June 25 – 28, 2015Rim of the World: The Interface of Soils, Geomorphology and Ecology in the Central Sierra
Joint Annual Field Tour of the California Forest Soils Council and Professional Soil Scientists of California, CFSC / PSSAC

Guidebook, addendum, field site photos, and abstract papers available for printing and download here:

2015FieldTourGuidebook_8x11format

guide book addendum

CFSC 2015 photos

dahlgren_degraff_hahm_papers_abstract and hyperlink to document

Location: Based out of Groveland, CA, and up the mountain along highways 108 and 120 corridors, towards Sonora Pass and Yosemite.

Logistics: We have reservations for camping in central location at Pine Mountain RV Camp in Groveland, or you may choose to camp or lodge away from the pod. Note that places book up in this area, gateway to the mountains.

Details: This year’s summer (34th) annual field tour will take place on the west side of the Central Sierra Nevada, near the Rim. CFSC lifer Dr. Ron Taskey is rounding up expert trip leaders, and there will be typical camaraderie, camping, food and cheer. Stops are planned in the Rim Fire area to see the influence of volcanic-granitic and granitic-metamorphic geologic contacts on soil development. We will discuss fire ecology and response to various management practices on different soil types!

Why You Should Go: This trip appeals to a broad audience, and we encourage all disciplines to take a closer look at the importance of soils on a range of land use types and management decisions. We include professionals and students from diverse disciplines, professors, foresters, land managers, non profits, citizens, activists, property owners, and dirt clods of all structure, texture, and bulk density (cranial permeability is good). Parents, teachers, kids, spouses, all are welcome.

Registration: download registration form here: CFSC 2015 tour Reg-PmtForm final).

RSVP: You can RSVP and get regular trip updates, organize carpooling, etc, at our Facebook Event page. https://www.facebook.com/events/743653255751902/

June 20-22nd, 2014. CFSC and PSSCA 33rd Annual Field Tour. Ultramafics . Plumas County, CA The 2014 summer meeting toured ultramafic soils and management sites. Identifying new and interesting tour locations and topics is very important to the groups and this topic allowed us to discuss non-traditional management issues, the wildland-urban interface, restoration on challenging soils and many more topics. We were happy to make this another joint meeting with the PSSAC, with as many students, academics and working professionals as possible, together for time in the field. Click here for Draft Agenda and Contact Info CFSC SummerTour_Plumas 2014_DraftAgenda

Registration on the PSSAC registration page: http://pssac.org/AnnualMeetingAlbums/2014Meeting/2014-Annual-Meeting.html

June 27-29, 2013. The California Forest Soils Council and Professional Soil Scientist Association of California Joint 32nd Annual summer meeting, Casper Creek Experimental Watershed 50th Anniversary, near Fort Bragg, CA.  Accommodations included both shared tent top cabins and private tent camping sites set in redwoods, at Mendocino Redwoods. The event included attendance at the FREE Casper Creek 50 Year Anniversary technical session: http://www.casparcreekworkshop2013.eventbrite.com/

the CFSC/PSSAC field tour event is here: http://pssac.org/AnnualMeetingAlbums/2013Meeting/2013-Annual-Meeting.html

September 6th-8th, 2012. CANCELLED. CFSC 31st Annual Field Tour: Soil and Forest Ecology in the Western Santa Cruz Mountains, Cal Poly’s Swanton Pacific Ranch, north of Santa Cruz. The 2012 field meeting was planned around Cal Poly’s Swanton Pacific Ranch. Extending from the ocean to the mountains, the Ranch supports working rangeland, cropland, forests, and chaparral as well as some contrasting landscapes, geology, and soils that surely will grab your interest. In addition to the Ranch, we will visit forestry operations on nearby properties owned by Big Creek Lumber and smaller private landholders. The overall area supports a mix of productive redwood and Douglas-fir forests, part of which burned in the 2009 Lockheed fire and was salvage logged by selection harvest. Swanton Pacific Ranch has begun construction of new camping and lodging facilities; we anticipate that these will be ready for our use.

July 27-30, 2011. Forest Carbon Management and Energy Issues. California Forest Soils Council (CFSC) 30th Anniversary Summer Field Tour: Mt. Shasta City. The 30th Annual Field Tour will be an Anniversary visit to the birthplace of CFSC. The theme centers on forest management effects on productivity and carbon sequestration both above and below ground.  It is the tradition every 10th year to revisit some of the sites that were part of the original 1981 meeting, and to see new sites where pertinent soil and forest management research has been conducted.   We will see if our original hypotheses have held to the present. There will be a Kick-off Social the evening of Wednesday July 27 in Mt. Shasta, followed by two full days in the field and one-half day on Saturday for those interested in journeying north to some landmark sites.

August 13-14, 2010. Management of North Coast Forests & Soils: timber, recreation, carbon, & water quality. 29th ANNUAL TECHNICAL MEETING AND FIELD TOUR: Humboldt County, CA. Agenda for technical Meeting and Field Tour, including maps and road log, can be downloaded here: technical meeting agenda and field tour guide 081110. Event Flier for posting: 2010 Flier September 17-19, 2009.

Soils-Geology-Ecology Yosemite National Park. 28th Annual Joint Summer Field Tour with Professional Soil Scientists Association of California (PSSAC) and California Forest Soils Council (CFSC). Agenda can be downloaded here: 2009 Yosemite Field Trip Agenda