Soils of the Fort Nelson Area of British Columbia K.W. G. VALENTINE Canada Department of Agriculture, Vancouver, B.C. REPORT No. 12 British Columbia Soi1 Survey Research Branch - Canada Department of Agriculture. 1971 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author wishes to acknowledge the help of Mr. L. Farstad, Canada Depart- ment of Agriculture, Vancouver, and Mr. P. N. Sprout, British Columbia Depart- ment of Agriculture, Kelowna, who initiated the project and gave constructive advice during various parts of the field and office work. Mr. D. Hodgson helped with the field work in the summer of 1967. Soi1 analyses were carried out by Mr. S. K. Chan and Miss M. E. Turnbull. Mr. J. M. Wallace, Department of Energy, Mines, and Resources, Water Resources Branch, Vancouver, B.C., provided valuable information on the seasonal flood levels of the Muskwa and Fort Nelson rivers., Mr. R. A. Nemeth, pipeline engineer, Westcoast Transmission CO. Ltd., Van- couver, gave permission for information from his company’s Yoyo pipeline muskeg survey to be used in Fig. 5. Dr. H. Vaartnou, Research Station, Canada Department of Agriculture, Beaverlodge, Alta., identified many of the plant specimens that were collected during the survey. Mr. G. W. Robertson, Agrometeorology Section, Canada Department of Agri- culture, Ottawa, supplied estimates of agroclimatic normals based on the Hopkins regression formulas. Mr. R. Marshall, Agroclimatology, British Columbia Depart- ment of Agriculture, also supplied much climatic data. The soi1 map and Fig. l-5, 11, 13, 15, and 16 were prepared by the Cartogra- phy Section, Soi1 Research Institute, Canada Department of Agriculture, Ottawa. Messrs. E. W. Taylor and J. F. Carreiro, Canadian Wildlife Service, Vancou- ver; Mr. D. Blower, Canada Land Inventory (Ungulates), Victoria; and Mr. LeRoy Ward, Conservation Officer, Fort Nelson, supplied much of the information used in the section on soils and wildlife. Mr. W. C. Yeomans, Victoria, supplied informa- tion for the section on soils and recreation. Finally, without the help of many people in Fort Nelson this survey could not have been completed. Among others, Mr. G. Broomfield, the government agent, gave much helpful advice and Mr. R. Doerksen, Forest Service Ranger, and his staff provided office space and various means of transport when necessary. The help of a11 these people is gratefully acknowledged. 5 CONTENTS Page Preface .......................................................................................................................................................... 7 General Description of the Area .............................................................................................................. 7 Location, settlement, and land use .................................................................................................... 7 Climate ................................................................................................................................................. 9 Physiography ......................................................................................................................................... 11 The Buckinghorse terrain system .................................................................................................. 13 The Sikanni terrain system ........................................................................................................... 14 The Chuatse terrain system ........................................................................................................... 15 The Muskwa terrain system ........................................................................................................... 16 Vegetation .............................................................................................................................................. 18 Descriptions of thc Soils ........................................................................................................................... 19 Soils of the Buckinghorse terrain system .......................................................................................... 21 Fort Nelson series .......................................................................................................................... 22 Hamilton series ........................................................................................................................... 23 Simpson series ............................................................................................................................. 23 Parker series ................................................................................................................................. 24 Klua complex ............................................................................................................................... 26 Soils of the Sikanni terrain systcm ...... .......................................................................................... 27 Sikanni series ................................................................................................................................. 29 Klowee series ................................................................................................................................. 30 McConachie series ......................................................................................................................... 3 1 Pouce series ............................................ ............ ...... ..................................................................... 32 Jackfish series ................................................................................................................................. 33 Meltwater channels (land type) ................................................................................................... 34 Soils of the Chuatse terrain system ................................................................................................... 34 Trail series ....................................................................................................................................... 34 Utahn series ..................................................................................................................................... 35 Bar series ........................................................................................................................................ 36 Soils of the Muskwa terrain system ................................................................................................... 36 Donaldson series ............................................................................................................................. 37 Milo series ........................................................................................................................................ 39 Prophet series ................................................................................................................................... 39 Snake series ..................................................................................................................................... 40 Abandoned river channels (land type) ....................................................................................... 41 Recent bars (land type) ................................................................................................................ 41 Valley side slumps (land type) ...................................................................................................... 41 Methods of Soi1 Analysis .......................................................................................................................... 42 Soi1 Interpretations for Agriculture, Forestry, Wildlife, and Recreation ............................................. 42 Soils and agriculture ............................................................................................................................. 42 Limitations to agricultural use ....................................................................................................... 45 Erosion ........................................................................................................................................ 45 Inundation by streams .............................................................................................................. 45 Consolidated bedrock ................................................................................................................ 46 Topography ................................................................................................................................ 46 Excess water ............................................................................................................................... 47 Moisture limitation .................................................................................................................... 47 Undesirable soi1 structure and low permeability ................................................................... 47 Low fertility ............................................................................................................................... 47 Miscellaneous considerations .......................................................................................................... 48 Soils and forestry .................................................................................................................................. 49 Soils and