Soils of RI #35: Birchwood Traditional Cache
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Soils of RI #35: Birchwood
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
(small)
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This is the 35th in a series of caches honoring the 58 different types of soils found within the State of Rhode Island. Soils were a major factor in the settling and early farming of RI, and soils continue to influence our industry, recreation, wildlife, and homes. As you complete this series, please take note of how the soil is determined in-part by the landscape position (summit, sideslope, drainageway), which in turn affects the vegetation.
This cache is the last of the East-Bay soils caches, Jamestown is an interesting island, as it is basically two drumlin-shaped hills connected by some marshy and sandy outwash areas. Drumlins are streamlined hills that were shaped as glaciers passed over them 14,000 - 18,000 years ago.
This cache is located within an area of Birchwood soil. Birchwood soils are not particulalry common in RI, typically located only on the eastward and westward sides of the East-Bay points (Popasquash Point, Usher Point, Warwick Neck).
Birchwood soils formed in two parent materials. The deeper soil material is a sandy dense till that was deposited and compressed directly by the glacier. The massive weight of the ice caused this material to become very dense, sometimes almost as hard as rock!Once the glaciers retreated, winds picked up and deposited sands on top of the till. The deeper soil layers are typically much darker in color, as they formed in dark-colored Narragansett Bay sediments. The sandy windblown sediment is brown in color.
Birchwood soils are very similar to Poquonock soils. The only major difference being that Poquonock soils are well drained, and Birchwood soils are moderately well drained (Birchwood soils have a shallower depth groundwater).
Most areas of Birchwood soil are used for hay and pasture but some acreage is used for tobacco, vegetables, potatoes, and silage corn. Some areas are used for community development. A few areas are idle or used as woodland. Common trees are red, white and black oak, red maple, white ash, gray birch, and white pine.
Many of these soil caches have required quite a bit of bushwhacking to get to GZ. In an effort to make this series a little more accesible to those who prefer not to bushwhack, I've placed this cache as a park-n-grab! The cache is located just off the road leading to Battery Park. You don't have to go any more than 10 feet into the woods to grab this one! CC is a lock-n-lock containing an official series description and some swag. Please rehide well.
Congrats to MountainDog129 for the FTF!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gvgyr