A sequence of beechwood soils on the Chiltern Hills, England

Summary The chalk and associated superficial deposits of the Chiltern Hills give rise under beechwoods to a sequence of soils ranging from rendzina through brown earth (sol lessivé) to podzol, closely paralleled in developmental sequences established elsewhere on uniform calcareous materials. The salient features of the genetic soil types represented are described and their evolution discussed in relation to vegetation and site characteristics. On base-deficient soils, mor formation under beech is conditioned by local climatic factors and management practices as well as by inherent fertility variations and is only associated with advanced podzolization on appreciably sandy materials. On silty plateau soils with imperfect drainage, ?micro-podzols?, which may be transitory, are formed.