--- title: "Soil Survey, Amended" canonical: "https://anchor.is/docket/issue/23/lab/article/11064/soil-survey-amended" publication: "The Docket" publisher: "The Docket" language: "en-US" guide: "https://anchor.is/docket/llms.txt" format: "Land Capability Decline" author: "Maya Jiménez" author_url: "https://anchor.is/docket/team/19" issue: 23 section: "lab" section_name: "The Lab" published: 2026-03-10 updated: 2026-03-11 description: "Four soil surveys of one Oklahoma parcel across five decades. The classifications move in one direction." word_count: 927 source_links: 4 --- # Soil Survey, Amended *By [Maya Jiménez]()* *March 10, 2026* [Read on the website]() UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Natural Resources Conservation Service **Map Unit FoB — Forgan fine sandy loam, 1 to 3 percent slopes** **NW¼ Sec. 14, T3N, R26ECM, Beaver County, Oklahoma** --- ## Field Assessment — March 2026 Assessment initiated in response to Ranger Road Fire, February 17–24, 2026. Burn area: 283,283 acres, Beaver and Harper Counties, OK; Clark, Comanche, and Meade Counties, KS. USDM classification at ignition: D3 (Extreme). USDA-FSA disaster designations on file, Beaver County: 2023, 2024, 2025. Emergency Conservation Program activation pending. **A** — 0 to 8 cm (0 to 3 in); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; structureless to weak fine subangular blocky; soft, very friable; no roots observed; surface charred; biological soil crust absent; strongly alkaline, pH 8.6. Abrupt smooth boundary. **Bt** — 8 to 46 cm (3 to 18 in); brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; slightly hard, friable; few faint clay films on vertical ped faces; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline, pH 8.2. Drainage class: Somewhat excessively drained. Available water capacity: Low (0.10–0.14 in/in). Runoff class: High. Estimated soil organic carbon, 0–30 cm: 0.3%. Land capability classification: **VIIe**. Wind erodibility group: **2**. Ecological site: Loamy Tableland (R077CY025OK). Current community phase: Bare/Eroded State. Vegetative cover: None observed. Surface litter and duff consumed. Annual production: Not determined. No seed bank viability assessment conducted. --- ## Revised Entry — 2024 USDM classification D2–D3 continuous April through October. USDA-FSA disaster designation, Beaver County, contiguous. **A** — 0 to 14 cm (0 to 6 in); brown (10YR 4/3) fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; few fine roots; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline, pH 8.0. Clear smooth boundary. **Bt** — 14 to 51 cm (6 to 20 in); brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, friable; common faint clay films on ped faces; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline, pH 8.2. Drainage class: Well drained. Available water capacity: Low (0.12–0.16 in/in). Runoff class: Medium. Estimated soil organic carbon, 0–30 cm: 0.6%. Land capability classification: **VIe**. Wind erodibility group: **3**. Ecological site: Loamy Tableland (R077CY025OK). Current community phase: Shortgrass Sod State. Dominant species: blue grama (*Bouteloua gracilis*), buffalograss (*Buchloe dactyloides*). Cool-season midgrasses absent. Annual production: 475 lbs/acre air-dry (38% of reference). Biological soil crust: Discontinuous, degraded. --- ## Revised Entry — 2012 **A** — 0 to 23 cm (0 to 9 in); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; common fine and medium roots; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline, pH 7.8. Clear smooth boundary. **Bt1** — 23 to 56 cm (9 to 22 in); brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, friable; common distinct clay films on ped faces; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline, pH 8.0. Drainage class: Well drained. Available water capacity: Moderate (0.14–0.18 in/in). Runoff class: Low. Estimated soil organic carbon, 0–30 cm: 1.1%. Land capability classification: **IVe**. Wind erodibility group: **4**. Ecological site: Loamy Tableland (R077CY025OK). Current community phase: Mixed Grass State, trending toward Shortgrass Sod. Dominant species: blue grama, buffalograss, sideoats grama (*Bouteloua curtipendula*), western wheatgrass (*Pascopyrum smithii*). Annual production: 850 lbs/acre air-dry (68% of reference). --- ## Original Survey — 1977 Forgan series established, Beaver County, Oklahoma. **A** — 0 to 30 cm (0 to 12 in); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) fine sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; many fine and medium roots throughout; noneffervescent; neutral, pH 7.2. Gradual smooth boundary. **Bt1** — 30 to 64 cm (12 to 25 in); brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, firm; many distinct clay films on ped faces and in pores; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline, pH 7.6. Drainage class: Well drained. Available water capacity: Moderate (0.16–0.20 in/in). Runoff class: Low. Estimated soil organic carbon, 0–30 cm: 1.8%. Land capability classification: **IIIe**. Wind erodibility group: **5**. Ecological site: Loamy Tableland (R077CY025OK). Current community phase: Reference State. Dominant species: blue grama, buffalograss, sideoats grama, western wheatgrass, little bluestem (*Schizachyrium scoparium*), sand dropseed (*Sporobolus cryptandrus*). Forbs 10%, including prairie clovers (*Dalea* spp.) and dotted gayfeather (*Liatris punctata*). Annual production: 1,250 lbs/acre air-dry. ## Things to follow up on... - **Heat triggers drought now:** A new study in *Science Advances* found that compound extremes where [heat arrives first and triggers drought have increased from 2.5% to 16.7% of Earth's land since the 1980s](https://www.euronews.com/2026/03/09/dangerous-droughts-triggered-by-heatwaves-are-accelerating-at-an-alarming-rate-study-shows), with a "change point" around 2000 eerily coincident with rapid Arctic warming. - **Forty percent under drought:** More than 40% of the U.S. is experiencing drought heading into spring 2026, and the Southern Plains fire season that produced the Ranger Road Fire is [compounding with warm-winter conditions that shattered Oklahoma temperature records](https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates/drought-status-update-southern-plains-2026-02-26) by nearly 9°F in February. - **Livestock relief, final payments:** The USDA Farm Service Agency issued final Emergency Livestock Relief Program payments totaling [$1.89 billion for 2023–2024 flood and wildfire losses](https://www.fsa.usda.gov/news-events/news/02-13-2026/usda-issues-final-emergency-livestock-relief-program-payments-2023-2024), while Beaver County ranchers affected by the Ranger Road Fire navigate a new round of the same paperwork. - **FEMA cuts during fire season:** Emails obtained by the Washington Post outline plans to slash thousands of FEMA disaster response roles in 2026, a gutting that arrives as [the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association stands up its own relief fund](https://www.drovers.com/news/industry/ranchers-alert-wildfires-spread-across-plains) for fire-affected producers because the federal backstop is disappearing. ## More - [The Lab — Issue 23]() - [Issue 23]() - [Publication guide]()