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The National Soils Program Leader assists field specialists in attaining the Chief's soil priorities and managing resources from a healthy ecosystem perspective. The program focus is on soil productivity, sustainability, and inventories.
The history of every nations is eventually written
in the way it cares for its soil
Franklin D. Roosevelt
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Soil Spot Light
- The National Field Soil Scientist Award - 2010: George Robertson and Steve Strenger from the Southwestern Region of the Forest Service. Awarded in DC May 11, 2011.
- An ArcGIS Toolkit to Assist in Using Digital Soil Data for BAER Erosion Hazard Ratings
Jonna DuShey, Patrick Drohan, and Douglas Miller
After a wildfire, understanding a landscape’s response to precipitation is essential. Land that has been stripped of its vegetation and soils that inhibit infiltration create a situation that can have disastrous effects, including severe erosion and landslides. Increased sediment in streams from soil erosion can result in fish kills and degraded water quality. Soil scientists play a key role in post-wildfire assessments and rehabilitation. The formal team assigned to assess post-fire landscape damage is known as a BAER (Burned Area Emergency Response) team. BAER teams must complete their assessment within 7 d of a fire’s containment, and having soil survey data available makes the job much easier. One of the tasks for soil scientists on BAER teams is to assess the potential for erosion in areas damaged by the fire. The Smokey BEHR (BAER Erosion Hazard Rating) Toolkit for GIS isolates soil survey data within the fire perimeter and distills some of the most important soil attributes from SSURGO (Soil Survey Geographic) data into a readily usable format. Combined with burn severity information from a Burned Area Reflectance Classification (BARC) raster layer, areas with high erosion hazard can be quickly identified and targeted for treatment.
(381 KB pdf)
- Using Woody Biomass to Produce Bio-oil and BioChar - Briefing Paper and Invitation to DEMOs
Briefing Paper - Text (29.3 KB pdf)
Briefing Paper - Image of text with DEMO map and Renewable Oil International portable pyrolyzer machine
(2.99 MB jpg)
- Dig It - soil Secrets @ the Smithsonian - Update: The exhibit has been reassembled at the Durham Museum in Omaha, NE, www.durhammuseum.org
- Naturally Occurring Asbestos
- Invasive Earthworms
Add WORMS to your invasive species concerns list - it isn't just plants and mussels or snake head fish. Invading exotic earthworms are causing big problems. Note from National Soil Program Leader, Randy Davis, " I had no idea that earthworms could be a bad thing, but apparently in some parts of the country they have proven to be just such a thing. My understanding is that they decompose plant litter and denude the surface soil thereby increasing the risk of accelerated soil erosion." Minnesota, for example, has no native earthworms. The Minnesota ecosystem evolved without earthworms as part of their decomposition process.
More information...
Climate Change and Soil Carbon Sequestration
Inventory
- Ecological Site Descriptions
- Institute Ecological Restoration Institute Fact Sheet: Using a Terrestrial Ecosystem Survey (TES) to Estimate the Historical Density of Ponderosa Pine Trees in Northern Arizona by Scott R. Abella, Charles W. Denton, David G. Brewer, Wayne A. Robbie, Rory W. Steinke, and W. Wallace Covington. May 2010.
- Soil Profiles: Michigan State University
- National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) Newsletter
NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) newsletters are available online.
The newsletter offers insights in the NCSS program and highlights projects around the United States.
- National Hierarchy on Ecological Units
- Forest Service Strategy; SRI TEUI Completion Briefing (pdf 19 KB)
- Explains what the map is portraying as a national strategy to complete initial SRI/TEUI on all NFS lands
- NCSS Federal Lands Advisory Group (FLAG) Inventory
- Forest Service FLAG Map (pdf 149 KB)
The map is a concept for completing the initial SRI/TEUI on the remaining areas of NFS lands.
- Natural Resource Conservation Service: Web Soil Survey
- LIDAR for soil resource inventory (ppt 19 MB)
- TEUI Technical Guide and the TEUI Geospatial Toolkit:
The TEUI-Geospatial Toolkit is a comprehensive and innovative resource-mapping application designed to implement the mapping standards in the Forest Service Terrestrial Ecological Unit Inventory (TEUI) Technical Guide. TEUI is a land-survey system used by the Forest Service to classify and map ecological types that provide baseline information for resource management. The TEUI-Geospatial Toolkit directly supports field units, streamlines the collection of standard inventory, and provides management with a cost savings alternative to traditional inventory methods. It provides non-technical resource specialists the efficient ability to access geospatial data, visualize landscapes, delineate ecological units, characterize environmental conditions, and migrate final products to NRIS-Terra. As baseline data are migrated into NRIS-Terra, resource planners have access to consistent resource information for identifying ecosystem capabilities, determining sustainable production levels, and communicating sustainable management practices.
- National Hierarchy on Ecological Units
Monitoring
- SoLo = Soil quality monitoring and Long term ecosystem sustainability
- Forest Soil Disturbance Monitoring Protocol Volume I : Rapid Assessment.
GTR WO-82a. September 2009; USDA Forest Service. By Deborah S. Page-Dumroese, Ann M. Abbott and Thomas M. Rice. PDF (204 KB)
- Forest Soil Disturbance Monitoring Protocol Volume II : Supplementary Methods, Statistics and Data Collection.
GTR WO-82b. September 2009; USDA Forest Service. By Deborah S. Page-Dumroese, Ann M. Abbott and Thomas M. Rice. PDF (1.76 MB)
- Forest Soil Disturbance Monitoring Protocol Volume III : Scientific Background for Soil Monitoring on National Forests and Rangelands: Workshop Proceedings.
Proc. RMRS-P-59. April 29-30, 2008; USDA Forest Service. Page-Dumroese, Deborah; Neary, Daniel; Trettin, Carl 2010. Scientific background for soil monitoring on National Forests and Rangelands: workshop proceedings; Denver, CO. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 126 p. PDF (4.72 MB)
Description: This workshop was developed to determine the state-of-the-science for soil monitoring on National Forests and Rangelands. We asked international experts in the field of soil monitoring, soil monitoring indicators, and basic forest soil properties to describe the limits of our knowledge and the ongoing studies that are providing new information. This workshop and the proceedings are particularly important as National Forests wrestle with determining how (or if) to modify their existing soil quality standards and guidelines.
- Soil Disturbance Field Guide
Visual Field Guide 0819 1815P
- Point Form for Field Guide
(Excel: 35 KB) Posted March 2010 at host site.
- Soil Disturbance Monitoring Form - SoLo: Forest Soil-Disturbance Monitoring Protocol
(Excel: 112 KB) Posted March 2010 at host site.
[SoLo = Soil quality monitoring and Long term ecosystem sustainability]
- Briefing Paper: Soil Disturbance Monitoring Protocol and the Soil Disturbance Field Guide - 2009 PDF (21.2 KB)
by Randy Davis
Soil Disturbance Protocol 2008 - RMRS PDF (45.4 KB)
- Biomass/Whole Tree Harvest: Soil Effects and Measurement Methods Project
USDA Forest Service/Inventory & Monitoring
- NE Soil Monitoring Cooperative: The cooperative is affiliated with the Northeastern Ecosystem Research Cooperative (NERC). Site hosted through the University of Vermont. The area of focus is on New York, New England and eastern Canada. Facilitating coordinated collection of high quality broad-based soil data. This data is used evaluate temporal dynamics, to complement meteorologic, hydrologic and biologic monitoring, and to support decision making and science education.
- SCAN - Soil Climate Analysis Network: 2000 - 2005 5-Year Report (pdf 1.75 MB)
Vermont; Lye Brook and Mount Mansfield
- Water Flow/Soil Movement - Time Lapse Movie.
Great time-lapse. Two hours in 2 minutes. Are the BMPs that were implemented adequate?
Requires QuickTime
Research
TreeSearch - get all the USFS Research literature. A great resource. Literature listed on this page are items catching Randy's attention. Visit Treesearch for more information on any of these topics.
- Spot Lighted Research Articles
- Litschert, S.E.; MacDonald, L.H. September 2009. Frequency and Characteristics of Sediment Delivery Pathways from forest Harvest Units to Streams. Forest Ecology and Management - Journal of Forest Ecology, DOI: 10.1016
PDF (262 KB)
- Larsen, Isaac J.; MacDonald, L. H.; Brown, E.; Rough, D.; Welsh, M. J.; J. H. Pietraszek; Libohova, Z.; de Dios Benavides-Solorio, J.; Schaffrath, K. July - August 2009. Causes of Post-Fire Runoff and Erosion: Water Repellency, Cover, or Soil Sealing? Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 73:1393-1407
Abstract
For purchase, visit SSSAJ
Available to USDA employees via DigiTop (Quick Tip: copy article title into Google and search; must be logged into federal system through USDA computer)
- Garten Jr., Charles T. 2009. A disconnect between O horizon and mineral soil carbon - implications for soil C sequestration. Acta Oecologica 35(2): 218-226
For purchase, visit Science Direct
Available to USDA employees via DigiTop (Quick Tip: copy article title into Google and search; must be logged into federal system through USDA computer)
- Amacher, Michael C.; O’Neil, Katherine P.; Perry, Charles H. 2007. Soil vital signs: A new Soil Quality Index (SQI) for assessing forest soil health. Res. Pap. RMRS-RP-65WWW. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 12 p.
Available through USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station/Tree Search
- Eldridge, D.J., W.G. Whitford. 2009. Badger (Taxidea taxus) disturbances increase soil heterogeneity in a degraded shrub-steppe ecosystem. Elsevier: Journal of Arid Environments (available to USDA employees through DigiTop). 73 (2009) 66-73.
For purchase, visit Elsevier.
- Critical Loads Resources for Federal Land Managers
- Boerne, Ralph. 2008. Earth and Fire: Forests Rely on Healthy Soils for a Well-rounded Diet. Fire Science Brief (25)
- Soils Under Fire: Soils Research and the Joint Fire Science Program
USFS PNW-GTR 759
- * Bowker, M. A., J. Belnap, V. B. Chaudhary, N. C. Johnson. 2008. Revisiting classic water erosion models in drylands: The strong impact of biological soil crusts. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 40(9):2309-2316. pdf 577 KB
- * Bowker, M.A., M. E. Miller, J. Belnap, T. D. Sisk, and N. C. Johnson.
Prioritizing Conservation Effort through the Use of Biological Soil Crusts as Ecosystem Function Indicators in an Arid Region. (Not Yet Published) Conservation Biology Volume xx, No. x, 2008
pdf 452 KB
Soil Crust Photograph Gallery
- * Trumbore, S. E., and C. I. Czimczik. An Uncertain Future for Soil Carbon.
www.sciencemag.org, Science; vol. 321, 12 September 2008; 1455 - 1456. pdf 306 KB
- * Brantley, S. L. Understanding Soil Time.
www.sciencemag.org, Science; vol. 321, 12 September 2008; 1454 - 1455. pdf 172 KB
- Acid deposition effects on soil chemistry and forest growth on the Monongahela National Forest. Thesis. Patricia E. Elias. July 2008. Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University.
pdf 3.06 MB
- New Progress In Soil Ecology
Science Daily News Article: 11.06.2008
The loss of organic matter is a threat to soil quality. Agricultural soils as well as mountain soils are both at risk. Both function as carbon sinks, and, under the impact of climate warming, could become sources greenhouse gas emissions. Near-infrared spectroscopy is a very promising avenue able to quantify the build-up of carbon in the soils at a large scale.
- Earthworm Activity Can Alter Forests' Carbon-carrying Capabilities
Science Daily News Article: 11.06.08
Earthworms can change the chemical nature of the carbon in North American forest litter and soils, potentially affecting the amount of carbon stored in forests. Scientists want to determine the earthworms' effect on forest chemistry by comparing carbon composition in forests that vary in earthworm activity.
* USDA Employees can access journal articles through DigiTop. Request a proxy and access on the road or at home.
Subject Matter Expertise (SME)
- Article: Serpentine Geology of Eastern North America: A Review
RHODORA, Vol. 111, No. 945, pp. 21–108, 2009
Available to USDA employees through DigiTop; Google Scholar will tap into DigiTop when accessed while on a USDA linked computer.
- Wetland Breaking News: Association of State Wetland Managers (ASWM)
Items "in the news" relating to wetlands.
- LIDAR Training - Internal Geotraining website
- Introduction to Lidar: http://fsweb.geotraining.fs.fed.us/tutorials/lidar_intro/
- Fusion Tutorial: http://fsweb.geotraining.fs.fed.us/tutorials/fusion/
- USGS Lichen Field Guide Available
"A Field Guide to Biological Soil Crust of Western US Drylands - Common Lichens and Bryophytes"
This guide contains pictures, keys and distribution maps for 65+ species commonly encountered. It is intended for field use and thus the keys emphasize characteristics distinguishable in the field, rather than those needing a microscope. This field guide can be obtained by emailing cparry"at"usgs.gov, and is also posted as a PDF.
Down load USGS Field Guide
- NCSS Training being offered by the NRCS: This site provides the current schedule for the various training opportunities offered by the NRCS. The site also provides a link for folks to get a heads-up for upcoming training opportunities. LINK
NCSS - Soil Survey Division Training Schedule 2010
PDF (25.8 KB)
- GPS for Natural Resource Applications - Training. An Introductory course for use of GPS in resource work is available through RSAC/GSTC. It is a free Internal FS on-line course; you have to register before starting. FS employees - visit Internal FS WFW Soil page for link.
- De-compacting soil on the Bitterroot National Forest by Joel Gallob - Ravalli Republic
- USFS Tree Search: Forest Service Research Publications - use the search engine
- Forest Service Long Term Soil Productivity Brochure. Long Term Soil Productivity Research:
A National Program in Sustaining Forest Ecosystems
- Links
pdf: list of soil URLs
- Forest Service Articles on Sustainability. Articles: A Rationale For Forest Service Involvement In Sustainable Development; Sustainable Forest Management Questions; Criteria And Indicators For Sustainable Forest Management; An Approach to Working with Sustainability; A Discussion of Indicators of Sustainable Forest Management
Definitions
- Long Term Soil Productivity. Long-term monitoring and periodic sampling of soils provide information to adjust management practices that ensure the continued productivity of National Forest System lands.
- Soil Inventories. Soil scientists collect, analyze and map basic soils and landscape information so that they can accurately assess land capability and suitability and evaluate impacts of natural disturbances and planned management activities.
Photos
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