The Bernardston series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in till derived mainly from dark gray phyllite, slate, or schist. The soils are moderately deep to dense till. They are nearly level to very steep soils on uplands.
Permeability is moderate in the solum and slow in the dense substratum.
Slope ranges from 0 to 50 percent. The mean annual temperature is about 49 degrees F. and the mean annual precipitation is about 45 inches. Bernardston silt loam, on a 10 percent slope in a cultivated field. Solum thickness commonly ranges from 20 to 30 inches and generally is the same as the depth to the dense substratum. The solum is silt loam, loam, or very fine sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction with more than 65 percent silt plus very fine sand.