Although specific information is not available for desirable soil levels for the Canaan Valley seed source of balsam fir, average levels shown in Table 1 for soil pH, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium in the Ap horizon would be adequate for most of the Christmas tree species grown in Ohio, including the more demanding spruces, firs, and Douglas-fir. However, standard deviations and ranges in values indicate that there were plots that were well below acceptable levels for all nutrients. There were significant positive relationships between some tree characteristics and phosphorous, calcium, and magnesium levels, but not for potassium (Table 2).
Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) of soils on plots showed a wide range and is generally closely related to differences in soil textures discussed previously and particularly to clay in the Ap and B2 soil horizons (Table 1).