Tambellup-Borden Land Resources Survey
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Research Library Land resources series Natural resources research 2009 Tambellup-Borden land resources survey Angela Stuart-Street Rohan Marold Follow this and additional works at: https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/land_res Part of the Agriculture Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, and the Soil Science Commons Recommended Citation Stuart-Street, A, and Marold, R. (2009), Tambellup-Borden land resources survey. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia, Perth. Report 21. This report is brought to you for free and open access by the Natural resources research at Research Library. It has been accepted for inclusion in Land resources series by an authorized administrator of Research Library. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ISSN 1033-1670 AGDEX 526 LAND RESOURCES SERIES No. 21 TAMBELLUP-BORDEN AREA LAND RESOURCES SURVEY ISSN 1033-1670 AGDEX 526 TAMBELLUP–BORDEN LAND RESOURCES SURVEY by Angela Stuart-Street and Rohan Marold Land Resources Series No. 21 Department of Agriculture and Food 3 Baron-Hay Court South Perth 6151 WESTERN AUSTRALIA Funded by the National Landcare Program, Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia and National Heritage Trust TAMBELLUP–BORDEN LAND RESOURCES SURVEY Disclaimer This survey report is designed for use at the publication scale (1:100,000). The scale influences: • the homogeneity of the map unit • the accuracy of the lines • the accuracy of the descriptions and attributions. Descriptions of map units apply to the whole survey and to any occurrences in adjacent surveys. Individual map units may differ considerably from this description in terms of the proportion of different soils and landforms that occur within them. Thus, the map provides a guide to what soils may occur at a particular point or in a selected area, not a definitive statement. The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Agriculture and Food and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it. ‘Koikyennuruff’, the Aboriginal name for the Stirling Range, has been interpreted as referring to the way the mist moves about on the range (Department of Conservation & Land Management 1999). Cover photo: View of the Stirling Range 2 TAMBELLUP–BORDEN LAND RESOURCES SURVEY The authors: Angela Stuart-Street Soil Resource Officer Natural Resources Assessment Group Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia Present address: Geraldton Regional Office 20 Gregory Street Geraldton WA 6530 Rohan Marold Formerly Department of Agriculture Western Australia, Katanning Present address: PO Box 1273 Esperance WA 6458 National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Stuart-Street A.M. (Angela Mary), 1963- . Marold R.J. (Rohan Johannes), 1971- Tambellup–Borden land resources survey. Bibliography. ISBN 978-0-9806315-1-7 1. Land use surveys - Western Australia – Tambellup and Borden Regions. 2. Soil surveys - Western Australia - Tambellup and Borden Regions. 3. Land capability for agriculture - Western Australia - Tambellup and Borden Region. I. II. Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia. Natural Resources Assessment Group. III. National Landcare Program (Australia). IV. Title. (Series: Land resources series; no. 21). Copyright © Western Australian Agriculture Authority, 2009 3 TAMBELLUP–BORDEN LAND RESOURCES SURVEY Summary This report presents results from soil-landscape mapping at a scale of 1:100,000 in the Tambellup–Borden area of Western Australia. It is accompanied by a soil-landscape map covering almost 511,000 hectares. Most of the survey occurs within the upper Frankland-Gordon, Kent, North Stirlings Basin and upper reaches of the Pallinup and Kalgan River catchments. The survey falls within the Katanning and Albany Department of Agriculture and Food advisory districts. Seventeen soil-landscape systems have been identified and are represented on the map on the accompanying CD-ROM. These systems have been further divided into subsystems. The main soils, landforms, geology, land use and native vegetation in each system are described. Within each subsystem, the main WA Soil groups are indicated. A summary is provided of the main soils and the major land degradation hazards identified during the survey. This is designed to give a broad overview of the limitations and opportunities of the soils. Information on the land use history, geology and physiology, climate, native vegetation and previous soil surveys are also included in the report. This land resource information has been collected for the survey to help improve the decisions made by planners, researchers and land managers. The information can be used at the regional scale, catchment scale and farm level. By improving knowledge of our land resources, more sustainable land uses can be developed within the region. 4 TAMBELLUP–BORDEN LAND RESOURCES SURVEY Contents Summary ................................................................................................................................................................. 4 Contents................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................. 6 How to use this report.............................................................................................................................................. 7 History of land use .................................................................................................................................................. 8 Climate .................................................................................................................................................................. 12 Geology and physiography.................................................................................................................................... 15 Native vegetation................................................................................................................................................... 18 Previous surveys.................................................................................................................................................... 21 Survey methods ..................................................................................................................................................... 23 Mapping units........................................................................................................................................................ 25 Soils....................................................................................................................................................................... 68 Interpretation of land resource survey results...................................................................................................... 108 Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................................... 111 Glossary............................................................................................................................................................... 112 References ........................................................................................................................................................... 115 Appendix: Guide to viewing Soil-landscape maps on website ........................................................................... 119 Land Resources Series Reports ........................................................................................................................... 124 Tables Table 1. Mean and median monthly and yearly rainfall for six recording stations................................................ 12 Table 2. Mean daily minimum, maximum monthly temperatures, highest and lowest recorded temperatures .... 14 Table 3. Monthly and annual estimates of Class A pan evaporation and evaporation losses from dams ............. 14 Table 4. Soil-landscape systems within the survey and their place in the mapping hierarchy ............................. 33 Table 5. Areas of WA Soil Groups and percentage of the survey area ................................................................ 73 Table 6. Australian Soil Classification Orders in the survey area ........................................................................ 75 Table 7. Dominant Soil Series in the survey area ................................................................................................. 76 Figures Figure 1. Location of the survey in relation to the region and the rest of Western Australia . ................................ 8 Figure 2. Average annual rainfall received in the Tambellup–Borden survey area............................................... 13 Figure 3. Major geological structural units within the survey area ....................................................................... 15 Figure 4. Vegetation Systems within the survey ................................................................................................... 18 Figure 5. Location of soil-landscape mapping in relation to the survey...............................................................