The Soils of Oregon

Oregon has a diverse climate with mean annual temperatures ranging from 0°C to 13°C and precipitation ranging from 175 mm to over 5,000 mm. The dominant vegetation type is temperate shrublands, followed by forests dominated by lodgepole pine, Douglas-fir, and mixed conifers. Oregon is divided into 17 Major Land Resource Areas and has soil series representative of 10 orders, 40 suborders, 114 great groups, 389 subgroups, over 1,000 families, and over 1,700 soil series. Mollisols are the dominant order, followed by Aridisols, Inceptisols, Andisols, Ultisols, and Alfisols. Soils in Oregon are used primarily for forest products, livestock grazing, agricultural crops, and wildlife management. Key land use issues include climate change, wetland loss, flooding, landslides, volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, coastal erosion, and wildfires.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 545 pages
Publication date: 08 April 2023
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

This book stands as the sole comprehensive overview of Oregon's natural resources, further enriching the World Soil Book Series' collection at the state level. Oregon's diverse climate, characterized by wide latitudinal and elevation variations, exerts a significant impact on soil formation. The state experiences a remarkable range of mean annual temperatures, spanning from 0°C in the northeastern Wallowa and Blue Mountains to 13°C in south-central Oregon. Similarly, the mean annual precipitation varies significantly, with southeastern Oregon recording 175 mm of rainfall and higher elevations in the Coast Range experiencing over 5,000 mm of precipitation.

Temperate shrublands dominate Oregon's vegetation landscape, followed by forests dominated by lodgepole pine, Douglas-fir, and mixed conifers. Grasslands, subalpine forests, maritime Sitka spruce-western hemlock forests, and ponderosa pine-dominated forests also contribute to the state's ecological diversity.

Oregon is geographically divided into 17 Major Land Resource Areas, each with its unique characteristics. The Malheur High Plateau, the Cascade Mountains, the Blue Mountain Foothills, and the Blue Mountains are among the largest and most notable. The eruption of Mt. Mazama approximately 7,700 years ago, resulting in the deposition of Mazama ash, holds paramount importance in Oregon's geological history.

Oregon boasts a rich soil diversity, with soil series representative of 10 orders, 40 suborders, 114 great groups, 389 subgroups, over 1,000 families, and over 1,700 soil series. Mollisols, characterized by their well-developed humus layers, constitute the dominant order in Oregon, followed by Aridisols, Inceptisols, Andisols, Ultisols, and Alfisols. These soils serve various purposes, including forest products, livestock grazing, agricultural crops, and wildlife management.

Addressing key land use issues in Oregon is crucial due to the state's vulnerability to climate change, wetland loss, flooding, landslides, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, coastal erosion, and wildfires. These challenges require proactive measures and sustainable management strategies to ensure the long-term sustainability and productivity of Oregon's natural resources.

Weight: 1383g
Dimension: 279 x 210 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030900939
Edition number: 1st ed. 2022