Abstract
Changing land use from forested environments to agricultural and/or urban spaces dramatically alters soil chemical, physical, and biological properties and thereby influences the survivability of landscape plants installed in these areas. This site analysis was conducted along New Hope Road, in Pickens County, SC, to develop a sustainable landscape design for the greenway corridor to buffer future cuttings of pines and offer a variety of recreational and educational opportunities for the community. Using a “design with nature” framework, an interdisciplinary team collaborated on a thorough observation and analysis of the inherent qualities of the site, historical documents and aerial photographs to describe the land use history of the site. The dominant soil series found on the site were Cecil clay loam, Cecil sandy loam, and Pacolet clay loam. Surface soil chemistry tests were conducted to examine soil and buffer pH; organic carbon and nitrogen contents; nitrate–nitrogen; extractable phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, manganese, copper, boron, and sodium; lime requirements and recommendations; cation exchange capacity; acidity; and percent base saturation. Analysis of site history, aerial photographs, and soil testing revealed that a history of intensive agricultural land use and managed forestry on the site has noticeably altered the soil quality. Severe soil erosion and compaction brought about by a combination of anthropogenic and natural causes have left much of the site with infertile soils lacking a true topsoil layer and characterized by low pH. These qualities present numerous challenges when attempting to modify and install vegetation. Based on historical land use, soil analysis, and plant species characteristics, a final landscape design was created that addressed the environmental opportunities, constraints of the site and provided site- and plant-specific fertilizer recommendations for successful establishment and maintenance of this greenway corridor.
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Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding provided by Stassen Thompson and Clemson University Land Management, operational support by Clemson Experimental Forest Staff, soil analysis conducted by the Clemson University Agricultural Services Soil Testing Laboratory, landscape design drawings by Ole Russell Sleipness, field assistance by Dr. Peter Kapeluck and Wayne Carroll, site grading provided by Pickens County, and the City of Clemson for soil amendments, planting assistance, educational demonstration and mulch donations. Additional support was provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (SC-1700278) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (NRCS-69-4639-1-0010) through the Changing Land Use and Environment (CLUE) Project at Clemson University. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USDA/NRCS. This is a Technical Contribution no. 5168 of the Clemson University Experiment Station.
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Keydoszius, J.R., Cox, S.K., Haque, M.B. et al. Historical land use and soil analysis guiding corridor landscape design. Urban Ecosyst 10, 53–72 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-006-0010-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-006-0010-7