LOCATION WOODCUTTER              AZ

Established Series
Rev. WAS/CEM
12/2014

WOODCUTTER SERIES

The Woodcutter series consists of very shallow and shallow, well drained soils that formed slope alluvium weathered from granite and metamorphic rock. Woodcutter soils are on hills and mountains. Slopes range from 10 to 60 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 18 inches (406 mm) and the mean annual air temperature is about 60 degrees F (15.6 degrees C).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Aridic Lithic Argiustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Woodcutter very gravelly fine sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 2 inches (0 to 5 cm); brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine irregular pores; noneffervescent; 45 percent gravel and 10 percent cobble; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches or 3 to 8 cm thick)

Bt1--2 to 6 inches (5 to 15 cm); dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) very gravelly loam, very dark brown (7.5YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine irregular pores; common distinct clay films on ped faces, in pores, and on rock fragments; 45 percent gravel; noneffervescent; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary.

Bt2--6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm); reddish brown (5YR 4/3) very gravelly clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine irregular and tubular pores; many distinct clay films on ped faces, in pores, and on rock fragments; many distinct organic coatings on rock fragments; 30 percent gravel and 10 percent cobble; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 7 to 19 inches or 18 to 48 cm)

2R--12 to 60 inches (30 to 152 cm); granite.

TYPE LOCATION: Fort Huachuca, Arizona; located at a latitude of 32 degrees, 30 minutes, 10 seconds North and longitude of 110 degrees, 22 minutes, 30 seconds West.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during July - September and December - February. Driest during May and June. Aridic ustic soil moisture regime.

Soil Temperature: 59 to 64 degrees F (15 to 17.8 degrees C).

Surface rock fragments: 0 to 65 percent

Particle-Size Control Section (weighted average):
Clay Content: 20 to 35 percent
Rock Fragments: greater than 35 percent
Depth to bedrock: 5 to 20 inches (13 to 51 cm)
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral
Organic matter: 1 to 3 percent

A horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3, dry or moist

Bt horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 5YR
Value: 2 to 5 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: clay loam, loam, sandy clay loam

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Atascosa (I)(AZ), Costavar (AZ), Guaynaka (I)(AZ), and Silktassel (I)(NM) series. Atascosa, Guaynaka, and Silktassel soils are inactive. Costavar soils are effervescent throughout and have 2 to 10 percent calcium carbonate equivalent.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Woodcutter soils are on hills and mountains. Slopes range from 10 to 60 percent. These soils formed in slope alluvium from granite, gneiss, monzonite, quartzite, and granodiorite. Elevation ranges from 4,000 to 6,600 feet (1219.2 to 2011.7 meters). The mean annual precipitation is 16 to 20 inches (406 to 508 mm) and occurs as thunderstorms during July to September and as gentle rains during December and January. The mean annual air temperature is 57 to 62 degrees F (13.9 to 16.7 degrees C). The frost-free period is 160 to 210 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Huachuca, Hogris, Far and Budlamp soils. Huachuca soils are calcareous throughout. Hogris soils are very deep. Budlamp and Far soils do not have argillic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderately slow permeability; medium to rapid runoff.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for military training, recreation, livestock grazing, and wildlife habitat. Vegetation includes Texas bluestem, plains lovegrass, sideoats grama, bullgrass, beggartick three-awn, green sprangletop, Arizona white oak, Mexican blue oak, Emory oak, sacahuista, sotol, manzanita and Palmer agave.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern and Central Arizona. Woodcutter soils are of moderate extent. MLRAs 38 and 41.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cochise County, Arizona; Soil survey of Cochise County, AZ, Douglas-Tombstone Part; 1996. Name derived from Woodcutters Canyon on Fort Huachuca.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 6 inches (0 to 15 cm) (A, Bt1 horizons)

Argillic horizon - the zone from 2 to 12 inches (5 to 30 cm) (Bt1, Bt2 horizons)

Lithic contact - the boundary at 12 inches (30 cm) (2R horizon)

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.

Revised for the correlation of AZ661, 2/2009, WWJ

Revised for the correlation of AZ675, 5/2009, WWJ

Update and revisions for the correlation of SDJR - MLRA 38 - Brewster-Rock outcrop-Woodcutter complex, 10 to 60 percent slopes, Sept 2014, LJG2

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.