LOCATION TRAITORS                AK

Established Series
Rev: RAF/RWG/JPM
02/2022

TRAITORS SERIES

The Traitors series consists of shallow, well and moderately well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium from phyllite and schist. Traitors soils are on shoulders and backslopes of hills. Slopes range from 35 to 120 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 120 inches, and mean annual temperature is about 45 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive Lithic Humicryods

TYPICAL PEDON: Traitors silt loam - on a SE facing convex slope of 55 percent under conifer forest at 700 feet elevation. (All colors are for moist soil)

Oi--6 to 2 inches; undecomposed forest litter.

Oe--2 to O inches; black (10YR 2/1) mucky peat; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common coarse and medium, many fine and very fine roots; extremely acid (pH 4.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)

E--0 to 1 inch; dark brown (7.5YR 4/2) silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; very strongly acid (pH 4.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 2 inches)

Bhs--1 to 7 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 2.5/2) silt loam; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; very strongly acid (pH 4.5); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)

Bs--7 to 10 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) silt loam; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; very strongly acid (pH 4.5); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)

C--10 to 14 inches, dark brown (10YR 3/3) fine sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)

R--14 inches; schist bedrock

TYPE LOCATION: Ketchikan Area, Alaska; Carroll Inlet vicinity, 200 feet north of North Saddle Lake; NE corner of S14, T73S, R92E, Copper River Meridian.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the solum ranges from 7 to 14 inches. Depth to bedrock ranges from 14 to 20 inches. Particle size of the control section has less than 18 percent clay and more than 15 percent fine sand or coarser. Reaction throughout the profile is very strongly acid or extremely acid. Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 38 to 42 degrees F. Mean summer soil temperature is about 46 degrees F.

The E horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value moist of 4 or 5, and chroma moist from 1 through 4. Texture commonly is silt loam, but ranges to include fine sandy loam or very fine sandy loam.

The Bhs horizon has hue from 2.5YR through 10YR; value moist of 2 or 3, and chroma moist from 1 through 3. Texture commonly is silt loam, but ranges to include fine sandy loam or very fine sandy loam.

The Bs horizon has hue from 2.5YR through 10YR, value moist from 3 through 5, and chroma moist from 2 through 6. Texture commonly is silt loam or gravelly silt loam, but ranges to include fine sandy loam. Coarse fragment content ranges from 5 to 25 percent.

The C horizon has hue of 2.5YR through 10YR; value moist from 3 through 6; and chroma moist from 2 through 4. Texture is silt loam or fine sandy loam. Coarse fragment content ranges from 5 to 25 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Sarkar (AK) and Snettisham (AK) series. Sarkar soils are strongly acid to neutral throughout. Snettisham soils are mottled in the spodic horizons.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Traitors soils are on hillslopes, formed in colluvium and residuum, and are underlain by phyllite and schist. The climate is humid maritime with mean annual precipitation of 60 to 220 inches. The mean annual temperature is 45 degrees F. Slopes range from 35 to 120 percent. Elevation ranges from sea level to 2000 feet.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Hydaburg, Kaikli, Kina, McGilvery, and Sunnyhay soils. The Hydaburg and Sunnyhay soils are shallow organic soils in alpine areas. Kaikli and Kina soils are very poorly drained organic soils on gentle slopes. McGilvery soils consist of decomposing forest litter over bedrock.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained or moderately well drained. Moderate permeability. Runoff is slow to rapid.

USE AND VEGETATION: The Traitors soils are used for timber production, watershed protection, wildlife habitat, and recreation. The overstory vegetation is dominantly western hemlock, with lesser amounts of western redcedar, Alaska yellow-cedar and Sitka spruce. The understory vegetation includes blueberry, huckleberry, rusty menziesia, bunchberry dogwood, ferns and mosses.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeast Alaska. The series is of moderate extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chatham Area, Alaska. 1992.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this profile include: an albic horizon from 0 to 1 inch; a spodic horizon from 1 to 10 inches; loamy particle size from 10 to 14 inches; bedrock at 14 inches; greater than 6 percent organic carbon in the spodic horizon from 1 to 7 inches; a cryic temperature regime.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory data is available for this soil: NSSL pedon number 78AK-130-001.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.