an d
silty material . They are also .more poorly drained than Beharrel soils .
Vegetation : Most areas of Beharrel soils are cleared and cultivated . The few, small, remaining uncleared area s
support cottonwood, willow and other deciduous trees and shrubs . Rooting is restricted mainly to the upper 5 0
cm of soil, due to the periodic high watertables and dense, clayey subsurface layers .
General Land Use Comments : (1) Beharrel soils are presently used mainly for forages and some grai n
although other annual crops are suited also . Artificial drainage improves productivity of these crops as well a s
the maintenance of overwintering perennials . Heavy, sticky soil textures have high power requirements fo r
cultivation . (2) Relatively low bearing strengths and high watertables impede building and road construction .
High watertables also make basements and other excavations impractical and poor septic tank effluen t
disposal occurs because of high watertables and slow permeability . (3) Productivity of cottonwood on Beharre l
soils is estimated to be between 9 and 12 m 3/ha/yr.
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