The Role of the Soil Scientist in Cooperative Problem Solving: A U.S. Forest Service Example.

Collaboration and partnerships are vital to effective land management.  These are also important qualities to the education of the soil scientist who will deal with land management issues.  While state and federal budgets are decreasing, the need for resource remediation actions and the demand for ecosystem services are increasing, especially on our public forests.  To illustrate the need for a strong interdisciplinary soils education in this environment, examples from the Daniel Boone National Forest (DBNF) will be presented.  Situated in the Eastern Kentucky Coal Fields on the Cumberland Plateau, the DBNF is the largest public land holding in Kentucky and rich in natural resources.  This has created opportunities as well as problems.  The most pressing soil and water issues on the DBNF include abandoned coal mine lands, abandoned oil and gas wells, illegal off highway vehicle use, and valley fills.  This presentation will discuss cooperative problem solving on the DBNF and the soils education that allows for such an environment to exist.