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CHARACTERIZATION OF EASTERN U.S. SPRUCE-FIR SOILS
Citation:
Fernandez, I. CHARACTERIZATION OF EASTERN U.S. SPRUCE-FIR SOILS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/A-92/288.
Description:
he spruce-fir forest of the eastern United States encompasses a diverse range of edaphic conditions due to differences in surficial geology, mineralogy, elevation, and climate. his chapter will describe the characteristics of soils supporting eastern spruce-fir ecosystems, including soil properties that are important in understanding forest function and the consequences of atmospheric deposition to forested ecosystems. hapter I described the silvical characteristics of the spruce- fir forest. he Spruce-Fir Research Cooperative included six intensive study sites; five were high-elevation research sites located from western North Carolina to New Hampshire, with one low-elevation site in Maine. nformation gained from research at these sites, and other relevant research from these regions, provides the basis for this description of eastern U. S. spruce-fir soils. t should be noted that a large body of literature exists on soils supporting spruce-fir forest, particularly in the northeastern U. 5., covering a multitude of topics. o attempt is made here to survey this literature, and only selected citations have been drawn upon to strengthen the understanding gained through the findings of the Spruce-Fir Research Cooperative.