Agri-Food Research Centre, Summerland, BC
The PRSSS Summer Soil ID Course was in South Okanagan from June 13th through 16th, 2016!
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants were able to:
1) Determine soil texture in the field
2) Dig, describe, and interpret soil pits
3) Differentiate and describe soil horizons
4) Interpret soil and landscapes for various land uses
Before arriving at the course it would be helpful if participants were familiar with the following documents:
- BC Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks and BC Ministry of Forests – Research Branch. 1998. Soil description. In Field Manual for Describing Terrestrial Ecosystems. Land Management Handbook 25. http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/Docs/Lmh/Lmh25.htm
- Canadian System of Soil Classification (3rd Edition) http://sis.agr.gc.ca/cansis/references/1998sc_a.html
- Selections from The Soil Landscapes of British Columbia on the The Interior Plateau: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/soils/landscape/3.4interior.html
- Soils of the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys. Report No.52 . British Columbia Soil Survey: http://sis.agr.gc.ca/cansis/publications/surveys/bc/bc52/index.html
Schedule
Monday, June 13:
Evening arrive in Summerland. More details on accommodation to follow
Tuesday, June 14 Summerland Research and Development Centre
8:30 am – 12:00 pm Introductory lecture and hand-texturing exercise
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Lunch
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Soil pit 1, Summerland orchard
Wednesday, June 15 Mid and High Elevation Forest Soils
8:30 am – 12:00 pm Soil pit 2, Interior Douglas Fir
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Lunch
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Soil pit 3, Montane Spruce
Thursday, June 16 Okanagan Low Elevation Soils
8:30 am – 12:00 pm Soil pit 4, Oliver vineyard
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Lunch
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Soil pit 5, Ponderosa Pine