WSP06130 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

. . . '00233"7 CHAPl'ER II BASES FOR AnALYSIS Project La.'1ds Land classification Reconnaissance land classification surveys were made during Jeriods of 1953, 1954, a.'1d 1955 of areas in which land was considered the !imit- ing factor for the scale of development, including areas serviceab:e by the 1-lessels, Hayden Mesa, and Yellow Jacket units of the Yampa-I-Ihite proj- ect, A recoIUlaissance classification previously made in 1935 and 1936 was utilized ,with some modification in areas were land was not deemed to be the limiting factor. These included areas serviceable by the Great Northern, Juniper, and Two Bar units. In the 1953-55 reconnaissance survey the irrigated and nonirrigated lands were grouped into five classes according to their productive ability, The land classes are described below and the physical criteria for the classification are given on the following page. Class l--Land that is highly suitable for irrigation farming, cap- able of producing at reasonable cost sustained yields of climatically adapted crops. Class 2--Land that is moderately suitable for irrigation farm:i.ng, being more expensive to prepare and cultivate or less productive than class 1 land. Class 3--Land that is of marginal suitability for general irriga- tion farming. Class 4-Pasture--Land that is of limited productive capacity, adapt- able to the production of pasture grasses. Class 6--Land that is permanently nonarable. In the 1935-36 classification survey, only two classes of arable land were delineated, class 1 to include lands of first quality and class 2 to include lands of moderate productivity. In the present studies, however, field appraisals were made of the earlier classification and acreages and land classes were adjusted to reflect the standards of the 1953-55 classification. Thus all acreages and land ~lasses given in this report are based on the physical criteria used in the 1953-55 classi- fication. 10