Rates and patterns of actual soil particle movement were established by measuring changes in radiation intensity with time on an eroding sandstone soil. Applying 300 µc of Fe59 in a 5‐foot line along the contour gave a better measure of soil erosion pattern than 100 µc applied to a point. More than 70% of the isotope applied moved 3 or more inches downslope from the line of application. Apparently Fe59 forms mainly stable precipitates or reacts with existing ferric compounds on clay and silt particles because it is not found in the soil solution or on the soil base‐exchange capacity. Only 20% of the Fe59 was temoved by 72‐hour treatment with 30% H2O2. Over 90% of the Fe59 was retained in the surface 1 cm of soil.

In a preliminary study of physical properties of wild land soils, three soil parent materials were sampled by horizons under forest and adjacent grass cover. Soil properties analyzed were mean water-stable aggregate, bulk density, organic matter pH, total porosity, and % clay, silt, and sand. Several of the measured soil properties were related significantly to parent material and horizon depth. Effects of vegetative cover were not reflected in overall averages of soil property values. However, these values, broken down by parent materials and horizons, indicated that forest and grass covers were associated with soil property differences, although the relation of these differences to changes in parent materials and horizons is not consistent. Over 40% of the variation in soil erosion hazard (as measured by mean size of water-stable aggregates) is accounted for by multiple variation in soil organic matter content, pH, total porosity, and bulk density.

A 3‐year study investigated impacts of buried logging residue on stream water composition. Burying of logging slash has been proposed as an alternative to burning. Residue was buried in trenches adjacent to two small ephemeral streams; one trench was filled with approximately 180 m3 of logging slash, the other with 94 m3 of mill residue. Streamflow was diverted to flow through the burial pits.Stream water samples collected from above (pretreatment) and below (post‐treatment) the burial sites were analyzed for dissolved oxygen, pH, electrical conductance, alkalinity, temperature, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, NO3‐N, NH4‐N, SO4‐S, PO4‐P, total N, and total P. Changes in chemical composition occurring between pre‐ and post‐treatment sampling sites were tested for significance using a paired sample t test.With the exception of dissolved oxygen, surface water degradation resulting from burial was of no practical importance. Many ions decreased in concentration as waters passed through buried residue. Statistical comparisons of pre‐ and post‐treatment water composition indicate significant increases were limited to H; pH decreased from 6.56 to 6.42 as a result of the buried slash. Oxygen depletion may be the most serious burial effect, with mean concentrations in the buried slash stream decreasing from 10 to approximately 8 mg/liter, a drop in oxygen saturation from 93 to 71%.