Soil - WFW - Watershed, Fish, Wildlife, Air & Rare Plants

Program Leader:
Randy Davis

Soil Spot Light
DIG IT - Soil Secrets
@ the Smithsonian 2008 to 2010

Featured Soil - It is Alive!

Photograph: Soil pit of the Carver soil series. Dark brown top humus layer to burgundy to birght oranges and then peach colors.

WO WFW Soil 'glyph'; stick figure deptiction of people, trees, deer with mountain background in green and yellow with tree roots going down into brown soil layer.

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

Photograph: big worm s shaped on top of dark rich soil. Credit: Smithsonian "Dig It: Secrets of Soil" online exhibit.

Soil Spot Light

Smithsonian Institute: Dig It! The Secrets of Soil

The Smithsonian Institute's Soil Exhibit: Dig It! The Secrets of Soil opened in the National Natural History Museum (NNHM) on July 19, 2008. Already thousands of visitors have visited the exhibit over the initial weekend. The exhibit will run for eighteen months in the NNHM then will travel across the United States for three years or more. The exhibit is cosponsored by the Soil Science Society of America with USDA the major federal partner in funding and guiding the development of the "first of its kind" soil exhibit. The floor plan and the fact sheet offer an overview of the exhibit's contents.

Program Administration

Update: 2008 Soil Management Program of Work - Overview (pdf 12.7 KB)
2004 Strategic Plan (pdf 118 KB)
2005 Strategic Plan: Appendix - Excel (pdf 45.5 KB)
Soil Survey - on the web: hosted on the NRCS website. FS soil maps being posted. All the soil maps in the USA are posted here and help people quickly develop soil reports.
MOU & MOAs
- Soil Survey with NRCS 1961 - typed signatures/Amendment #1 incorporated (pdf 26.4 KB)
- Amendment #2 - 2008; scanned in with signatures (pdf 73 KB)
  (Scanned images; not accessible to screen readers)
WFW Issue Update Papers (aka Briefing Papers)
- NRCS Soil Survey - Amendment #2 Briefing Paper (pdf 26 KB
- SOILNET :: Soil Information Network Briefing Paper (pdf 27 KB)
SOILNET Charter (pdf 1.33 MB)
(Scanned images; not accessible to screen readers)
2008 New Mexico Hydric Soils Trip Report (pdf 3.6 MB)

Literature & Publications

Spot Lighted Research Articles
- Soils Under Fire: Soils Research and the Joint Fire Science Program
  USFS PNW-GTR 759
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.
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

Conferences

2008 Western Regional Soil Survey Conference
- Randy Davis' Powerpoint Presentation
2008 North American Forest Soil Conference
- Field Notes
- Field Tour Soil Pictures - some of the best photographs of eastern hardwoods Randy has seen.

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.

Ecology Units & Teams

Quick Links

The history of every nations is eventually written
in the way it cares for its soil
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Soil Spot Light

Program Administration

Literature & Publications

Conferences

Definitions

Photos

Ecology Units & Teams

Quick Links

The history of every nations is eventually written in the way it cares for its soil Franklin D. Roosevelt

Soil Spot Light

Program Administration

Literature & Publications

Conferences

Definitions

Photos

The history of every nations is eventually written
in the way it cares for its soil
Franklin D. Roosevelt