® Ontario ontario institute of pedology - Agriculture and Agri-Food ...

® Ontario ontario institute of pedology - Agriculture and Agri-Food ... ® Ontario ontario institute of pedology - Agriculture and Agri-Food ...

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VegetationBlack spruce, balsam fir, white birch and trembling aspen are commonly found on theglaciolacustrine flats. Balsam poplar and eastern white cedar occur on moist flats and riverbanks .White spruce and eastern white pine are found sporadically along rivers, lake shores and welldrainedslopes . One of the last stands of old-growth eastern white pine and red pine occur in thevicinity of Lake Temagami . Yellow birch, sugar maple, red oak and red maple are mainly foundnear the head of Lake Timiskaming . Hardwoods such as basswood, white elm and black ash aresometimes found along rivers .

SOIL CLASSIFICATIONThe soils described in this report have evolved over thousands of years from the :interplayof the soil-forming processes of climate, vegetation, parent materials and time.Soil HorizonsUnder cool, humid climate, and forest vegetation, soils in this region tend to acidify . Theacidity is the result of the removal of bases, particularly calcium, from the surface layers of the soil,by acidic percolating water . The products of weathering include iron, aluminum and humic acids,and may be transported through the soil either in solution or suspension. These may be depositedin lower layers, leading to the development of soil horizons that may differ from one another inthickness, colour, structure, texture and composition .The vertical sequence of horizons in a soil is known as a soil'profile and includes the, surfaceA horizon, the subsoil B horizon and the underlying C (parent material) horizon.These major horizons can be subdivided by the use of subscript letters into Ah, Ae, Bt, Ck,etc . These terms and symbols are used in the detailed soil descriptions in the Appendix of thisreport . Definitions of horizon terminology may be found in the Canadian System of SoilClassification (7) .The A horizon is the horizon of maximum weathering and in most cases is subdivided intosurficial Ah or Ap horizons and underlying Ae horizons. The Ah horizon is a dark colouredorganic-enriched surface horizon, often underlain by a light coloured eluvial Ae horizon . Some ofthe constituents such as clay, iron and organic matter that are leached from the A horizon,accumulate in the B horizon, causing the B horizons to become finer in texture than other horizonsin the profile . They are then referred to as Bf, Bm or Bt horizons. The C horizon, generallyreferred to as the parent material, may be slightly altered, or unaltered, by the soil formingprocesses . These are typical horizons of well-drained soil profiles, as shown in the first threeprofiles in Figure 5 .Imperfectly drained soils have thesame type and sequence of horizons as well-drained soils,but because they are wetter for longer periods of time, `gley' conditions develop . These conditionsare mainly caused by the reduction of iron compounds, and are usually indicated by yellowishbrown mottling in the Ae and B horizons . These horizons are then designated as Aegj, Bmgj, Btgjor Bfgj horizons .Most poorly drained soils have horizon sequences similar to those shown in the Gleysols inFigure 5 . These soils are wet for long periods of time, providing conditions especially favourablefor `gley' formation . These `gley' horizons are usually grayish in colour, and often have yellowishbrown mottles. The B and C horizons of these poorly drained soils are usually designated as Bgand Ckg horizons .Soil TaxonomyFive distinct kinds of soil profiles occur in the map area, each representative of a soil orderin the Canadian Soil Classification System (7) . These are the Luvisols, Podzols, Brunisols, Gleysolsand Organic soils .

VegetationBlack spruce, balsam fir, white birch <strong>and</strong> trembling aspen are commonly found on theglaciolacustrine flats. Balsam poplar <strong>and</strong> eastern white cedar occur on moist flats <strong>and</strong> riverbanks .White spruce <strong>and</strong> eastern white pine are found sporadically along rivers, lake shores <strong>and</strong> welldrainedslopes . One <strong>of</strong> the last st<strong>and</strong>s <strong>of</strong> old-growth eastern white pine <strong>and</strong> red pine occur in thevicinity <strong>of</strong> Lake Temagami . Yellow birch, sugar maple, red oak <strong>and</strong> red maple are mainly foundnear the head <strong>of</strong> Lake Timiskaming . Hardwoods such as basswood, white elm <strong>and</strong> black ash aresometimes found along rivers .

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