Rural Municipality of Rossburn Information Bulletin 98-3 Rural Municipality of Rossburn Information Bulletin 98-3 Page 1 Rural Municipality of Rossburn Information Bulletin 98-3 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 98-3 Rural Municipality of Rossburn 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 Rossburn. Information Branch, Manitoba Agriculture. Bulletin 98-3, Brandon Research Centre, Research Branch, R. Lewis, PFRA, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Agriculture and 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 Rossburn Information Bulletin 98-3 Page 3 INTRODUCTION The location of the Rural Municipality of Rossburn 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 98-3 Rural Municipality of Rossburn LAND RESOURCE DATA than 25 ha in size were digitized as separate polygons. Terrain Layer The soil and terrain information presented in this bulletin was A separate terrain layer was produced for municipalities for which compiled as part of a larger project to provide a uniform level of only reconnaissance scale soil map coverage was available. This land resource information for agricultural and regional planning was compiled by aerial photo-interpretation techniques, using recent purposes throughout Agro-Manitoba. This information was 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 Older, reconnaissance scale soil maps (1:126 720 scale) represented the only available soil data source for many rural municipalities. These maps were compiled on a soil association basis, in which soil Figure 2. Soil, Terrain and Base Map data. landscape patterns were identified with unique surficial geological compiled and analysed in two distinct layers as shown in Figure 2. deposits and textures. Each soil association consists of a range of different soils ("associates") each of which occurs in a repetitive position in the landscape. Modern soil series that best represent the Base Layer soil association were identified for each soil polygon. The soil and Digital base map information includes the municipality and modifier codes provide a link to additional databases of soil township boundaries, along with major streams, roads and properties. In this way, reconnaissance soil map polygons were highways. Major rivers and lakes from the base layer were also used related to soil drainage, surface texture, and other soil properties to as common boundaries for the soil map layer. Water bodies larger produce various interpretive maps. Rural Municipality of Rossburn Information Bulletin 98-3 Page 5 SOIL AND TERRAIN OVERVIEW 2 to 5 percent slopes is most common in the Newdale Plain portion of the municipality (page 9). The Rural Municipality (RM) of Rossburn covers an area of 8 townships (approximately 77 587 hectares) of land in western The soil materials in this RM consist primarily of loamy textured Manitoba (page 3). Approximately 9 percent of this land area is in the glacial till (morainal) deposits (page 11). Areas of glaciofluvial Lizard Point Indian Reserve. The population is dominantly rural outwash are associated with the upper reaches of the Birdtail valley farm-based with concentrations of people in the town of Rossburn, the and waterworked till and coarse sand and gravel occur on the west largest centre in the municipality, and the villages of Birdtail and side of this valley in the south. Peat deposits are common in Vista. depressional areas of the landscape, particularly in the Riding Mountain Upland. The climate in the municipality can be related to the weather data from Rossburn. The mean annual temperature is 1.4/C and the mean Soils in the municipality have been mapped at a reconnaissance annual precipitation is 517 mm (Environment Canada, 1993). The level (1:126 720 scale) and published in the soil survey report for average frost-free period is 108 days and degree-days above 5/C the Rossburn and Virden map sheet areas (Ehrlich et al., 1956). The average 1485 (Ash, 1991). The calculated seasonal moisture deficit soils in the municipality are classified as dominantly Dark Gray for the period between May and September varies from slightly less Chernozems (Erickson Association) and Gray Luvisols (Waitville than 200 mm at higher elevations to slightly more at lower elevations Association) at higher elevations in the northern part of the to the south. Similarily, the estimated effective growing degree days municipality and Chernozemic Black soils (Newdale Association) (EGDD) above 5/C accumulated from date of seeding to the date of at lower elevations in the south (Expert Committee on Soil Survey, the first fall frost ranges from slightly less than 1100 in the north to 1987). Local areas of poorly drained soils (Gleysols) and shallow about 1250 at lower elevations in the south (Agronomic organic (peat) soils are common in depressional areas of the Interpretations Working Group, 1995). The northern two-thirds of the landscape (page 11). A more detailed and complete description of municipality is at higher elevations resulting in a somewhat cooler and the type, distribution and textural variability of soils in the shorter growing season than that experienced at lower elevations to municipality is provided in the published reconnaissance soil survey the south. These parameters provide an indication of moisture and (Ehrlich et al., 1956). heat energy available