Assessing Land Management Effects on Soil Properties with Soil Survey and Dynamic Soil Property Projects.

Historically, soil survey products described inherent soil properties for an entire soil profile under common land use. The National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) recognizes the need to provide enhanced information about soil change in response to land use, management or climate changes.  Projects are ongoing to collect and aggregate dynamic soil properties (DSPs) on surface layers that respond most rapidly to changes in management or land use. Soil Survey resources allow for careful space-for-time substitution, comparing land use or management conditions (i.e. chemical, tillage, vegetation) on the same soil. The space-for-time substitutions include two or more conditions that represent the ‘best’ and most common management system in common land uses. Selected DSP studies will be discussed to evaluate soil survey design and to evaluate land management effects on dynamic soil properties.