LOCATION HEISLER WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy-skeletal over loamy-skeletal, glassy over isotic, mesic Typic Vitrixerands
TYPICAL PEDON: Heisler gravelly silt loam - on a 45 percent convex north-facing slope under coniferous vegetation. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)
0I--1 to 1/2 inch; undecomposed needles, leaves, and twigs.
Oa--1/2 inch to 0; decomposed organic matter; abrupt wavy boundary.
Bs1--0 to 8 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) gravelly silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; many very fine, common fine and medium roots; many very fine and common fine vesicular pores; 15 percent phyllite pebbles; NaF pH 10.5; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
Bs2--8 to 20 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) very gravelly loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic, weakly smeary; common very fine, fine, and medium roots, common very fine and fine irregular pores; 25 percent phyllite pebbles; 10 percent cobbles; NaF pH 10.5; strongly acid (pH 5.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (7 to 14 inches thick)
2C1--20 to 28 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, pale yellow (5YR 7/3) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; few fine and very fine irregular pores; 30 percent phyllite pebbles, 10 percent cobbles; NaF pH 12.0; medium acid (pH 5.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 10 inches thick)
2C2--28 to 60 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) very gravelly loam, white (5Y 8/2) dry; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine irregular pores; 35 percent phyllite pebbles, 10 percent cobbles; NaF pH 11.5 medium acid (pH 5.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Skagit County, Washington; 2 miles south of Day Creek; 2,000 feet north and 500 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 31, T. 35 N., R. 6 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: These soils are usually moist, but are dry for 45 to 60 consecutive days following summer solstice. The thickness of the solum and the depth to unconsolidated till ranges from 15 to 35 inches. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 47 to 50 degrees F. Phyllite fragments in the control section average from 35 to 60 percent. Reaction is strongly acid or medium acid throughout.
The Bs horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR, value of 3 to 5 moist, 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 4 through 6 moist and 3 through 6 dry. It is very gravelly silt loam, or very gravelly loam. Some pedons have an A or E horizon with hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR, value of 3 through 6 moist, 4 through 7 dry, and chroma of 2 through 4 moist and dry.
The 2C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 through 7 moist, 6 through 8 dry, and chroma of 2 through 4 moist and dry. It is very gravelly loam, very gravelly sandy loam or extremely gravelly sandy loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ahl, Barnhardt, Pickett, Squires, Tunnel, and Vanzandt series and the similar Blethen, Kanaskat, Kickerville, Lyre, Ogarty, and Swinomish soils. Ahl, Barnhardt, Blethen, and Kanaskat soils have less than 35 percent phyllite fragments in the control section. Ahl, Ogarty, Pickett, and Squires soils have a lithic contact at 20 to 40 inches. Kickerville, and Lyre soils have an extremely gravelly sand 2C horizon within the particle-size control section. Swinomish and Vanzandt soils have a paralithic contact at 20 to 40 inches. Tunnel soils have hue of 2.5YR or 5YR in the spodic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Heisler soils are on glaciated mountain sides with slopes of 8 to 65 percent. Elevation ranges from 200 to 1,300 feet. The soils formed in volcanic ash, loess, till and colluvium. The till is locally derived from talc and phyllite. The mean January temperature is 37 degrees F, mean July temperature is 61 degrees F, and mean annual air temperature ranges from 45 to 48 degrees F. Average annual precipitation is 50 to 70 inches. The frost-free season is 140 to 220 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Squires and Vanzandt soils and the Cathcart, Nargar, Rinker, Skipopa, Skykomish, Tokul, and Winston soils. Cathcart soilshave less than 35 percent hard unweathered rock fragments in the control section. Nargar and Winston soils have contrasting textures in the particle-size control section. Rinker soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a lithic contact. Skipopa soils ae fine and somewhat poorly drained. Skykomish soils are sandy-skeletal. Tokul soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a duripan.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for woodland. Native vegetation is Douglas-fir, western hemlock, western redcedar, bigleaf maple, and red alder, with an understory of vine maple, western swordfern, Oregon-grape, red huckleberry, deer fern, Pacific trillium, bedstraw, salal, and cascara buckthorn.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: WEst slopes of the Cascade Mountains in northwestern Washington. This soil is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Whatcom County, Washington, 1941.
REMARKS: Classification only changed 4/94 because of recent amendments to Soil Taxonomy. This draft reflects a change in classification from loamy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Typic Haplorthods to ashy-skeletal, mesic Typic Vitrixerands. Diagnostic horizon recognized in this pedon is a cambic horizon from the mineral surface to 20 inches.