Physico-chemical Properties of Some Forest Soils Formed from Different Parent Materials in Himachal Pradesh

In district Bilashpur in Himachal Pradesh six soil profiles have been examined in three forest areas, namely Doon, Sadyar and Badaghat. The Forests covering an area of about 304 hectares are situated on the hill slopes at an altitude of 900 metres. The parent materials include sandstone, calcareous and noncalcareous shales. Morphological features of the profiles examined, have been described in detail. Laboratory examination included the determination of pH, Calcium carbonate,Organic carbon, total Nitrogen, total cation exchange capacity, exchangeable cations, mechanical composition, water holding capacity and pore space. Various soil properties and their inter-relationships have been discusseed.