Soils in the Upper Part of the Fraser Valley in the Rocky Mountain Trench
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SOILS of the Upper Part of the Fraser Valley in the ROCKY MOUNTAIN TRENCH of BRITISH COLUMBIA H. J. HORTIE,” A. J. GREEN, and T. M. LORD Canada Department of Agriculture Report No. 10 of the British Columbia Soi1 Survey RESEARCH BRANCH CANADA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE in cooperation with the RESEARCH DIVISION B.C. FOREST SERVICE 1970 *‘Piesent address: Department of Agriculture, Charlottetown, P.E.T. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors of this report wish to acknowledge their appreciation for assistance from the following people. Dr. A. Leahey, former Research Coordinator (Pedology) , Canada Department of Agriculture; Mr. J. H. Day, Soi1 Research Institute, Ottawa; and Mr. L. Farstad, Head, Pedology Section, Research Station, Vancouver, inspected the field work and reviewed the manuscript. Mr. W. Arlidge, Forester, Research Division, B.C. Forest Service, wrote the forestry and vegetation section and ably assisted the field parties. Messrs. V. Case and St. Claire Forde assisted in the field survey. Mr. H. Cook, Aleza Lake, was boatman and guide on the Fraser River and its tributaries. The British Columbia Department of Lands and Fores& Victoria, supplied the aerial photograph for Fig. 1 and the Department of Recreation and Conservation, Victoria, supplied the photograph for Fig. 3. The Department of Energy, Mines, and Resources, Ottawa, supplied the base maps and printed the soil map. The Carto- graphy Section of the Soil Research Institute prepared the soi1 map and Fig. 2 and 4. CONTENTS PAGE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................................... 7 PREFACE ......................................................................................................................................... 7 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA ........................................................................................... 7 Location and extcnt ............................................................................................................ 7 History and development ................................................................................................... 8 Population, industries, and communications ...................................................................... 9 Agriculture and forestry ................................. ...................................................................... 10 Physiography ........................................................ ............................................................... 1 1 Drainage ...................................... ................ ...... ... ............................................................. 1 1 Climate ............................................................................................................................. 12 Native forests and vegetation ............................................................................................. 14 Soi1 parent materials ............................................................................................................. 17 SOIL FORMATION, MAPPING, AND CLASSIFICATION .................................................................. 19 Soi1 formation .................................................................................................................... 19 Soi1 mapping ........................................................................................................................ 20 Soi1 classification ....................... ......................... ... ............................... .............. .......... 20 Key to classification of soils .......................................... .............................................. 20 DESCRIPTION OF THE Sous ...................................................................................................... 25 Aleza series ....... ............. ............. .......... .......... ..................................... ... ................... 26 Bednesti series ............................................................................................................. 27 Bowron series ............................ ................................... .................................................. 28 Chilako complex ............................................................................................................. 29 Doré series ........................................................................................................................ 30 Eaglet series .................................................................................................................... 3 1 Eddy series ................................................................................................................. 32 Eena series .................................................................................................................... 33 Fraser complex ......... .............. .......................... ................. ........ ....................... ............ ... 33 Giscome series .............................................................................................................. 34 Gunniza series .............................................................................................................. 35 Hutton series ............................. ......................................... ............. ........... ......... ......... 36 Kiwa series ..................................................................................................................... 36 Longworth series .............. ........................... ............ ....................... ............ .......... ............. 37 McGregor series ..... .............. .............. ........... ............... ...................................................... 38 Moxley series ......... ............................ ....................... ............ ... ................ ............ ........ 39 Pineview series ......................... .............. ................ ............ ....................... ......... .............. 40 Raush series ............. ....................... ............. ........................................................................ 40 Seebach series ..................................................................................................................... 41 Toneko series ................................... ................. ................................................... ......... ...... 42 Tumbledick series ......... ............. ...................................... ............ ............... .................... 43 Valemount series ................................. ............. .................................................... ............. 43 Rough broken land ............................................................................................................... 45 SOIL CAPABILITY CLASSIFICATION .............................. ..................................................... ..... ..... 45 ANALYSIS OF SOIL ~AMPLES ......................................................................................................... 47 GLOSSARY ................................................................................................................ ............. 48 REFERENCES .................................................................................... .... ..... ................. ... ....... ..... 52 6 FIGURES 1 View of Rocky Mountain Trench from Tête Jaune ................................................... 8 2 Location of surveyed area .......................................................................................... 9 3 View across the Fraser River at McBride ..................................................................... 10 4 Number of working days at Prince George and McBride ...................................... 15 5 Glacial geology and physiographic divisions .............................................................. 18 6 Sequence of drainage classes on lacustrine deposits ..................................................... 22 7 A group of podzolic soils developed on coarse- and medium-textured deposits 23 8 A farm on Aleza soils near Giscome ....................................................................... 26 9 Fireweed and willow ground caver after logging on Bednesti soils ........................ 28 10 Cultivated Doré and Raush soils ........................................... ................. ................. 3 1 11 McGregor, Toneko, Tumbledick, and Kiwa soils ...................................................... 38 12 Dune sands associated with Valemount soils .......................................................... 44 TABLES 1 Climate of the surveyed area ..__..... 13 2 Mean monthly and annual temperatures _....__..,.........,... _.___,..,......_....._.. 13 3 Average dates of spring and fa11 frosts .._... .._. 14 4 Rainfall and number of working days _......._....._.......... ._..,,.,............................ 14 5 Key to soi1 classification .._._........................ .._......_................. .._......... .._._...... 24 6 Classification of soils by Canadian System of Soi1 Classification, 1963 and 1968 25 7 Soi1 capability classes and acreage of soils .._ . 47 8 Soi1 analyses ,. .._......._.. 53 SUMMARY This is a report of a reconnaissance soil survey of the Upper part of the Fraser Valley. The purpose of the survey was to map and classify the soils in the area and to use the