LOCATION BAIRD HOLLOW       UT+CO
Established Series
Rev. RLT/MJD/TWH
11/1999

BAIRD HOLLOW SERIES


The Baird Hollow series consists of very deep, well drained, slowly permeable soils on mountain slopes and glacial moraines. They formed in alluvium, slope alluvium, and colluvium from basic igneous rock and some sedimentary rocks. Slope ranges from 3 to 60 percent. The mean annual temperature is about 40 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 30 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, smectitic Pachic Palecryolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Baird Hollow loam--forested. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated).

Oi-0 to 1 inch; aspen leaves, twigs and other forest duff.

A1--1 to 6 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable; many fine roots; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)

A2--6 to 20 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) cobbly clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable; many fine and common medium roots; many fine pores; 20 percent stones and cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.9); abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 15 inches thick)

E/B--20 to 30 inches; (E) light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very cobbly sandy clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; (Bt) brown (10YR 5/3) cobbly sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; most peds have E exteriors and Bt interiors; weak coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; common fine pores; 50 percent cobbles and stones; moderately acid (pH 5.7); clear irregular boundary. (5 to 20 inches thick)

Bt1--30 to 39 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very cobbly clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure and strong medium angular blocky; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine roots; few very fine pores; 50 percent cobbles and stones; moderately thick continuous clay films; thin patchy gray coatings; strongly acid (pH 5.3); gradual wavy boundary. (9 to 15 inches thick)

Bt2--39 to 73 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very cobbly clay, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure and strong medium angular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; 50 percent cobbles and stones; moderately thick continuous clay films; very strongly acid (pH 4.9).

TYPE LOCATION: Wasatch County, Utah; 13.5 miles east from the center of Heber on the Lake Creek road; 2,600 feet west and 1,200 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 24, T. 4 S., R. 6 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 37 to 45 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature: 54 to 58 degrees F.
Soil moisture regime: udic; the soil is dry less than 90 cumulative days.

A thin leaf litter covers the soil surface in most areas.
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 16 to 20 inches
Depth to the argillic horizon: 24 to 34 inches

A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 1 to 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3, dry or moist
Reaction: moderately acid to slightly alkaline

Present in some pedons: an E horizon with the characteristics of the E-part of the E/B horizon given below.

E/B horizon (a B/E horizon in some pedons):
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
E part:
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture (fine earth): loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam

B part:
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6, usually 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture (fine earth): sandy clay loam, clay loam

Rock fragment content: 15 to 60 percent, mainly cobble
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral.

Bt horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6, usually 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: silty clay, clay loam, or clay
Clay content: 35 to 55 percent
Rock fragment content: 35 to 60 percent, mainly cobble and stones
Reaction: very strongly acid to neutral

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family. The Everman series, in a closely related family, has less than 35 percent rock fragments in the argillic horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Baird Hollow soils are on sloping to very steep mountain slopes and glacial moraines at elevations of 6,500 to 11,000 feet. At the lower elevations, these soils are on steep slopes with north aspect. Slope gradients are mainly 3 to 25 percent and range from 3 to 60 percent. The soils formed in alluvium, slope alluvium, and colluvium from basic igneous rock and some sedimentary rocks. The climate is humid with 22 to 35 inches of precipitation falling mostly as snow. The mean annual temperature is about 34 to 41 degrees F. and the mean summer temperature is less than 59 degrees F. The freeze-free period is 40 to 70 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Flygare series. Flygare soils have a thicker mollic epipedon and have less than 35 percent clay in th eargillic horizon.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Watershed, summer range for wildlife and livestock and limited timber products. The overstory is aspen with scattered Douglas-fir, white fir, subalpine fir and Englemann spruce. The understory is snowberry, elderberry, mountain bromegrass, blue wildrye, oniongrass, slender wheatgrass, bearded wheatgrass, peavine, horsemint, bluebell, columbine, geranium, sweet anise and western valerian.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: High mountain slopes in the Wasatch mountains of Utah and in western Colorado. This series is moderately extensive. MLRA 47 and 48A.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wasatch County (Wasatch Area), Utah, 1971.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Mollic epipedon - from the mineral surface to 20 inches (A1, A2 horizons).
Glossic horizon - from 20 to 30 inches (E/B horizon).
Argillic horizon (Pale feature) - the zone from 30 to 73 inches (Bt1, Bt2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - the zone from 30 to 50 inches (the upper 20 inches of the argillic horizon).

Keys to Soil Taxonomy: Series classified according to Eighth Edition, 1998

In Utah this series is correlated with High Mountain range sites.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.