LOCATION BALCHER WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, ferrihydritic Oxyaquic Haplocryands
TYPICAL PEDON: Balcher extremely gravelly medial sandy loam-forestland, on a 43 percent north-northwesterly aspect at an elevation of 2,720 feet in a Pacific silver fir/Alaska huckleberry-twinflower plant association. (When described on January 28, 1994, the soil was moist throughout. Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oi--0 to 2 inches; slightly decomposed needles, leaves, twigs, and other woody fragments; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A1--2 to 5 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) extremely gravelly medial sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; 60 percent gravel; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); clear smooth boundary.
A2--5 to 11 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) extremely gravelly medial sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; weak very fine, fine, and medium subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 60 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 6 to 9 inches thick.)
Bw1--11 to 17 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/6) extremely gravelly medial sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 55 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--17 to 32 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) extremely gravelly medial loam, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) dry; weak very fine, fine, and medium subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; few very fine, fine, and medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 50 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 20 to 35 inches)
BC--32 to 45 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/6) extremely gravelly sandy loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine, and medium roots; few very fine and fine irregular pores; 50 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (12 to 16 inches thick)
Cd--45 to 62 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) extremely gravelly sandy loam, pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) dry; massive; hard, brittle, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation on ped faces; 50 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2). (20 inches to many feet thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Clallam County, Washington, about 2 miles northeast of Fairholm, about 9,650 feet east and 310 feet south of the northwest corner of Section 19, T. 30 N., R. 9 W. (Latitude 48 degrees, 05 minutes, 07 seconds N., Longitude 123 degrees, 52 minutes, 56 seconds W.)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature is 41 to 43 degrees F. The mean summer soil temperature is 43 to 47 degrees F. The mean winter soil temperature is 37 to 41 degrees F. These soils are usually moist, and are dry 0 to 30 consecutive days in the soil moisture control section; udic soil moisture regime. Depth to dense till and redox concentrations is 40 to 60 inches. The particle-size control section has andic soil properties with a cumulative thickness of 30 to 40 inches and 40 to 85 percent rock fragments by volume. The andic soil material has an estimated moist bulk density of 0.70 to 0.90 g/cc, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 2 to 3 percent, phosphate retention of 85 to 100 percent, and 15-bar water retention of 15 to 30 percent for air dried samples. It has 1 to 2 cmol/kg of aluminum. Acid oxalate extractable iron is 1.5 to 3.0 percent.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR moist and dry, value of 3 or 4 moist and 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 3 or 4 moist. Reaction is very strongly, strongly, or moderately acid. It has 5 to 15 percent organic matter.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR moist and dry, value of 3 or 4 moist and 5 through 7 dry, and chroma of 4 or 6 moist and dry. It is extremely gravelly medial sandy loam, extremely gravelly medial loam, or very gravelly medial loam. Reaction is moderately or slightly acid. It has 1 to 7 percent organic matter.
The BC horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y moist and dry, value of 3 or 4 moist and 6 or 7 dry, and chroma of 4 or 6 moist and dry. It is extremely gravelly sandy loam or very gravelly sandy loam. Reaction is moderately or slightly acid. Moist bulk density if 0.90 to 1.20 g/cc. It has less than 1 to 2 percent organic matter.
The Cd horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y moist and dry, value of 6 or 7 dry, and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. It is extremely gravelly sandy loam, very gravelly sandy loam, or extremely gravelly loamy sand. Reaction is moderately or slightly acid. It has a moist bulk density of 1.50 to 2.00 g/cc.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Blackjack, Fahnestock, Kahkwa, Mueller, Musgrove, Sniderpeak, Sorethumb, Stonybrook, and Tylerpeak series. All of the competing series are well drained (lack perched water table) and lack the dense glacial till material at 40 to 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Balcher soils are on glaciated mountain slopes. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. The soils formed in continental glacial till. Elevations are 2,500 to 3,500 feet. Average annual precipitation is 80 to 105 inches. Average annual temperature is 39 to 43 degrees F. The frost-free season is 120 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Fahnestock and Sniderpeak soils. Fahnestock and Sniderpeak soils are on glaciated mountain slopes and are both well drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; moderately rapid over slow permeability. Balcher soils have a perched seasonal zone of saturation between 2.5 and 4.5 feet from November through April; oxyaquic.
USE AND VEGETATION: Timber production, wildlife habitat, recreation, and watershed. Native vegetation is Pacific silver fir, western hemlock, western redcedar, Alaska huckleberry, devils club, northern twinflower, red huckleberry, mosses, princes pine, deerfoot vanillaleaf,
and Columbia lily.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern slope of Olympic Mountains, Clallam County, Washington; MLRA 3.. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clallam County, Washington, 2000; Olympic National Forest.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are the following:
Ochric epipedon
Cambic horizon - 11 to 32 inches
Andic soil properties - 2 to 32 inches
Densic layer - 43 to 60 inches (Cd layer)
PSCS - 2 to 42 inches (A1, A2, Bw1, Bw2 and BC subhorizons)
Oxyaquic conditions at 30 to 40 inches.
All depths to diagnostic horizons and other features are measured from the top of the first mineral horizon.