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Home , Gannett Peak, Lizard Head Peak, Shoshone National Forest, Wind River Peak, Wind River Range

Innovative Concepts in Soil Survey on the National Forest

By: Aaron Wells, Department of Ecology at State University Acknowledgements

Kent Houston –

Janis Boettinger – Utah State University

Dave Roberts – Montana State University

Eva Muller – NRCS Correlator; Bozeman, MT

Tracy Christopherson – NRCS; Buffalo, WY

Brian McMullen – NRCS; Richfield, UT

Botanists – May Culumber and Floye Wells Study Area

Montana

Wyoming

Idaho

Utah

Colorado

1 : 12,000,000 Scale Bozeman Montana

Cody

I d a h o Dubois Jackson

Lander

1 : 2,000,000 Scale Montana

I d a Wyoming h o

Lander

Shoshone National Forest

1 : 2,000,000 Scale Range Hill Shade and Elevation (10 m)

Gannett Peak

Lander

Shoshone N.F. Boundary

Sample Points 1 : 500,000 Scale Lander

Shoshone National Forest Southeast Section

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1:230,000 scale Sedimentary Formations

Bighorn Dolomite Flathead Sandstone Gallatin Limestone

Gros Ventre Shale Precambrian Granitics The view from Wind River Peak

Lizard Head Peak Warrior 1 Pingora Peak

Little El Capitan

Haystack Mountain METHODS

- Field sampling took place during the summers of 2004 and 2005

- sampling protocols followed those outlined in the Terrestrial Ecological Unit Inventory – Technical Guide

- Soil sampling conformed to National Cooperative Soil Survey Protocols, soil classification followed the ninth edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy.

RESULTS

- 251 Integrated Soil and Vegetation sample points

- 21 Map Units, and 71 Components

Mollisols Alfisols Inceptisols Entisols Histosols 81 51 84 32 3 How many dump trucks loads of soil did we move by hand in two summers?

Caterpillar Model 769 Dump Truck - 486 Horsepower - 1600 lbs/ft Torque -17 m3 Capacity

251 soil pits * .75 m3 soil/pit = 188.25 m3 soil 188.25 m3 soil / 17 m3 capacity = 11 dump truck loads Data driven approach…

• Selected initial sample points for summer #1 based on premap. – Stratify the landscape into discreet units based on , topography, and plant communities. Thematic Satellite Imagery Pre-Map Units 12L, 15L, 43L, 43LF N 1:24,000 scale Topography Pre-Map Units 12L, 15L, 43L, 43LF Data driven approach…

• Preliminary results were enumerated during the following winter both numerically and spatially.

– Selection of preliminary soil map unit components.

– Selection of sample points for summer 2005 based on known gaps in the data. Southern Obvious gaps in sampling from Summer 2004

Between Indian Ridge And Freak Mnts.

Dickinson Park Area

Area around Louis Lake Road Elevation Range MU 12L

Under-sampled elevation < 2348 m in MU 12L

min = 1931m min = 2348m (~ 14% of pixels < min) 25th = 2437 25th = 2678 mean = 2558 mean = 2697 75th = 2699 75th = 2759 max. = 2984 max. = 2877 Data driven approach…

• Conducted final data analysis following the last summer of field sampling. Data driven approach…

• Selection of soil map unit components based on results of data analysis. e

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G Ordination

- Geometric projection of a multi-dimensional point cloud in 2-D.

- Distribution of points based on degree of similarity/dissimilarity.

Map Unit 12L Forested Components

• Limber pine/common juniper; Lithic Calciustolls

• Limber pine/common juniper; Deep, Pachic Haplustolls

• Douglas /common juniper; Deep, Typic Argiustolls Soil Temperature and Moisture Regimes The debate continues….. The rules of the game. STR and SMR

Cryic/Udic Frigid/Ustic

- Elevations > 9000 ft. - Elevations <= 9000 ft. - ABLA, PIAL, PICO - Sedimentary Formations, -FEID except Flathead. - Flathead Sandstone -ELSP3

Frigid/Udic

- Communities on Sedimentary bedrock. CLIMATE DATA

Dr. Niklaus Zimmermann, of the Swiss Federal Institute of Water, Snow, and Landscape Science, developed climate models for the entirety of northwestern Wyoming.

- Down-scaled PRISM data: 90 meter to 30 meter

Models Included:

Mean annual precipitation (MAP)

Mean monthly precipitation (MMP)

Mean monthly evapo-transpiration (EPT),

Mean annual temperature (MAT)

Spring radiation (SPRRAD)

Summer radiation (SUMRAD)

Growing degreedays and frost-free days Degree Days Degree Days

Lower Degree Days Higher Degree Days Annual Precipitation

Lower Precipitation Higher Precipitation Soil Temperature/Soil Moisture Regime and Climate Data:

Were our vegetation and environment rules consistent with the climate data? Soil Temperature Regime Scale = 1:220,000

- Upon review of suspect plots: 35 plots require further review and/or a change in STR/SMR. - Our vegetation rules were consistent with the climate data in 86% of the plot.

- ~Half of the 35 plots involve area or plots occurring on Flathead Sandstone. Soil profiles in multiple dimensions: Reducing the complexity of soils data using ordination

“What you see depends mainly on what you look for.” R.J. Vogl Soils Data plotVegetation mollic ochric umb Data histic orga arg calcic camb lithic aquic para den frag clay pH 1 0.300.000.000.000.000.000.700.000.000.000.000.000.420.120.81 2plot 0.650.000.000.000.000.000.650.000.000.000.000.000.520.140.79 ARTRV2 ELSP3 FEID SYOR PSME ACGL JUCO6 CARO5 POWH2 MARE11 ARCO9 VASC ABLA PIAL POSE GABO2 LEKI2 FRVI 3 0.200.000.000.000.000.000.520.000.000.000.000.000.520.220.811 1 11000 0 0 0 0 0 0001001 4 0.450.000.000.000.000.000.810.000.000.000.000.000.390.190.812 0 00110 1 0 0 1 0 0000001 5 0.320.000.000.000.000.300.000.000.000.000.000.000.280.270.613 0 00011 1 0 0 1 1 0000110 6 0.000.100.000.000.000.000.320.000.000.000.000.000.420.160.834 0 00000 0 0 0 0 1 1110001 7 0.240.000.000.000.000.000.790.000.000.000.000.000.390.100.815 1 0000 0 0 0 0 1 1011000 8 0.290.000.000.000.000.000.580.000.000.000.000.000.520.200.826 0 10000 1 0 0 0 0 0000001 9 0.370.000.000.000.000.000.450.000.000.000.000.000.790.120.817 1 00000 0 0 0 0 0 0001001 10 0.008 0.12 0 0.00 0.00 00000 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0 0.00 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.50 0.30 0 0.81 0 0000001 ...... 9 1 00000 0 0 0 0 0 0000001 ...... 100 10000 1 0 0 0 0 0000010 ......

Soil NMDS: Parent Material, Eastern Slope Wind River Range Summary

- Data driven approach – Let the data speak!

- Box and whisker diagrams to summarize data distributions – recognition of outliers and gaps in data.

- Ordination reduces complexity of multi- dimensional datasets and aids in pattern recognition and selection of components.

- Soil ordinations – mapping soils not taxonomy Photo by: Robert Massatti

Questions?

[email protected] Degreedays – for each pixel: (# of days mean temp. exceeds an arbitrary standard of 0°C) X (mean temp. over this time period)

Frost-free Days – for each pixel Sum (# of days mean temp. exceeds 0°C)