LOCATION BUCKSHOT OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Typic Paleudults
TYPICAL PEDON: Buckshot sandy loam - forested, on a 58 percent north slope at an elevation of 2600 feet. (Colors are moist unless otherwise stated)
Oi--0.5 inch to 0; partially decomposed needles and twigs.
A--0 to 4 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; moderate very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine, medium and coarse roots; many very fine irregular pores; 14 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)
AB--4 to 11 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; moderate very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; many very fine irregular pores; 10 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary.
BA--11 to 30 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine, medium, and coarse roots; many very fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the AB and BA horizons is 0 to 26 inches)
Bt-- 30 to 60 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) clay loam; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) dry; moderate medium and coarse angular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 1 percent gravel; very strongly acid (pH 4.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Oregon, about 2 miles east of Lane Mountain and about 1600 feet west and 300 feet south of the northeast corner of section 29, T. 27 S., R. 3 W. W.M. (Latitude 43 degrees, 11 minutes, 50 seconds N, Longitude 123 degrees, 4 minutes, 3 seconds W)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soils are usually moist and are dry for less than 45 consecutive days within all parts between depths of approximately 4 and 12 inches during the 4 month period following summer solstice. The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 52 degrees F. Depth to bedrock and solum thickness is 60 inches or more. Hue is 10YR or 7.5YR. The particle-size control section has 20 to 35 percent clay and 15 to 30 percent coarse and very coarse sand.
The A horizon has value of 3 or 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry, and chroma of 2 to 4 moist and dry. It has 0 to 15 percent gravel. It is slightly acid to neutral.
The AB and BA horizons have value of 4 or 5 moist, 6 or 7 dry, and chroma of 4 or 6 moist and dry. It is loam or sandy loam with 15 to 25 percent clay. It has 0 to 10 percent gravel. It is moderately acid to slightly acid. Base saturation by sum is 30 to 50 percent.
The Bt horizon has value of 4 or 5 moist, 6 or 7 dry, and chroma of 3 to 6 moist and dry. It is clay loam or loam with 25 to 35 percent clay. It has 0 to 5 percent gravel. It is very strongly acid to strongly acid. Base saturation by sun is 20 to 35 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Fernhaven series. Fernhaven soils contain less than 5 percent coarse and very coarse sand and have developed in colluvium from sandstone and siltstone.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Buckshot soils are on ridges, and mountain side slopes. The soils formed in colluvium and residuum weathered from granitic rocks. Slopes are 3 to 90 percent. Elevations are 1200 to 3500 feet. The climate is characterized by warm, wet winters and hot, moist summers. The mean annual temperature is 45 to 50 degrees F, the mean annual precipitation is 50 to 70 inches, and the frost-free period is 100 to 170 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Lettia, Sitkum, Steinmetz, Stinger and Zing soils. Stinger soils are 20 to 40 inches deep and associated with Buckshot soils on more steeply sloping, less stable positions. Lettia, Sitkum, Steinmetz, and Zing soils have a xeric moisture regime and are on adjacent south slopes. In addition, Sitkum and Steinmetz soils are coarse-loamy and Zing soils are somewhat poorly drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Buckshot soils are used for timber production and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation includes Douglas fir, western hemlock, western redcedar, and Pacific madrone with an understory of salal, cascade Oregongrape, western swordfern, golden chinkapin, red huckleberry, and creambush oceanspray.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Oregon, MLRA 5. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County, Oregon, 1994.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features:
Ochric epipedon
Argillic horizon - from 30 to 60 inches (Bt horizon)
Particle-size control section - from 30 to 50 inches (upper 20 inches of argillic horizon), estimated clay content is about 30 percent
Base saturation (by sum of cations) at 72 inches is assumed to be less than 35 percent.
The active cation exchange activity class was added to the classification in 10/2005. The competing series section was not updated at that time. Last revision 3/1995.
This draft 4/92 reflects a change in the series type location and a change in classification from fine-loamy, mixed, mesic Typic Haplumbrepts.