RM of Birtle Information Bulletin 98-6
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Rural Municipality of Birtle Information Bulletin 98-6 Rural Municipality of Birtle Information Bulletin 98-6 Page 1 Rural Municipality of Birtle Information Bulletin 98-6 Prepared by: Land Resource Unit, Brandon Research Centre, Research Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Department of Soil Science, University of Manitoba. Manitoba Soil Resource Section, Soils and Crops Branch, Manitoba Agriculture. Printed December, 1998 Page 2 Information Bulletin 98-6 Rural Municipality of Birtle PREFACE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This is one of a new series of information bulletins for individual Continuing support for this project has been provided by Brandon rural municipalities of Manitoba. They serve to introduce the newly Research Centre and PFRA Manitoba. The project was initiated by developed digital soil databases and illustrate several typical derived the Land Resource Unit under the Canada-Manitoba Agreement of and interpretive map products for agricultural land use planning Agricultural Sustainability. applications. The bulletins will also be available in diskette format for each rural municipality. The following individuals and agencies contributed significantly to the compilation, interpretation, and derivation of the information Information contained in this bulletin may be quoted and utilized contained in this report. with appropriate reference to the originating agencies. The authors and originating agencies assume no responsibility for the misuse, Managerial and administrative support was provided by: alteration, re-packaging, or re-interpretation of the information. R.G. Eilers, Head, Land Resource Unit, Brandon Research Centre, This information bulletin serves as an introduction to the land Research Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. resource information available for the municipality. More detailed G.J. Racz, Head, Department of Soil Science, University of information, including copies of the primary soil and terrain maps Manitoba. at larger scales, may be obtained by contacting Technical support was provided by: Land Resource Unit Room 360 Ellis Bldg, University of Manitoba G.W. Lelyk, and P. Cyr, Land Resource Unit, Brandon Research Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2 Centre, Research Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Phone: 204-474-6118 FAX: 204-474-7633 J. Fitzmaurice, N. Lindberg, and A. Waddell, Department of Soil Science, University of Manitoba. CITATION G.F. Mills, P. Ag, Winnipeg, Manitoba Land Resource Unit, 1998. Soils and Terrain. An Introduction to the J. Griffiths, and C. Aglugub, Soil Resource Section, Soils and Crops Land Resource. Rural Municipality of Birtle. Information Bulletin Branch, Manitoba Agriculture. 98-6, Brandon Research Centre, Research Branch, Agriculture and R. Lewis, PFRA, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Agri-Food Canada Professional expertise for data conversion, correlation, and interpretation was provided by: W.R. Fraser and R.G. Eilers, Land Resource Unit, Brandon Research Centre, Research Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. P. Haluschak and G. Podolsky, Soil Resource Section, Soils and Crops Branch, Manitoba Agriculture. Rural Municipality of Birtle Information Bulletin 98-6 Page 3 INTRODUCTION The location of the Rural Municipality of Birtle is shown in Figure 1. A brief overview of the database information, and general environmental conditions for the municipality are presented. A set of maps derived from the data for typical agricultural land use and planning applications are also included. The soil map and database were compiled and registered using the Geographic Information System (PAMAP GIS) facilities of the Land Resource Unit. These databases were used in the GIS to create the generalized, derived and interpretive maps and statistics in this report. The final maps were compiled and printed using Coreldraw. This bulletin is available in printed or digital format. The digital bulletin is a Windows based executable file which offers additional display options, including the capability to print any portion of the bulletin. Figure 1. Rural municipalities of southern Manitoba. Page 4 Information Bulletin 98-6 Rural Municipality of Birtle LAND RESOURCE DATA as common boundaries for the soil map layer. Water bodies larger than 25 ha in size were digitized as separate polygons. The soil and terrain information presented in this bulletin was Terrain Layer compiled as part of a larger project to provide a uniform level of land resource information for agricultural and regional planning A separate terrain layer was produced for municipalities for which purposes throughout Agro-Manitoba. This information was only reconnaissance scale soil map coverage was available. This was compiled by aerial photo-interpretation techniques, using recent 1:50 000 scale stereo airphoto coverage. The terrain information was transferred from the photographs onto the standard RM base and digitized in the GIS. Where the soil and terrain boundaries coincided, such as along prominent escarpments and eroded stream channels, the new terrain line was used for both layers. The terrain line, delineated from modern airphoto interpretation, was considered more positionally accurate than the same boundary portrayed on the historical reconnaissance soil map. Each digital terrain polygon was assigned the following legend characteristics: Surface form Wetland size Slope Erosional modifiers Slope length Extent of eroded knolls Percent wetlands The four legend characteristics on the left are considered differentiating, that is, a change in any of these classes defines a new polygon. Soil Layer Figure 2. Soil, Terrain and Base Map data. Older, reconnaissance scale soil maps (1:126 720 scale) represented compiled and analysed in two distinct layers as shown in Figure 2. the only available soil data source for many rural municipalities. These maps were compiled on a soil association basis, in which soil landscape patterns were identified with unique surficial geological Base Layer deposits and textures. Each soil association consists of a range of different soils ("associates") each of which occurs in a repetitive Digital base map information includes the municipality and position in the landscape. Modern soil series that best represent the township boundaries, along with major streams, roads and soil association were identified for each soil polygon. The soil and highways. Major rivers and lakes from the base layer were also used modifier codes provide a link to additional databases of soil Rural Municipality of Birtle Information Bulletin 98-6 Page 5 properties. In this way, reconnaissance soil map polygons were related to soil drainage, surface texture, and other soil properties to produce various interpretive maps. Page 6 Information Bulletin 98-6 Rural Municipality of Birtle SOIL AND TERRAIN OVERVIEW Birdtail Creek. This valley is 45 to 60 m in depth with slopes commonly exceeding 30 percent along the valley walls and their The Rural Municipality (RM) of Birtle covers an area of 9 tributaries. townships (approximately 87 080 hectares) of land in western Manitoba (page 3). The Town of Birtle and the villages of The soil materials in the RM of Birtle consist mainly of loamy Foxwarren and Solsgirth are the main population and service centres textured glacial till (morainal) deposits. A small area of in the municipality although most of the population is rural farm- glaciofluvial sand and gravel deposits occurs in the southwest corner based. and extensive areas of water-worked glacial till covered by overlays occur adjacent to the meltwater channel containing Birdtail Creek. The climate in the municipality can be related to the weather data The sidewalls of this valley consist of stream eroded glacial till and from Birtle. The mean annual temperature is 1.1/C and the mean in places shale rock mantled with till, colluvium and slump debris annual precipitation is 510 mm (Environment Canada, 1982). The (page 11). average frost-free period is 98 days and degree-days above 5/C average 1484 (Ash, 1991). The calculated seasonal moisture deficit Soils in the municipality have been mapped at a reconnaissance map for the period between May and September for the area is slightly scale of 1:126 720 and published in the soil survey report for the in excess of 250 mm. The estimated effective growing degree days Rossburn and Virden Map Sheet Areas (Ehrlich et al, 1956). The (EGDD) above 5/C accumulated from date of seeding to the date of area around Birtle is mapped at a detailed 1:20 000 scale and the first fall frost is between 1300 and 1400 (Agronomic published in Soils of the Birtle, Elkhorn, Hamiota, Newdale, Rapid Interpretations Working Group, 1995). These parameters provide City, Shoal Lake and Strathclair Townsites (Podolsky, 1988). an indication of length of growing season and the moisture and heat According to the Canadian System of Soil Classification (Expert energy available for crop growth. This growing season is generally Committee on Soil Survey, 1987), soils in the municipality are sufficient for production of small grain and cool-season oilseed classified as dominantly Black Chernozems of the Newdale and crops adapted to western Canada. Miniota Associations. Extensive areas of Newdale soils adjacent to this valley have been modified by glacial meltwaters leaving an Physiographically, the major portion of the RM of Birtle is located erosion surface of coarse sediments, gravel and stones. Local areas in the Newdale Plain Section of the Saskatchewan Plain with a of poorly drained soils (Gleysols) are common