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Toecane soil and landscape

Boulders are a major management concern for any use in areas of Toecane-Tusquitee complex, 15 to 30 percent slopes, very bouldery. (Soil Survey of Buncombe County, North Carolina; By Mark S. Hudson, Natural Resources Conservation Service)

 

Setting

Landscape: Low and intermediate mountains, dominantly in the western and eastern parts of the county

Elevation range: 2,400 to 4,800 feet

Landform: Coves, colluvial fans, drainageways, and benches

Landform position: Head slopes and footslopes

Shape of areas: Irregular or oblong

Size of areas: Up to 389 acres

Composition

Toecane soil and similar inclusions: 50 percent

Tusquitee soil and similar inclusions: 35 percent

Dissimilar inclusions: 15 percent

 

Typical Profile

Toecane

Surface layer:

0 to 8 inches—very dark grayish brown cobbly loam

Subsoil:

8 to 24 inches—yellowish brown very cobbly sandy clay loam

24 to 37 inches—dark yellowish brown very cobbly sandy loam

Underlying material:

37 to 80 inches—dark yellowish brown extremely cobbly loamy sand

 

Dominant Uses: Woodland and wildlife habitat

Other Uses: Recreation, building site development, and pasture

 

Woodland Management and Productivity

Potential for commercial species: Moderately high for cove hardwoods and northern hardwoods

Suitability: Suited

Management concerns: Equipment use and erodibility

Management measures and considerations:

• Using cable logging methods helps to overcome limited road and trail construction caused by the large number of stones and boulders on the soil surface.

• Designing roads on the contour and installing water-control structures, such as broad-base dips, water bars, and culverts, help to maintain road stability.

• Avoiding the diversion of water directly onto fill slopes helps to stabilize logging roads, skid trails, and landings.

• Reseeding all disturbed areas with adapted grasses and legumes helps to prevent soil erosion.

• When the soil is wet, skid trails and unsurfaced roads are highly erodible and very slick due to the slope and the high content of organic matter in the surface layer.

• Avoiding logging operations during periods when the soil is saturated helps to prevent rutting of the soil surface and damage to tree roots due to soil compaction.

• Leaving a buffer zone of trees and shrubs adjacent to streams helps to reduce siltation and provides shade for the aquatic habitat.

• Livestock should not graze in areas managed for woodland.

 

For additional information about the survey area, visit:

www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/north_carolina...

 

For a detailed description, visit:

soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/T/TOECANE.html

 

For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:

soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/T/TOECANE.html

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Uploaded on March 15, 2011
Taken in January 2000