Marys Peak - Fir Forests
Lindsay Liddell
FES 342
Professor Matthew Powers
MWF 10-11am
Due: 10/19/15
Marys Peak is a mountain in Benton County, Oregon. At the top of the peak, on a clear day, one can see the cities of the Willamette Valley, the Cascade Range, and the Pacific Ocean. It is known for its meadows of wildflowers in spring and its fir forests uniquely populated with noble firs (Abies procera). Little data is available regarding the trees age, but there is clear variance in age, the oldest found being 160 years old. Noble firs typically reach 135 to 210 feet (40 - 65 meters) and can live to 400 years old, and Douglas firs grow even larger between 200 to 240 feet (60-75 meters) tall (Bressette, 2014). The area offers several …show more content…
Historically, these soils were covered by lush vegetation year round and experienced low rates of soil erosion, however disturbances have changed this. Parent soil in this area is volcanic tephra (ash and pumice) and …show more content…
During these storms, infiltration was limited by saturation of the soil, snow cover and frozen ground, and sealing of soil surfaces by raindrop impact on unprotected cropland (Mattson et al., 1999). Soil orders beneficial to the noble firs are Spodosols, which have a well-developed E-horizon and often form beneath conifer forests in cool, moist climates, and Inceptisols, a newer soil order which profile gives some indication of clay minerals, metal oxides, or humus accumulating in layers, but such accumulation is not sufficient to classify the soil into an order defined by characteristic surface or subsurface horizons and is often found on fairly steep slopes, young geomorphic surfaces, and on resistant parent materials (Encyclopedia Britannica. 2015). The two prominent soil series in this area are the Mulkey series found in the open meadows, and the Maryspeak Series found on the forest slopes. The Mulkey series is characterized as moderately deep, well-drained, loamy soils that are derived from coarse-grained intrusive indigenous rock. This soil is very rich in organic matter from being developed under the grasslands, yet contain gravel (colluvium) from decomposing rocks. This series is found in open grasslands, smooth summits, shoulder slopes, and back slopes of mountains of 3 to 60 percent slope (Mulkey Series, 2006). The Maryspeak Series is
Lindsay Liddell
FES 342
Professor Matthew Powers
MWF 10-11am
Due: 10/19/15
Marys Peak is a mountain in Benton County, Oregon. At the top of the peak, on a clear day, one can see the cities of the Willamette Valley, the Cascade Range, and the Pacific Ocean. It is known for its meadows of wildflowers in spring and its fir forests uniquely populated with noble firs (Abies procera). Little data is available regarding the trees age, but there is clear variance in age, the oldest found being 160 years old. Noble firs typically reach 135 to 210 feet (40 - 65 meters) and can live to 400 years old, and Douglas firs grow even larger between 200 to 240 feet (60-75 meters) tall (Bressette, 2014). The area offers several …show more content…
Historically, these soils were covered by lush vegetation year round and experienced low rates of soil erosion, however disturbances have changed this. Parent soil in this area is volcanic tephra (ash and pumice) and …show more content…
During these storms, infiltration was limited by saturation of the soil, snow cover and frozen ground, and sealing of soil surfaces by raindrop impact on unprotected cropland (Mattson et al., 1999). Soil orders beneficial to the noble firs are Spodosols, which have a well-developed E-horizon and often form beneath conifer forests in cool, moist climates, and Inceptisols, a newer soil order which profile gives some indication of clay minerals, metal oxides, or humus accumulating in layers, but such accumulation is not sufficient to classify the soil into an order defined by characteristic surface or subsurface horizons and is often found on fairly steep slopes, young geomorphic surfaces, and on resistant parent materials (Encyclopedia Britannica. 2015). The two prominent soil series in this area are the Mulkey series found in the open meadows, and the Maryspeak Series found on the forest slopes. The Mulkey series is characterized as moderately deep, well-drained, loamy soils that are derived from coarse-grained intrusive indigenous rock. This soil is very rich in organic matter from being developed under the grasslands, yet contain gravel (colluvium) from decomposing rocks. This series is found in open grasslands, smooth summits, shoulder slopes, and back slopes of mountains of 3 to 60 percent slope (Mulkey Series, 2006). The Maryspeak Series is