EAGLESTAR.NET LAND AND PROPERTY REVIEW
http://www.eaglestar.net
Issue #44
November 24, 2008

IN THIS ISSUE:
Properties of the Week: KY, NV, TN, TX
Special Report: Forests and Global Water Shortages
- Part 3, The Ecology of Surface Water: Soil
Sponsor's Corner: Jacksonville Ranch Club
Buyers List Update
This Week's Top Searches
LandTerms.com Term of the Week: Diversity


"Let us celebrate the soil. Most men toil that they may own a piece of it; they
measure their success in life by their ability to buy it." (from 'My Summer in
a Garden', 1870)
- Charles Dudley Warner (American essayist and novelist, b. 1829 - d. 1900)


PROPERTIES OF THE WEEK
20 Acres, Multiple Home Sites with Views
Montello, Elko County, Nevada
Experience the natural beauty of the northern Nevada landscape on your own
20+/- acre ranch in Elko County. An outdoor recreation enthusiast's dream, this
property has access to it all: hunting, hiking, horseback riding, camping,
fishing, mountain biking, and much more. Several building sites with fantastic
views. Two miles from town. Owner financing available. Listing ID: 21654.
Photos and more information are at http://www.eaglestar.net/hth12-.html.

Parcel with Development or Farm Potential
Sevierville, Sevier County, Tennessee
8.72+/- acre tract - A beautiful parcel with huge trees and views of lake and
mountains. Located on a paved road, can be used for cabins or home development.
This tract is restricted, no mobiles, pigs, or junk. Approved for 4 homes but
can be approved for more. 25 miles to the Great Smoky Mountains, 8 miles to
Interstate 40, and 2 miles to Douglas Lake. Just 10 miles to Gatlinburg and
Pigeon Forge Airport. Listing ID: 16386. Find photos and details at
http://www.eaglestar.net/byn1-.html.

Home and Land For Sale
Clarkson, Grayson County, Kentucky
4 bedroom, 2.5 bath brick home on 10+/- acres located in Grayson County, KY.
Asphalt drive, three storage buildings, and mature trees. Home is located in
small quiet town of Clarkson, KY, nestled atop a hill overlooking a creek
bottom. Property borders the Western Kentucky Parkway. If you enjoy boating or
fishing, Nolin Lake is less than a 15 minutes away, and Rough River State Park
is only a 25 minute drive. Listing ID: 21495. View photos and other information
at http://www.eaglestar.net/Detailed/21495.html.

1900 Acres Center Pivot Cropland
Dalhart, Hartley County, Texas
Approximately 1900 acres in Hartley County, SW of Dalhart, TX. Property
includes 10 irrigated circles with 10 center pivots and 6 wells. White rock
ensilage pit, 2 windmills, 1 electric livestock well, native grass corners and
pasture. Property has highway frontage. Largest cheese plant in nation being
built within 40 miles drive. Listing ID: 17119. Photos and more information
can be found at http://www.eaglestar.net/cstle2-.html.


SPECIAL REPORT
I Can't See the Stream for the Forest
Part 3, The Ecology of Surface Water: Soils

In this issue, we continue our Special Report on forests and water. Part 1 of
this series presented a short summary of the global water crisis
(http://www.eaglestar.net/newsletter/index.cgi?ID=42). In Part 2, we outlined
some water problems being experienced in the southwestern U.S., and presented
some fundamental concepts about tree removal and water yield
(http://www.eaglestar.net/newsletter/index.cgi?ID=43). Part 3 explains how
ecology influences the amount of surface water available in a watershed,
beginning with one all-important governing factor - soil*.

*Please note that ALL soils fall into one of the 4 NRCS Hydrologic Soil Groups
(A, B, C, or D) as described below. The points made in Part 3 of our Special
Report therefore apply to all soil types in all locations, not just the
southwestern United States.

The Ecology of Surface Water
Simply put, the ecology of an area is made up of all the living things that
inhabit it (plants, animals, fungi, insects, etc.) and their complex
interrelationships, plus all the climatic and other conditions that influence
life such as rain, snow, wind, heat, hours of daylight, and so on. In
scientific lingo, the influences that are due to things that are alive are
called "biotic factors", while the effects of climate and other non-living
conditions or events are known as "abiotic factors". Biotic and abiotic
factors combine in unique ways in different areas, producing the wide variety
of species, habitats, and ecosystems found on planet Earth. Biotic and abiotic
factors combine to govern the number of plant and animal species found in a
particular area ("species richness") as well as the number of individuals of
each species ("abundance").

The biotic and abiotic factors that occur in a specific watershed also control
the amount of surface water that flows across and collects in that watershed -
especially a few extremely important abiotic factors, including soil type,
topography, and the shape of the watershed. A watershed, or the land area
drained by a single river or stream system, is a useful unit for examining the
relationship of surface water to its surroundings, since it naturally functions
as a unique and discrete part of a larger ecosystem. No two watersheds are
exactly alike - each differs from another in one or more fundamental ways,
which helps to explain some of the uncertainty surrounding the results of
watershed research.

The Dirt Don't Hurt
Soil characteristics are one of a handful of abiotic factors that profoundly
affect how much and how fast water runs over the surface of the land following
snowmelt or a rainstorm. Soils like deep sand and gravel have larger empty
spaces, and more of them, between individual grains of soil. These spaces,
called pores, absorb fallen precipitation and quickly transmit it to other soil
layers below, eventually to aquifers deep underground. Soils that behave in
this way are usually characterized as "well-drained", or even in some places
"excessively drained".

Sand and gravel have more and larger pores than other soil types; hence, they
are said to be more porous. Water percolates quite quickly through these soil
types; hydrologists would say they have high infiltration and transmission
rates, low surface runoff potential, and belong to Hydrologic Soil Group "A"
(Natural Resources Conservation Service). Group A soils are not likely to
produce large amounts of surface water even when thoroughly saturated; they
simply absorb and transmit too much water too fast for even moderate amounts to
collect on the surface.

At the other extreme, soils with a high clay content have an extremely fine
texture, with fewer and smaller spaces between grains of soil to absorb and
transmit drops of water. These types of soils drain very slowly and become
saturated much faster, meaning that more water pools and runs across the
surface of clay soils than sandy or gravelly soils, and it does so much sooner.
These soil types have very slow infiltration and transmission rates, very high
surface runoff potential, and belong to Hydrologic Soil Group "D". Soils in
Group D other than clay soils include those overlying a permanent high water
table, as well as shallow soils over a layer of unyielding, impervious material
below which water cannot drain (like bedrock).

Hydrologic Soil Group "B" is composed of soils that have moderate infiltration
and transmission rates. In fact, moderate is really an apt description for
Group B soils. They are moderately deep, moderately well-drained, with
moderately fine to moderately coarse textures. As you might expect, these soils
produce moderate amounts of water flowing and pooling over the surface of the
land and running into river channels and other drainages. Group B soils like
silty loams absorb less precipitation and produce more runoff than the
large-particle soils of Group A. On the other hand, they absorb more rain or
melted snow and produce less surface water than the fine soils of Group C or D.

Group "C" soils are composed of fine-textured soils, or soils with a layer that
restricts and slows the downward flow of water. They have slow infiltration and
transmission rates, although not as slow as soils in Group D. They have a high
surface runoff potential, much higher than Groups A and B, but lower than that
of Group D. Below is a table summarizing the texture, absorption (infiltration)
capacity, potential for surface runoff production, and examples of general soil
types found within each of the 4 main Hydrologic Soil Groups:

A - Deep sand and gravel (sand, loamy sand, sandy loam, and gravel): Coarse to
very coarse, high absorption, low surface runoff

B - Moderately deep and well-drained soils (silt loam or loam): Moderately fine
to moderately coarse, moderate absorption, moderate runoff

C - Fine-textured soils other than clay (sandy clay loam): Fine, low
absorption, high surface runoff

D - Clay or impervious-layer soils (clay loam, silty clay loam, sandy clay,
silty clay or clay): Very fine, very low absorption, very high surface runoff

What all this means is that it really matters what type of soil is generating
surface flows from fallen precipitation. Thinning trees that grow on sandy
Group A soils may make sense in terms of improving forest health and preventing
catastrophic wildfires, but will make virtually no difference at all in the
amount of surface water produced. Thinning or harvesting operations conducted
on Group B soils would produce some additional runoff, but fewer trees would
have to be cut on Group C soils to realize an identical increase. Group D soils
have the greatest potential for surface water increases following treatment.
Unfortunately, these soils also have the highest potential for erosion and
other damage caused during the thinning operation itself, especially when wet.
As a result, these areas are often the most difficult and/or the most expensive
to treat.

The bottom line is that every area and situation is completely different.
Before trees are cut, either on millions of acres of national forest on your
own 20 acre woodlot, a comprehensive plan should be developed that addresses
ALL the pertinent issues, not just increasing the amount of surface water
available. It is generally not advisable to cut trees for surface water
production alone, but rather in conjunction with other land management goals
like the creation of wildlife habitat, improving individual tree vigor and
growth, and enhancing the overall health of a stand of trees or of the entire
forest. That being said, it is possible to get more water - sometimes a whole
lot - while accomplishing these other objectives at the same time.

Next issue we'll continue our discussion of how the amount of water available
for our use is affected by both organisms (chiefly trees and other vegetation)
and environmental conditions.


SPONSOR'S CORNER
The Land and Property Review would like to thank this week's sponsor,
Jacksonville Ranch Club.

1 Acre Lot in Jacksonville Ranch Club
Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida
Choose from several beautiful estate-sized lakefront home sites. This lakefront
property in Florida offers an exceptional lifestyle. Living among whitetail
deer and shimmering lakes is just part of the charm of this private, gated
Florida community. The impressive land for sale in Florida at Jacksonville
Ranch Club has 200 acres of natural preserves, nine stocked lakes for fishing
and boating, twelve miles of bridle trails, and privacy lots to accommodate
horses. Residents can choose from aesthetic lakefront properties or lush wooded
home sites. Listing ID: 21679. Photos and details at
http://www.eaglestar.net/Detailed/21679.html.


BUYERS LIST UPDATE: http://www.eaglestar.net/Land_Buyers_List/index.html
Find the properties you are looking for by placing unlimited free buyer's ads
on Eaglestar.net. This service is intended for serious inquiries only. It's
fast, easy, and best of all, free. Navigate to
http://www.eaglestar.net/pages/buyers.html to begin.

Looking in: WA, OR, MT, WY, CO, UT - high mountains, remote, secluded. Ideal
property is 100+ acres, in the mountains above 6000', states of MT, WY, CO, ID,
WA, OR, or UT. Remote location, needs heavy snow in winter (snowmobile-only
access in winter is a plus), treed, creek, surrounded by national forest land.
Patented mining claims are ideal. Don't want Unabomber for a neighbor - no
small parcels nearby. Please refer to listing ID# 21492.

Looking in: California mountains, within 3.5 hours of Berkeley. I'm looking for
California mountain property, hopefully with a simple cabin on it, primitive
without electricity is fine; within 3 and a half hours of Berkeley, California.
Please refer to buyer #2006148.

Wanted: Colorado hunting property or cabin within 1.5 hours of Denver. I want
to be able to hunt/fish near or on property. Size not important but I must be
able to build a year-round cabin if none is available. Please refer to listing
ID #21476.

Looking for mountain cabin with acreage in Wyoming for fishing, hunting,
outdoor activities.
Please refer to listing ID #21477.

Wanted: Land in western Oregon within 2 hours of Portland. 3-15+ acres. Would
prefer water and sewer or septic. House or no house. Please email with
description, price and terms.
Please refer to Listing ID #21472.

Looking in: southeastern Michigan. Michigan vacant land that I can put a
double-wide mobile home on. Please refer to buyer #21353.

Looking in: Tennessee. Large home and 80-acre farm wanted. Please refer to
buyer #21347.

Wanted: 40 - 320 acres wooded Kansas land. Farm house and outbuildings
preferred. Fenced areas / corrals also preferred. Good hunting habitat. Please
refer to buyer #21259.

Looking in: Central VA: Appomattox VA, Farmville, VA, Lynchburg, VA, Amhest,
VA, Rice, VA, Halifax VA. Wanted: Land for sale in Central Virginia, all size
parcels, with ponds, lakes, creeks, pastureland, and timberland. Please refer
to buyer #21253.

Looking in: Upper NY State. 300 acres more or less land for ski resort 2.5 - 3
hours from NY Metro area. Will consider existing ski resort operating or non
operating. Please refer to buyer #21218.

Wanted: Three bedroom small home on acre of land in Ohio. Please refer to buyer
#21143.

Wanted: Large acreage in/near Riley or Pottawatomie counties in Kansas with or
without house. All mineral/water rights transferable. Send details with price
to e-mail listed. Please refer to buyer #21133.

Looking in: Owasso area, Oklahoma. Seeking 1+ acre in Owasso area. May
consider more land depending on price. Licensed Realtor in Oklahoma. Please
refer to buyer #21094.


THIS WEEK'S TOP SEARCHES
Recent popular and interesting searches by visitors to EagleStar.net:
Breckenridge County, Kentucky
Yakima, WA
Montello, NV
land (acreage, real estate) for sale in Tennessee (TN)
Rimrock Meadows
timberland in Oregon, Washington, California
Minnesota homes for sale, small towns
Trinity County
Hunting land
Barries Bay Ontario
20 acres
log cabins for sale
acres for sale
country homes for sale
acreage
gas rights


LANDTERMS.COM TERM OF THE WEEK
http://landterms.com
Each issue we feature a real estate, forestry, natural sciences or other
land-related term from our partner site, LandTerms.com.

This week's term: Diversity
Variation in the physical characteristics of ecosystems across a landscape
caused by variation in soil, slope, aspect, elevation, climate, and geology,
and the accompanying variation in biotic communities. Also known as ecological,
biological diversity, or biodiversity.

Browse thousands of real estate, natural science, and other land-related terms
and definitions at http://landterms.com/categories.html. Check out our
ever-expanding quotations section!


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