LOCATION BUFORD                  OR

Established Series
Rev. WEL/RWL/KMS
11/2018

BUFORD SERIES

Landscape--plateaus, mountains
Landform--mountain slopes, plateaus
Slope--2 to 15 percent
Parent material--residuum derived from basalt mixed with loess and an influence of volcanic ash in the upper part
Mean annual precipitation--about 530 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 6 degrees C
Depth class--deep to lithic bedrock
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--xeric
Soil temperature regime--frigid
Soil moisture subclass--typic

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, isotic, frigid Vitrandic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Buford ashy silt loam, forested

Oi--0 to 3 cm; dominantly pine needles and slightly decomposed plant litter

A1--3 to 10 cm; ashy silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary

A2--10 to 28 cm; ashy silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine and few coarse roots; many very fine and common medium tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual wavy boundary

AB--28 to 43 cm; ashy silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine and few coarse roots; many very fine and common medium tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary

2Bw1--43 to 64 cm; silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and few coarse roots; many very fine and common medium tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual wavy boundary

2Bw2--64 to 94 cm; silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and few medium tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual wavy boundary

2BC--94 to 119 cm; loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.4) abrupt wavy boundary

2Bwb--119 to 127 cm; cobbly clay, brown (10YR 4/3) dry, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong medium and coarse angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine tubular pores; common slickensides; 15 percent cobbles and 5 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt wavy boundary

2R--127 cm; hard, fractured basalt

TYPE LOCATION: Wallowa County, Oregon, about 1.6 km northeast of Flora, Oregon; 935 m north and 35 m west of the southeast corner of section 15, T. 5 N., R. 44 E.; latitude 45.9126560, longitude -117.2905910, datum WGS 84 (coordinates estimated from PLSS details)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--7 to 8 degrees C
Soil moisture--dry 60 to 90 consecutive days in summer
Thickness of mollic epipedon--50 to 91 cm
Depth to lithic contact--100 to 150 cm
Thickness of ash-influenced layers--18 to 50 cm

Estimated properties of layers influenced by volcanic ash
*Ammonium oxalate extractable Al + 1/2 Fe--0.4 to 1.0 percent
*Glass content in 0.02- to 2.0-mm fraction--5 to 20 percent

Particle-size control section
*Clay content--18 to 27 percent

A and AB horizons
Value--2 or 3 moist, 3 to 5 dry
Chroma--2 or 3 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--ashy silt loam
Clay content--18 to 27 percent
Sand content--15 to 25 percent
Organic matter content--2 to 6 percent
Reaction--6.1 to 7.3
Combined thickness of A horizon--18 to 40 cm
Thickness of AB horizon--0 to 20 cm

2Bw horizon
Value--2 to 4 moist, 3 to 6 dry
Chroma--2 to 4 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--silt loam
Clay content--18 to 27 percent
Sand content--15 to 25 percent
Organic matter content--1 to 3 percent
Reaction--6.1 to 7.3
Combined thickness--35 to 68 cm

2BC horizon
Value--3 or 4 moist, 5 or 6 dry
Chroma--3 or 4 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--loam, silt loam
Clay content--18 to 27 percent
Sand content--15 to 45 percent
Organic matter content--1 to 2 percent
Total rock fragment content--0 to 15 percent
Gravel content--0 to 10 percent
Cobble content--0 to 5 percent
Reaction--6.1 to 7.3
Thickness--0 to 30 cm

2Bwb horizon
Hue--7.5YR, 10YR
Value--3 or 4 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma--3 or 4 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--clay, silty clay
Clay content--40 to 50 percent
Sand content--20 to 45 percent
Organic matter content--0 to 2 percent
Total rock fragment content--0 to 30 percent
Gravel content--0 to 15 percent
Cobble content--0 to 15 percent
Reaction--6.1 to 7.3
Thickness--3 to 15 cm

COMPETING SERIES:
Derr, McGarr--lithic contact at a depth of 50 to 100 cm (moderately deep)
Hall Ranch--paralithic contact at a depth of 50 to 100 cm (moderately deep)
Highvalley, Kahler, Minam, Myzel--no lithic contact in the upper 150 cm (very deep)

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--1040 to 1530 m
Climate--cold, wet winters; hot, dry summers
Mean annual precipitation--480 to 580 mm
Mean annual air temperature--5.6 to 7.2 degrees C
Frost-free period--70 to 100 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Bocker--very shallow; in complex with Buford soils
Cowsly--fine-textured; adjacent to Buford soils on plateaus and benches
Getaway--loamy-skeletal, on adjacent north-facing slopes
Klicker--moderately deep; loamy-skeletal; on adjacent south-facing slopes

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Saturation during normal years--none
Flooding--none
Ponding--none
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--moderately high over moderately low

USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--timber production
Potential native vegetation--ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, common snowberry, bluebunch wheatgrass, woodland strawberry, Idaho fescue, common yarrow, Kentucky bluegrass, pinegrass, heartleaf arnica, Virginia strawberry, longstalk clover, California brome, lupine, Saskatoon serviceberry, prairie Junegrass, elk sedge

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Oregon; MLRA 9; small extent

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wallowa County Area, Oregon; 1998

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon
*Mollic epipedon--zone from 3 to 46 cm
*Cambic horizon--zone from 64 to 94 cm
*Volcanic glass--zone from 3 to 43 cm
*Depth to lithologic discontinuity--43 cm
*Particle-size control section--zone from 28 to 103 cm

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.