soil

Soil

The vigor and type of trees growing on your woodlot depends in part on the type of soil. The best soil is categorized as follows:

Well drained: Water drains away quickly and easily. The soil is well aerated. This allows roots to grow fast and deep. Red to light brown soil is well drained, while darker soils are more poorly drained. Spots of color indicate a fluctuating water table.

Loam texture: The soil has an even mixture of sand, silt, and clay. Sandy soils dry quickly and hold less nutrients. Silt and clay soils hold too much water and plenty of nutrients. An even mix of all three produces a well-aerated, moist, nutrient-rich soil. A loamy will knead like dough in your hand. Sandy soils are gritty. Silty-clay soils feel like play-do.

Deep: A deep soil allows for deep roots. Trees with deeper roots are more windfirm and more drought resistant.

Shallow organic layer: The dark, mucky, organic layer is what we walk on. It is the decomposing leaves, twigs etc.... A shallow (<4") organic layer means the fallen leaves and branches are decomposing rapidly, making nutrients available sooner. This is indicative of a well drained soil, having good aeration, and plenty of soil-mixing earthworms.

Keep in mind that soils change over short distances because of changes in topography, slope, aspect, vegetation, and fallen trees. Fallen trees pull up the soil with their roots. This creates a small (5' in diameter) depression called a hollow. The wad of roots and soil decompose and settle to form a hump called a hummock. The soil in the hummock is different than the soil in the hollow. Hummock-hollow topography is very common in Maine, especially in areas that have not been farmed.

Soil type maps with descriptions that will include your woodlot are available at your county Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service.
Your county Cooperative Extension Service does free soil testing.
(Yankee Woodlot #4)

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