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Soil-Vegetation Relationships in Franciscan Terrain of Northwestern California

National Park Service, Redwood National Park, P.O. Box 7, Orick, CA 95555

K. A. Bevis

Dep. of Geosciences, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR 97331

B. R. Gordon

USDA Soil Conservation Service, 273 E. Lakin Dr., Suite 7, Flagstaff, AZ 86004

N. K. Sturhan

Washington State Dep. of Natural Resources, 1007 S. Washington, Olympia, WA 98504

D. L. Hauxwell

Dep. of Natural Resources, Humboldt State Univ., Arcata, CA 95521

* Corresponding author.

ABSTRACT

This study sought to discover how soil and vegetation patterns are related in the mountains of northwestern California. Soils were compared by vegetation-epipedon type and drainage class, with elevation as a covariate. Vegetation types were (i) open prairie, (ii) coniferinvaded prairie, (iii) oak woodland, (iv) conifer forest with umbric or mollic epipedon, and (v) conifer forest with ochric epipedon. The level of organic carbon (OC) was similar in the upper 10 cm of mineral soil under all vegetation types, but soils under forest and oak woodland had less cumulative OC and N, and a greater decrease with depth than soils under prairie. Ochric epipedons under forest had wider C/N ratios than umbric and mollic epipedons under other vegetation types. Exchangeable Ca²⁺ and base saturation decreased with increasing elevation. Exchangeable Ca²⁺ decreased with depth under oak woodland and forest, and pH decreased with depth under oak woodland. Under prairie, pH increased with depth, and Ca²⁺ exhibited little change. Soils under prairie and invaded prairie had lower exchangeable K⁺ in upper horizons than soils under forest or oak woodland. Drainage-impaired subsoils had higher bulk density, pH, and exchangeable Ca²⁺ than well-drained subsoils. Conifer invasion was restricted to well-drained soils. Except for conifer-invaded prairie, closely associated soil and vegetation patterns indicated that the vegetation mosaic has persisted for a long time.

Received for publication May 23, 1991.