PRSSS Soil of the Month (June 2015): The Marble Hill Soil in Abbotsford
by Zineb Bazza, President-Elect
Information contained in this post contributed by Elizabeth Kenney and Geoff Hughes-Games.
Location and Extent
The Marble Hill soil occurs mainly in the Abbotsford and Mission municipalities and in the Columbia Valley south of Cultus Lake. It first developed in medium textured eolian deposits overlying gravelly glacial outwash sediments. There are 2120 ha pure map units and 2950 ha of soil complexes dominated by the Marble Hill soil.
The Marble Hill soil belongs to the Podzolic soil order, and is more precisely an Orthic Humo Ferric Podzol.
Figure 1. Typical profile of a Marble Hill soil (photo credit: Elizabeth Kenney)
Figure 2. Marble Hill Soil profile from the PRSSS spring soil ID course (photo credit: Zineb Bazza)
Why Did We Choose the Marble Hill Soil as a Soil of the Month?
The city of Abbotsford, where the Marble Hill soil occurs, is often referred to as the “Raspberry Capital of Canada”. Marble Hill soils are good agricultural soils and are used to grow a large variety of crops, but they are mainly used for raspberry production. British Columbia produces almost the entire production of raspberries in Canada. This local soil provides the perfect balance between good nutrient and water holding capacity, while providing excellent drainage via the gravelly outwash.
While the Marble Hill soil no longer supports the forests of Abbotsford, it could and has supported coastal Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine and red alder forests.
The gravel present in the subsoil is also used as an important source of aggregate.
Using the 2012 Agricultural Land Use inventory data and the Langley-Vancouver Map Area Soil Survey, we can determine that the Marble Hill soil has supported 443 hectare of raspberries. Adding the 2012 farm gate sales and crop yield data, we can estimate the values of the raspberry crop grown on these soils to be 3.86 million dollars, which accounts for 32% of the total value of the BC raspberry crop in 2012.
Summary
British Columbia is proud to be the leader in raspberry production and it can claim that title because of the capability and suitability of the Marble Hill soil series to grow these fruits. The Marble Hill soil has also supported at one time some of the keystone species of BC, including the famous Douglas-fir. Because of its well-drained subsoil, this soil series can also support large infrastructure such as the Abbotsford airport. In summary, the Marble Hill soil series has a key role in agriculture, forestry and human structure, making it an important BC soil.
Do you have a suggestion for the July 2015 Soil of the Month? Send your idea to prsssemail@gmail.com before July 15th. Details regarding the importance of this soil for food security or ecosystem function should also be included in your nomination materials.