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FOREST SERVICE MANUAL
EASTERN REGION (R9)
MILWAUKEE, WI
FSM 2500 – WATERSHED AND AIR MANAGEMENT
CHAPTER 2550 – SOIL MANAGEMENT
Supplement No.: R9 RO 2550-2012-1
Effective Date: January 31, 2012
Duration: This supplement is effective until superseded or removed.
Approved: CHARLES L. MYERS
Regional Forester
Date Approved: 1/31/2012
Posting Instructions: Amendments are numbered consecutively by title and calendar year.
Post by document; remove the entire document and replace it with this amendment. Retain this
transmittal as the first page(s) of this document. The last supplement to the Manual was 25102007-1.
New Document
Superseded Document(s)
2550-2012-1
None
Digest:
FSM 2550 – FSH 2509.18 is removed from the directive system
2551.3 – Outlines the regional protocol for developing soil quality standards.
2551.6 - Provides guidance on monitoring TEU/soil disturbance.
6 pages
R9 RO SUPPLEMENT
EFFECTIVE DATE 1/31/2012
DURATION: Effective until superseded or removed
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FSH 2500 – WATERSHED AND AIR MANAGEMENT
CHAPTER 2550 – SOIL MANAGEMENT
2551.3 – Standards and Guidelines
The Soil Quality Standards (SQS) of the 1980’s and 1990’s focused on protecting soil
productivity from timber and range management activities. Generally, these SQS took a ‘one
size fits all’ approach that did not adjust to varying ecological conditions, and has in some cases
either put unnecessary restrictions on resource management or inadequately protected resources.
Recent research and litigation indicate a need to base the SQS on biotic and abiotic ecosystem
components and their relationship to each other at the appropriate hierarchical level.
National and Regional SQS are generic by design and at times may be difficult to implement at
the site or project level. Adaptive management and the following nine steps are not new to the
Forest Service. What is new is using adaptive management to design site or project level SQS.
This process is outlined in the following nine steps:
1. Review identified Desired Conditions for the project area (Reference or Forest Plan
Desired Conditions).
2. Conduct an Interdisciplinary Landscape Assessment to identify departure from Desired
Conditions and any cultural or resource issues and concerns (used to design a
management action and to evaluate the risks associated with implementing the action).
3. Interdisciplinary team designs management actions to move a landscape towards desired
conditions or address issues and concerns.
4. Identify potential soil property changes due to a proposed action.
5. Estimate the likelihood of each potential soil property change occurring due to the
proposed action.
6. Identify ecosystem components, functions, or services at risk (departing from reference
conditions or moving away from desired conditions) from changes in soil properties that
result from implementing the planned action.
7. Estimate ecological risk as having a low, moderate or high likelihood of a negative
change in an ecosystem component, function, or service due to a minor, moderate or
extreme change in a soil property.
8. Modify management activities to mitigate changes in soil properties that have a moderate
or high ecological risk (this step is where SQS are followed or if they do not exist they
are inferred from literature and expert opinion).
9. Monitor results and adjust SQS
R9 RO SUPPLEMENT
EFFECTIVE DATE 1/31/2012
DURATION: Effective until superseded or removed
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FSH 2500 – WATERSHED AND AIR MANAGEMENT
CHAPTER 2550 – SOIL MANAGEMENT
2551.6 – MONITORING PLANS
2551.61 – Soil Quality Monitoring Projects and Plans
2551.6 - Exhibit 01
Soil Disturbance Categories to Monitor For Changes In Soil Properties.
Soil Disturbance Categories
Compaction
Displacement
Puddling/Rutting
Burned
Eroded
Ground
Cover
Mass
Movement
Soil Property Changes to Monitor
Table A lists examples of potential soil property changes from management activities, possible
indicators of these soil changes and possible ecosystem responses to these soil property changes.
It is an incomplete list that can easily be expanded or modified.
Table A
Soil Property
Change
Compaction
Puddling/Rutting
Soil Property Change
Indicator
Bulk density
Pore space
Water infiltration rate
Mixing of surface layers
Soil structure
Exposed Mineral
Soil
% of area with mineral soil exposed
Hydrophobic Soils
Infiltration rate
Increased Soil
Temperature
Soil temperature
Soil surface color
Vegetation Cover
Soil Displacement
Erosion (sheet, rill, gully)
Pedestals and/or Terracettes
Mass Movement
Soil Loss
Harvest
Leaching
Loss in tons per acre
Nutrient Loss
Litter Layer Loss or
Displacement
Ecosystem Response to
Soil Property Change
Increased surface runoff
Loss in productivity
Changes in plant community composition and distribution
Changes in surface water flow patterns
Changes in plant community composition and distribution
Spread of invasive species
Changes in plant community composition and distribution
Increased erosion
Increased sediment
Spread of invasive species
Increased overland flow
Increased soil erosion
Reduction in Available Water
Changes in community composition, distribution and
regeneration
Increased sediment
Changes in plant community composition, distribution and
regeneration
Changes in plant community composition and distribution
Loss in productivity
Changes in plant community composition and distribution
Increased erosion
Increased sediment
Spread of invasive species
R9 RO SUPPLEMENT
EFFECTIVE DATE 1/31/2012
DURATION: Effective until superseded or removed
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FSH 2500 – WATERSHED AND AIR MANAGEMENT
CHAPTER 2550 – SOIL MANAGEMENT
Ecological Response to Soil Property Changes
An ecosystem’s response to changes in soil properties addresses the question of “so what” and
provides the context to determine how the potential soil property changes may affect ecosystem
composition, processes and function. Ecosystem reference conditions serve as the basis for
determining whether a response to a management activity is moving the ecosystem towards or
away from a desired condition. Ideally, reference conditions will include full documentation of a
site that characterizes the desired condition.
An Example:
An example of how this process is used to assess a project is shown below in Table B. This
hypothetical example is for final harvest and site preparation with fire for regeneration of a jack
pine community on a flat to gently rolling landscape. Soils are somewhat excessively drained
sands.
Table B: Lists potential soil property changes associated with various management activities.
The risk of a soil property change happening for the above example is rated low, medium, or
high. Potential ecosystem responses to these soil changes are also listed along with their risk of
happening. Applicable ratings are based on specific project/site conditions. Ratings were made
up by the authors for example purposes only.
Soil Property
Change
Table B
Soil
Property
Soil Property Change
Change
Indicator
Risk
Rating1, 2
Compaction
Bulk Density
Pore Space Loss
Water Infiltration rate
Medium
Exposed Mineral
Soil
% of Area with Mineral
Soil Exposed
High
Rutting/Puddling
Surface Layer Mixing
Medium
Hydrophobic
Soils
% of Area with
Hydrophobic Soils
Infiltration Rate Change
Low
Ecosystem Response to
Soil Property Change
Ecosystem
Response
Risk Rating
Increased Erosion/Sediment
Increased Surface Runoff
Productivity Gain
Plant Community Changes
Increased Erosion/Sediment
Increased Sediment
Plant Community Changes
Spread of invasive species
Increased Erosion/Sediment
Surface Water Flow Pattern
Plant Community Changes
Spread of Invasive Species
Increased Erosion/Sediment
Increased Surface Runoff
Reduction in Available Water
Low
Low
Medium
Low
Low
Low
Medium
Medium
Low
Medium
Low
Medium
Low
Low
Low
R9 RO SUPPLEMENT
EFFECTIVE DATE 1/31/2012
DURATION: Effective until superseded or removed
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FSH 2500 – WATERSHED AND AIR MANAGEMENT
CHAPTER 2550 – SOIL MANAGEMENT
Soil
Displacement
Nutrient Loss
Increased Soil
Temperature
Litter Layer Loss
or Displacement
Sheet, Rill & Gully
Pedestals /Terracettes
Mass Movement
Litter Layer Loss
Harvest
Leaching
Soil Temperature
Soil Surface Color
Vegetation Cover
Loss in tons/acre
Low
Increased Erosion/Sediment
Plant Community Changes
Ecosystem replacement
Low
Low
Low
Medium
Plant Community Changes
Change in Productivity
Low
Low
Medium
Plant Community Changes
Plant Regeneration Changes
Medium
Medium
Medium
Plant Community Changes
Spread of Invasive Species
Increased Erosion/Sediment
Change in Productivity
Medium
Medium
Low
Low
1High
2Soil
(H), Medium (M), or Low (L) risk based on departure from reference condition
Property Risk Rating is for Soil Property Change Indicator
It is anticipated that the risk rating (both soil and ecological) may vary from site to site with
changes in biotic and abiotic ecosystem components and management activity. Once the risk
ratings are determined, suitable mitigation may be developed and applied to reduce the risk to an
acceptable level. The indicators above are not intended to be an all inclusive list but rather a
guide to help determine what factors or indicators should be considered.
If possible, it is best to have quantitative measurements for the appropriate indicator. However,
because an appropriate quantitative indicator does not exist for each qualitative indicator, focus
on selecting the best possible indicators (qualitative and quantitative) for each attribute.
Temporary roads used for vegetation management are included as areas evaluated for soil
quality. System road and trails and other administrative facilities within or adjacent to the
activity area, are dedicated land uses and not part of the detrimental soil condition evaluation.
Note: The Forest Soil Disturbance Monitoring Protocol (Gen. Tech. Report WO-82b, September,
2009) is designed to quickly assess changes for some soil properties by evaluating:
 Forest floor depth
 Forest floor Impacted
 Live Plant
 Fine Woody (<7 cm)
 Coarse Woody (>7cm)
 Bare Soil
 Rock
 Topsoil displacement
 Erosion
 Rutting<5cm, 5-10 cm, >10 cm)
 Burning (light, moderate, severe)
R9 RO SUPPLEMENT
EFFECTIVE DATE 1/31/2012
DURATION: Effective until superseded or removed
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FSH 2500 – WATERSHED AND AIR MANAGEMENT
CHAPTER 2550 – SOIL MANAGEMENT


Compaction? 0-10 cm, 10-30 cm, or >30 cm
Platy/Massive/Puddled structure 0-10 cm, 10-30 cm, or >30 cm
Monitoring of soil disturbances should be conducted immediately after treatment, management
activity, disturbance or use. Pre-sampling may be required in some cases, to assess the impact of
previous site impacts or to establish a sufficient measure of “natural” baseline variation. Correct
interpretation of soil disturbance data requires an adequate understanding of the inherent
variability of physical, chemical and biological soil properties.
Soil reference sites may be established within the various ecological provinces to measure and
assess soil quality trends. Soil reference site sampling protocols should be developed in
coordination with Forest Service Research and Development and other partners. An example
might be to monitor air quality effects on soil quality in conjunction with the integrated Forest
Health Monitoring (Forest Inventory and Analysis Phase 3) plots, either as they exist or an
expanded sample.