The following is a map unit description from the "Soil Survey of Norfolk and Suffolk Counties, Massachusetts (Peragallo, 1989)"
WnA-Windsor loamy sand, 0 to 3 percent slopes. This is a very deep, nearly level, excessively drained soil on tops of glacial outwash plains, terraces, and deltas. Areas of the soil are rounded and irregular in shape and range from 6 to 50 acres.
Typically, the surface layer is dark brown loamy sand about 8 inches thick. The subsoil is about 16 inches thick. It is yellowish brown loamy sand in the upper part and yellowish brown sand in the lower part. The substratum is very pale brown sand to a depth of 60 inches or more.
Included with this soil in mapping are small areas of Deerfield soils in low-lying areas and depressions. Merrimac and Hinckley soils are on low knolls and hummocks. Included areas make up about 15 percent of the map unit.
Permeability: Rapid
Available water capacity: Low
Soil reaction: Very strongly acid to moderately acid in the surface layer and the subsoil and strongly acid to slightly acid in the substratum.
Depth to bedrock: More than 60 inches.
Depth to the seasonal high water table: More than 6 feet.
Hydrologic group: A.
Most areas of this soil are woodland. Some areas are cropland or pastureland, and some are used as individual homesites. This soil is a probable source of sand. In a few areas it is used as a source of sand.
This soil is well suited to cultivated crops. It is droughty, and irrigation is needed for best plant growth. The soil is suited to pastureland. In pasture management, preventing overgrazing protects the hardiness and density of desirable plants.
Potential productivity for eastern white pine on this soil is high. A management concern is moisture stress caused by the limited available water capacity. Thinning crowded stands to accepted, standard stocking levels allows more vigorous growth. In thinning operations it is important to remove diseased, poorly formed, and otherwise undesirable trees. Shelterwood cutting, seedtree cutting, and clearcutting help to establish natural regeneration or to provide suitable planting sites. Removing or controlling competing vegetation allows best growth of newly established seedlings. Minimizing soil disturbance and retaining the sponge-like mulch of leaves allow the soil to absorb precipitation. Designing regeneration cuts to optimize shade and to reduce evapotranspiration helps to retain the limited soil moisture.
This soil has no major limitations for building site development and for local roads and streets. If the soil is used as sites for septic tank absorption fields, ground water pollution is a hazard. Because of rapid permeability, the soil readily absorbs but does not adequately filter the effluent.
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