A soil technical classification system for Pinus radiata (D. Don) plantations. I. Development

Abstract

A technical classification system for soils of Pinus radiata plantations is presented. The soil attributes used were mainly from published data and classes were established on an a priori basis from information and experience of plantation forestry with this species. The system is designed for field use and does not require laboratory analyses; it uses factors that are not affected by the presence of the forest species; the classes are coded so as to produce data suitable for computerized information systems. The attributes used are parent rock, texture profile, depth to and nature of any impeding layer, texture and condition of the uppermost 10 cm of soil, character of surficial horizons according to paler subsurface or exposed subsoil, and the condition and colour of the subsoil. A parent rock classification has been devised according to soil-forming potential; this reduces rock identification to 12 main classes so as to facilitate field recognition. The classification is aimed at assisting soil-based silvicultural management of P. radiata forests, providing a basis for transferring technology between forests, and at accumulating specific resource information for inclusion in forest management information systems.