LOCATION LEDFORD CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Humic Dystroxerepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Ledford sandy loam--on an east facing slope of 20 percent under mixed conifers at 6,900 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on September 8, 1978 the soil was dry throughout).
01--1 inch to 0; forest litter of fresh and partially decomposed fir needles and branches. (0 to 3 inches thick)
A1--0 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak very fine and fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 3 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); diffuse wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
A2--4 to 15 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, many fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 15 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.3); diffuse wavy boundary. (7 to 14 inches thick)
A3--15 to 33 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 20 percent pebbles; medium acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (14 to 20 inches thick)
C1--33 to 41 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common fine and few medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 35 percent pebbles; medium acid (pH 5.9); diffuse irregular boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
C2--41 to 56 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common fine and few medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 50 percent pebbles; medium acid (pH 5.7); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
Cr--56 to 65 inches; highly weathered granitic rock. Cracks are 6 to 10 inches apart.
TYPE LOCATION: Sierra County, Tahoe National Forest, California; 4.2 miles east of Bassetts; about 1,400 feet west and 1,000 feet south of the northeast corner of section 4, T.20 N., R.13 E., MDB&M.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact is 40 to 60 inches. The umbric epipedon is 12 to 20 inches thick. Gravel ranges from 10 to 35 percent in the particle size control section. Mean annual soil temperature is 40 to 47 degrees F. The soil between depths of 10 to 28 inches is usually dry in all parts from late July to late September and moist in some or all parts the rest of the year. It is moist in all parts from December to late May.
The A1 and A2 horizons have dry color of 10YR 5/3, 5/4, 4/3, 3/3; 7.5YR 5/2 or 5/4 and moist color of 10YR 3/2, 3/3, 2/2 or 7.5YR 3/2. They are sandy loam or gravelly sandy loam and have 5 to 15 percent gravel. They are slightly acid to medium acid.
The A3 horizon has dry color of 10YR 5/3, 5/4 or 7.5YR 5/4 and moist color of 10YR 4/3, 4/4 or 7.5YR 4/4.
The C horizon has dry color of 10YR 5/4, 6/3, 7/3, 8/3; 7.5YR 6/4 or 6/6 and moist color of 2.5Y 6/4; 10YR 5/4, 4/3, 3/4; 7.5YR 5/6, or 4.4. It is gravelly or very gravelly sandy loam or coarse sandy loam and has 20 to 50 percent gravel with the upper part having less than 35 percent. It is slightly acid to medium acid.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Chiquito and Deadman series in other families. Chiquito soils have a paralithic contact within 20 to 40 inches and are sandy-skeletal. Deadman soils have an umbric epipedon greater than 20 inches thick.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ledford soils are on mountains with slopes of 5 to 75 percent. They are at elevations of 5,000 to 9,000 feet. They formed in material weathered from granitic rock. The climate is typified by warm, dry summers and cold moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 50 to 70 inches, most of which occurs as snow. The mean annual temperature is 46 to 48 degrees F. The mean January temperature is 27 degrees F. The mean July temperature is 60 degrees F. The average frost-free season is 80 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bucking and Smokey soils. Bucking soils are sandy throughout. Smokey soils have more than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; slow to very rapid runoff; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for commercial timber production, watershed and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is stands of red fir and mixed stands of red fir and white fir.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Ledford soils are moderately extensive in the Sierra Nevada Range of California.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sierra County (Tahoe National Forest Area), California, 1981.