Soil Surveys-What are they?!?
Natural
Resources
Conservation
Service
Helping People Help the Land
How to use a Published Soil Survey
Each published soil survey is a
comprehensive report on the soil
resources of a given county, or parish.
It is a detailed report compiled by
the USDA Natural Resources
Conservation Service in cooperation
with Agricultural Experiment Stations,
State Soil and Water Conservation
Committees, and local soil and
water conservation districts.
What is a published soil survey?
A published soil survey is a detailed report
which contains information on all the soils of
a county or parish. The publication has
maps with soil boundaries and aerial photos
and narrative descriptions and tables
explaining specific soil properties and
features. Published soil surveys are used by
farmers, real estate agents, city personnel,
land use planners, engineers and others
who desire information about the soil
resource.
Soil Surveys are in printed books (hard copy
format) or on CDs with digital soils data. The
digital soils data can be used in GIS
(Geographic Information Systems).
Web Soil Survey
 NRCS
now has soil survey data
available online
 Users from across the U.S. can
quickly access soils data
Visit www.websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov
The major parts of a soil survey publication...
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Index to map units
Summary of tables
Foreword
General soil map units
Detailed soil map units
Prime farmland
Use and management of soils
Soil properties
Classification of soils
Formation of the soils
References
Glossary
Tables
Using the soil survey
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Obtain a soil survey publication from the NRCS
office or your local Soil and Water Conservation
District office.
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Open the soil survey to Index To Map Sheets in
the middle of the publication. It is located
opposite the General Soil Map. In the hard copy
books, these maps are large fold out sheets.
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Locate your site or property on the parish map of
the Index To Map Sheets.
Using the soil survey
(Continued)
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Your land or site should be within one of the small
rectangles on the map that has a number…say
22 or 40.
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That number is very important--it corresponds to
the number on the aerial maps located in the
second half of the publication. Your number
should be circled at the top of the aerial
photograph, right above the north arrow.
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View the aerial map closely Locate landmarks
such as roads or streams.
Using the soil survey (Continued)...
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Notice that the aerial photograph has many lines drawn on
it. Those lines separate different soil types or areas with
different soil characteristics. Your tract or site should be
located within one of those lines.
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After you locate your tract of land, look for the small letters
or number imprinted on the map near your tract, but within
the delineation lines such as ScC, or KnC, or LaC. Those
letters or numbers designate a “map unit.” Remember that
map unit. Map unit symbols may consist of numbers or
letters, or a combination of both.
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Turn to the Index to Map Units (located at the front) which
lists the map units by symbol and name and shows the
page where each map unit is described. Or find the Table
of Contents and find your Map Unit there.
Using the soil survey...
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After you locate the Index to
Map Units and find the
corresponding page number for
your map unit or the soil of your
area, go to that page in the soil
survey report.
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Here, you’ll find a detailed
description of your map unit or
soil.
Using the soil survey...
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If you find a term or soil
description in the detailed
information sheet on your soil
and want to learn what that
term means, go the Glossary
section of the report.
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The Glossary is located in the
center of the publication.
Glossary
Aeration, soil. The
exchange of air in
soil with air from the
atmosphere . . .
Using the soil survey--Tables
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The Tables section of the soil
survey report provides detailed
information on the suitability and
limitations of the map units as
well as management and
production potential of the
various soils.
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Tables help landowners,
community leaders, and
developers and builders know if
it’s good to build on a certain
location or if a different location
would be better suited to their
needs.
TABLE 1.--TEMPERATURE AND
PRECIPITATION
TABLE 2.--FREEZE DATES IN
SPRING AND FALL
TABLE 3.--GROWING SEASON
TABLE 4.--ACREAGE AND
PROPORTIONAL EXTENT OF THE
SOILS
Using the Tables...
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Tables offer detailed information on
crops and pasture, woodland
management and productivity,
recreation, wildlife habitat, and
engineering.
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Tables give detailed information on
engineering index properties, physical
and chemical properties, soil and
water features, soil fertility levels, and
physical and chemical analysis of
selected soils.
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To use the tables, simply remember
your map unit symbol and find it in the
appropriate table.
Other useful information...
There’s SO
MUCH to
learn!!!
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The soil survey report has other useful
information about ALL the soils in the area.
You can learn about:
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The general soils map
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Which soils are considered prime farmland
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How to best use and manage soils
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What the processes of soil formation are
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What the factors of soil formation are
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What landforms and surface geology are in
the area
Find out more about soil
surveys...
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If, after reviewing your personal soil
survey report, you still have unanswered
questions about the soil survey or your
soil, please contact the USDA Natural
Resources Conservation Service or
conservation district office nearest you.
They know a lot about soil and
are here to serve!
Contact NRCS
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The USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Service office number is located in the telephone
book under U.S. Government.
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Visit www.nrcs.usda.gov online
Natural
Resources
Conservation
Service
Helping People Help the Land
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