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Soils of the Gulf Islands of British Columbia: Volume 2, Soils of North Pender, South Pender, Prevost, Mayne, Saturna, and lesser islands

by E.A. Kenney, L.J.P. van Vliet and A.J. Green (eds.); co-published with Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Government of BC

137 pages; black coil; includes 2 colour photo pages; catalogue #98-0005; ISBN 0-662-16258-7; US$18.50, C$26.00, EUR16.90, £11.80

The aim of this report is to provide detailed soils information at a scale of 1:20 000 for local planning purposes, and to emphasize the soil limitations that are important to residential development and agriculture.

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about this document table of contents catalogue info

About this document (introduction)

The first soil survey that included the Gulf Islands was completed in the late 1950s (Day et al. 1959). This survey at a scale of 1:63 360 (2.5 cm to 1.6 km) served a useful purpose for land planners and agriculturists over the years. During the Canada Land Inventory mapping program in the 1960s more soils information was obtained for the Gulf Islands to produce capability maps for agriculture and other uses (1:50 000). Since then, some of the Gulf Islands have been surveyed in more detail by different agencies in response to requests from the Islands Trust of the British Columbia Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Regional Districts. The soil maps have been used by planners to draft official community plans for the islands. However, no published soil survey reports accompanied these maps.

With increasing population pressures on the Gulf Islands (Barr 1978), the Islands Trust identified the need for more detailed resource information for land use planning. In 1978, the Islands Trust requested the Terrestrial Studies Section of the Surveys and Resource Mapping Branch, British Columbia Ministry of Environment, to undertake a comprehensive and detailed mapping program covering the Gulf Islands, from Newcastle Island opposite the city of Nanaimo to D'Arcy Island off Victoria, which are under the jurisdiction of the Islands Trust. It was decided to produce a biophysical data base by means of resource folios for each of the southern Gulf Islands at a scale of 1:20 000. The soil inventory part of these folios became the responsibility of the British Columbia Soil Survey Unit, Agriculture Canada, Vancouver, B.C., under a program called the Gulf Islands soil survey. In addition to the islands under the jurisdiction of the Islands Trust, this soil survey program included all other southern Gulf Islands from Nanaimo to Victoria.

The objectives of the Gulf Islands soil survey are as follows:

• to produce an updated soil inventory for all of the southern Gulf Islands at a scale of 1:20 000, using the latest techniques for soil survey, data handling, and map production;
• to produce interpretive soil ratings and maps for the Islands Trust and for other users; and
• to publish the soil maps and soil survey reports for each island or group of islands.

Fieldwork for the Gulf Islands soil survey commenced during the summer of 1979, with the soil inventory for Galiano, Valdes, and Thetis islands. Interim soil maps and legends as part of the resource folios for these islands were published by the Resource Analysis Branch, British Columbia Ministry of Environment, as follows: the Galiano Island map sheet by Green (1979), the Thetis Island map sheet by Van Vliet and Brierley (1979a), and the Valdes Island map sheet by Van Vliet and Brierley (1979b).

Fieldwork for the soil inventory for Saltspring Island was completed during the summer of 1981. The interim soil maps (north and south sheets) with an extended legend were published as part of the resource folio for Saltspring Island (Van Vliet et al. 1983). The final report and soil map were published as Soils of the Gulf Islands of British Columbia Volume 1 Soils of Saltspring Island (Van Vliet et al. 1987).

Fieldwork for the soil inventory for North and South Pender, Prevost, Mayne, Saturna, and lesser islands took place during the summers of 1982 and 1983. Interim soil maps with extended legends were published on two map sheets during the following year (Van Vliet et al. 1984; Kenney and Van Vliet 1984).

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PREFACE

PART 1. INTRODUCTION

PART 2. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA
Location and extent
History and development
Climate
Natural vegetation
Geology
Physiography
Soil parent materials

PART 3. SURVEY AND MAPPING PROCEDURES
     How the soils were mapped
     Data handling
     Reliability of mapping
     Soil series
     Map units

 PART 4. DESCRIPTION OF SOILS AND MAP UNITS

Description of soils
Description of map units
Baynes soils and map units
Beddis soils and map units
Bellhouse soils
Brigantine soils and map units
Cowichan soils and map units
Crofton soils and map units
Fairbridge soils and map units
Galiano soils and map units
Haslam soil complex and map units
Metchosin soils and map units
Mexicana soils and map units
Neptune soil and map unit
Parksville soils and map units
Pender Island soil complex and map units
Qualicum soils and map units
Rock as nonsoil and map units
Salalakim soils and map units
Saturna soils and map units
St. Mary soils and map units
Tolmie soils and map units
Trincomali soils and map units
Summary of areal extent of map units in survey area

PART 5. LAND USE INTERPRETATIONS
Land constraints for septic tank effluent absorption
Land capability for agriculture

PART 6. DERIVED AND INTERPRETIVE MAPS

REFERENCES

APPENDIXES
Appendix 1. Profile descriptions and analytical data of the soils
Appendix 2. Soil moisture data for the soil profiles

Catalogue Information