Before heading up Mount Si, the class took a a few minutes to partake in a field activity. We found ourselves in a Douglas Fir grove and made a hypothesis that all of the trees in the grove were about the same age. This was because the trees were evenly spaced in a man-made manner. We broke up into groups and took the diameter of various trees and then cored those same trees. The results were inconclusive because the diameters varied widely, despite the ring counts being fairly similar.
Field Notes:
The second part of the activity was to look at the soil composition. A hole was dug and we were shown the various layers at that site. The top layer was the organic layer (leaf litter, debris and hummus). Then there was an unidentifiable transition layer of a fibrous nature. Below that, was the greasy layer (decomposed organic material). Finally, the A Horizon was reached (productive layer of soil that promotes germination) and was about 10 cm deep. Below that was the B Horizon (where chemical and physical soil changes can be found). Beneath everything lies the C Horizon (broken bedrock) and Bedrock, though these layers were not reached.
It was concluded that the site was poor for wildlife and the soil was overall sandy and loamy with about a 20% stone content.
Field Notes:
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