Soil Survey of Grays Harbor County Area, Pacific County, and Wahkiakum County, Washington
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This is a scanned version of the text of the original Soil Survey report of Grays Harbor County Area, Pacific County, and Wahkiakum County, Washington issued July 1986. Original tables and maps were deleted. There may be references in the text that refer to a table that is not in this document. Updated tables were generated from the NRCS National Soil Information System (NASIS). The soil map data has been digitized and may include some updated information. These are available from http://soildatamart.nrcs.usda.gov. Please contact the State Soil Scientist, Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) for additional information. Foreword This soil survey contains information that can be used in land-planning programs in Grays Harbor County Area, Pacific County, and Wahkiakum County. It contains predictions of soil behavior for selected land uses. The survey also highlights limitations and hazards inherent in the soil, improvements needed to overcome the limitations, and the impact of selected land uses on the environment. This soil survey is designed for many different users. Farmers, ranchers, foresters, and agronomists can use it to evaluate the potential of the soil and the management needed for maximum food and fiber production. Planners, community officials, engineers, developers, builders, and home buyers can use the survey to plan land use, select sites for construction, and identify special practices needed to insure proper performance. Conservationists, teachers, students, and specialists in recreation, wildlife management, waste disposal, and pollution control can use the survey to help them understand, protect, and enhance the environment. Great differences in soil properties can occur within short distances. Some soils are seasonally wet or subject to flooding. Some are shallow to bedrock. Some are too unstable to be used as a foundation for buildings or roads. Clayey or wet soils are poorly suited to use as septic tank absorption fields. A high water table makes a soil poorly suited to basements or underground installations. These and many other soil properties that affect land use are described in this soil survey. Broad areas of soils are shown on the general soil map. The location of each soil is shown on the detailed soil maps. Each soil in the survey area is described. Information on specific uses is given for each soil. Help in using this publication and additional information are available at the local office of the Soil Conservation Service or the Cooperative Extension Service. Lynn A. Brown State Conservationist Soil Conservation Service Location of Grays Harbor County Area, Pacific County, and Wahkiakum County in Washington. Soil Survey of Grays Harbor County Area, Pacific County, and Wahkiakum County, Washington By Russell F. Pringle, Soil Conservation Service Fieldwork by Russell F. Pringle, Steven B. Campbell, and Carl J. McMurphy, Soil Conservation Service, and Ralph V. Minden, John W. Jennings, and Steven M. Howes, Washington State Department of Natural Resources Woodland Fieldwork by George Carnine, Washington State Department of Natural Resources United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service In cooperation with Washington State Department of Natural Resources, and Washington State University, Agriculture Research Center GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY AREA, PACIFIC COUNTY, were logged. Lumber from the forests supplied local AND WAHKIAKUM COUNTY comprise the southwestern needs and those of the rapidly expanding market for coastal region of Washington. The survey area makes up building materials in California. about 1,625,570 acres, or about 2,540 square miles. Forestry movements, such as the Washington Forest The Columbia River forms the southern border of the Protection Association, the Keep Washington Green survey area. The Pacific Ocean is to the west, the Quinault Program, and the Tree Farm Movement, were either Indian Reservation and the Olympic National Forest are to initiated or strongly supported by forest owners. In 1908, the north, and Cowlitz, Thurston, Lewis, and Mason owners of public and private forests were instrumental in Counties are to the east. Aberdeen, in Grays Harbor forming the Washington Forest Protection Association, County, is the largest city in the survey area. It is 108 miles which was formed to provide protection from fire. In 1940, southwest of Seattle and about 49 miles west of Olympia. the forest owners in the survey area were active in The topography in much of the survey area is hilly and developing the Keep Washington Green Program. This was steep. The foothills of the Olympic Mountains are in the the first such program in the United States. northern part of the area, and the Willapa Hills are in the The first privately owned certified tree farm in the United central part. Elevation ranges from sea level along the States, the Clemons Tree Farm, was established near Pacific Ocean to about 2,700 feet in the northeastern Montesano in Grays Harbor County in 1941. Currently, corner of the area. The survey area is drained by eleven there are 49 certified tree farms in the survey area. river systems-the Chehalis, Columbia, Elochoman, Grays, This highly productive area continues to be a major Humptulips, Naselle, North, Satsop, Willapa, Wishkah, and supplier of wood products to the state and nation and to the Wynoochee Rivers. export markets of the world. The high level of production The original vegetation in the area was conifers. The first has been maintained through better use of resources and sawmill was built near Grays Harbor in the early 1880's. through improvements in forest management. The major Since then, the lumber industry has dominated the land use in the survey area is forestry. About 92 percent of development and economy of the area. Virgin Douglas-fir, the land area, or 1,495,525 acres, is in woodland (3). The Sitka spruce, and western redcedar principal forest products are softwood and hardwood lumber, shingles, shakes, of air results in a dry season that begins late in spring poles, pilings, and pulpwood. Minor forest products such as and reaches its peak in midsummer. tree boughs, floral greenery, and cascara bark are also In fall and winter, a low-pressure center near the harvested. Aleutian Islands intensifies and spreads southward. At the Additional principal sources of income are mariculture, same time, the high-pressure center over the northeastern recreation, and farming. Commercial fisheries within the Pacific Ocean becomes smaller and also moves survey area produce, in order of the most value, crab, southward. This causes the prevailing flow of warm, moist salmon, and oysters. Albacore, smelt, and razor clams are air to shift from the west to the southwest. Fog banks also important resources. frequently form offshore and move inland at night, but the Most of the farmland is planted to pasture or hay for use beaches are clear by the following noon. by livestock. Other crops are oats, wheat, Christmas trees, In winter, weather disturbances crossing the North Pacific flower bulbs, vegetables, peas, and cranberries. follow a more southerly course, and the number of storms Six previous soil surveys have been completed for parts of striking the Washington coast increase. Wind velocity the soil survey area: Soil Survey of Pacific County Area, normally ranges from 50 to 70 miles per hour as intense Washington (unpublished) 1970; Soil Survey of Grays Harbor storms move inland, but the velocity has been recorded at County Area, Washington (unpublished) 1970; Soil Survey of 113 miles per hour at North Head and at 100 miles per hour Capitol Forest Area, published in 1968 (15); Soil Survey of on peaks of the Willapa Hills. In spring, the ocean becomes the St. Helens Tree Farm, published in 1971 (8); Soil Survey calmer and the frequency of storms decreases. The high- of the McDonald Tree Farm, published in 1966 (23); and Soil pressure area spreads northward, and the prevailing Survey of the Clemons Tree Farm, published in 1969 (22). direction of the wind gradually shifts from southwest to west. The present survey updates the earlier surveys, provides a Tables 1, 2, and 3 give data as recorded at Aberdeen, survey of areas omitted in earlier surveys, and provides Elma, Grays River, and Willapa Harbor, Washington, for the additional information and maps that show the soils in period 1951 to 1977. The information in these tables is greater detail. based on incomplete records. Table 1 gives data on Descriptions, names, and delineations of soils in this soil temperature and precipitation for the survey area. Table 2 survey do not fully agree with those on soil maps of shows probable dates of the first freeze in fall and the last adjacent survey areas. Differences are the result of better freeze in spring. Table 3 provides data on length of the knowledge of soils, modifications in series concepts, growing season. intensity of mapping, or the extent of soils within the survey. In winter, the average temperature is 41 to 42 degrees F and the average daily minimum temperature is 33 to 36 degrees. Colder periods occur, usually when cold, dry, Climate northeasterly or easterly winds from east of the Cascade Range reach the coast. The sky is frequently clear under By Earl Phillips, climatologist for Washington, National Weather these conditions, and additional heat is lost by radiation at Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, and the National Climatic night. The lowest temperature on record, which occurred at Center, Asheville, North Carolina. Elma and at Grays River on December 8, 1972, is 2 The climate of the survey area is influenced by the degrees. The colder weather seldom continues for more prevailing direction of the wind, the surface temperature of than a few days before the warmer, moist air from the the Pacific Ocean, the Coast and Cascade Ranges, and the ocean moves inland. In summer, the average temperature is position and intensity of the large high- and low-pressure 60 to 62 degrees and the average daily maximum centers over the ocean.