The soils of this group are outwash sands and gravels. Soil drainage is excessively drained to moderately well-drained. Soil moisture is adequate for good softwood growth, but is limited for hardwoods. Forest successional trends on these coarse-textured, somewhat droughty and less fertile soils are toward stands of shade tolerant softwoods, especially red spruce and balsam fir. Balsam fir is a persistent component of stands on this soil type, but is shorter lived than red spruce. Hardwood competition is moderate to slight on these soils. Due to less hardwood competition, these soils are ideally suited for softwood production. With modest levels of management, white pine can be maintained and reproduced on these soils. Because these soils are highly responsive to softwood production, they are ideally suited for forest management. On these soils white pine is favored by group and strip cutting, or shelterwood cutting; red spruce and balsam fir are favored by selection cutting or shelterwood cutting; and hemlock is favored by selection cutting.
The soils in this group have physical limitations making forest management more difficult and costly. Limitations include steep slopes, bedrock outcrops, erosive textures, surface boulders, or extreme rockiness. Usually productivity of these soils is not greatly affected by their physical limitations. However, management activities such as tree planting, thinning, and harvesting are more difficult and more costly.
Soils assigned to this group are poorly drained. The seasonal high water table is generally within 12 inches of the surface. Productivity on these poorly drained soils is generally less than on soils of other groups. Forest successional trends are toward shade tolerant softwoods, such as spruce and fir. Balsam fir is a persistent component in Coös County stands. Due to abundant natural reproduction, stands on these soils are generally desirable for production of spruce and fir, especially to produce pulpwood. However, due to poor soil drainage, forest management is somewhat limited. Severe windthrow hazard limits partial cutting, frost action threatens survival of planted seedlings, and harvesting is generally restricted to periods when the ground is frozen. On this soil type spruce and fir are favored by clearcutting (to release existing advanced regeneration); red spruce is favored by shelterwood cutting; hemlock is favored by selection cutting, or shelterwood cutting; and red maple may be favored by stump sprout culture.