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COMPARISON OF THIS SIiE TO TYPICAL SOILS: ---------- -- ---- ---- -- ------- ------ • On this site, the soil is rather atypical in that it is mare organic than the typical soil. Also, the li inch dar4: layer usually found in this soil is usually about 4 to 7 inches deep on this site. Apparently this difference is due to historical factors. It appears that at one time farming was attempted on this land. There is some slight evidence of furrowing. It does not appear that the attempt was very long lived as it seems to have been replanted. It is possible that the appearance of former farming is actually drill rows from interseeding. At any rate, the thinness of the upper layer was probably due to extensive wind erosion prior to the time of additional planting. The fact that the predominant species is Blue Grama indicates that the site is in a state where it is recovering from severe disturbance. Typically, Blue Gramd does not compose a major part of the • vegetation on this soil.and becomes abundant only after rather severe disturbance such as overgrazing or severe drought. The typical brown layer under the dark upper layer is very poorly developed and has an unclear boundary where it aerges into the sand deposit under the soil horizons. This could indicate that the soil has never had the opportunity to develop as a typical Blakeland loamy sand. Its upland situation would certainly indicate that as a passibility. The high organic matter content however would indicate that there has been some rather large amount of use in the past which supplied much organic matter. It may have been grazed rather intensively. That could explain why wind erosion might have reduced the typically tl inch deep surface layer. Overgrazing would have reduced the protection from wind • 6y vegetation and resulted in significant sail loss. FACE 5 C1F 9 - EXHIBIT I