LOCATION WELCOME            WA
Established Series
Rev. AG/RJE
10/2002

WELCOME SERIES


The Welcome series consists of deep, well drained soils
formed in volcanic ash and colluvium and slope alluvium from sandstone modified slightly by glacial till. Welcome soils
are on glacially modified mountain ridges and shoulder
slopes and have slopes of 5 to 60 percent. The average
annual precipitation is about 60 inches and mean annual
temperature is about 44 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, isotic, frigid Typic Haplorthods

TYPICAL PEDON: Welcome loam on a l2 percent southwest-
facing slope under a forest canopy of Douglas-fir, western
hemlock, and red alder at 1,850 feet elevation. (Colors
are for moist soil unless otherwise noted. All textures are
apparent field textures.)

Oi--3 to 2 inches; undecomposed needles, leaves, and
twigs.

Oa--2 inches to 0; decomposed forest litter; many very
fine roots.

E-0 to 2 inches; dark brown (l0YR 4/3) silt loam, light
gray (l0YR 7/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; soft,
very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; many
very fine and fine and common medium roots; many very fine
irregular pores; 20 percent weathered pebbles; NaF pH 9.4;
strongly acid (pH 5.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (l to 2
inches thick)

Bs1--2 to 6 inches; dark yellowish brown (l0YR 3/4)
loam, light yellowish brown (l0YR 6/4) dry; weak fine
granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky,
nonplastic, weakly smeary; common very fine, many fine and
medium, and few coarse roots; many very fine irregular
pores; 20 percent weathered pebbles, 5 percent hard pebbles,
and 5 percent hard cobbles; NaF pH l0.5; strongly acid (pH
5.4); clear wavy boundary. (l to l4 inches thick)

Bs2--6 to l9 inches; dark yellowish brown (l0YR 3/6)
loam, very pale brown (l0YR 7/4) dry; weak fine granular
structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic,
weakly smeary; many very fine, fine, common medium and few
coarse roots; many very fine irregular pores; 30 percent
weathered pebbles, l0 percent hard pebbles, and 5 percent
weathered cobbles; NaF pH ll.0; strongly acid (pH 5.5);
abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to l5 inches thick)

C1--l9 to 27 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) sandy
loam, pale yellow (2.5Y 8/4) dry; massive soft, very
friable, nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; few very
fine, common fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; 30
percent weathered pebbles, 5 percent hard pebbles, and 10
percent weathered cobbles; NaF pH 10.5; strongly acid (pH
5/4); clear wavy boundary.

C2--27 to 50 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) fine
sandy loam, pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) dry; massive; soft, very
friable, nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; few fine
roots; common very fine irregular pores; 20 percent
weathered pebbles, 5 percent hard pebbles, 5 percent
weathered cobbles, and 5 percent hard cobbles; NaF pH 10.5;
strongly acid (pH 5.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined
thickness of C horizon is 25 to 35 inches).

2Cr--50 inches; sandstone; root mat of fine and medium
roots overlies bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Whatcom county, Washington; about 2 miles
southeast of Van Zandt; 2,000 feet north and 1,900 feet west
of the southeast corner of sec. 21, T. 38 N., R. 3 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature is
42 to 47 degrees F. Depth to a paralithic contact with
sandstone is 40 to 60 inches. The soil moisture control
section is dry in all parts for 45 to 60 consecutive days
within the four months that follow the summer solstice in 6
or more years out of 10. The particle-size control section
averages 10 to 50 percent weathered pebbles, 0 to 15 percent
hard pebbles, and 5 to 15 percent weathered cobbles.
Reaction is strongly acid or moderately acid throughout.

The E horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 or 4
moist, 6 or 7 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3 moist or dry. Some
pedons have an A horizon.

The Bs horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4
moist, 5 through 7 dry, and chroma of 4 through 6 moist and
dry. It has 25 to 65 percent weathered rock fragments and 0
to 10 percent hard rock fragments. It is loam or silt loam.

The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 through 6
moist, 6 through 8 dry, and chroma of 4 through 6 moist or
dry. It has 25 to 65 percent weathered rock fragments, and
0 to 10 percent hard coarse fragments. It is sandy loam or
fine sandy loam.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bangor, Becket, Berkshire,
Chatham, Damfino, Groveton, Houghtonville, Marlow, Mundal,
Oconto, Onota, Rawsonville, Revel, Rixon, and Tunbridge
series. All of these soils except Damfino, Revel, and Rixon
soils have a udic moisture regime. In addition, Damfino,
Mundal, Onota, Revel, and Rixon soils have a paralithic
contact at 20 to 40 inches. Rawsonville and Tunbridge soils
have a lithic contact at 20 to 40 inches.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Welcome soils are on mountain plateaus
and shoulder slopes at elevations of l,500 to 2,500 feet.
Slopes are 0 to 65 percent. The soils formed in volcanic
ash and colluvium and slope alluvium from sandstone and
glacial till. Summers are warm and dry. Winters are cold
and wet with snow cover lasting from December through March.
Average annual precipitation is 55 to 90 inches. Mean
January temperature is about 32 degrees F; mean July
temperature is about 61 degrees F. Mean annual temperature
is about 44 degrees F. The frost-free season is ll0 to l40
days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing
Revel soils and the Beausite, Cathcart, Elwell, Montborne,
Nati, Rinker, and Teneriffe soils. Beausite, Cathcart, and
Nati soils are mesic and Beausite moderately deep to a
lithic contact. Elwell and Montborne soils are moderately
deep to dense glacial till. Nati soils are also moderately
deep to a paralithic contact with sandstone. Rinker soils
are loamy-skeletal and moderately deep to a lithic contact.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, slow to medium
runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, watershed,
and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is Douglas-fir, western
hemlock, western redcedar, and red alder, with an understory
of red huckleberry, longtube twinflower, western swordfern,
salal, rusty menziesia, and western brackenfern.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT West slopes of the Cascade
Mountains in Washington. The series is of small extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Whatcom County, l98l.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this
pedon are an albic horizon from the mineral surface to 2
inches and a cambic horizon from 2 to 19 inches. The spodic
horizon does not meet chemical criteria for spodic, but does
meet micro morphological criteria, i.e. cracked coatings and silt-sized and larger pellets.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.