The most general level of classification in the USDA system of Soil Taxonomy is the Soil Order. Soil orders are frequently defined by a single dominant characteristic affecting soils in that location, e.g., the prevalent vegetation, the type of parent … Continued
This layer depicts soil boundaries collected by the National Cooperative Soil Survey in the SSURGO database. These boundaries are intended for use in natural resource planning and land management.
Soil loss tolerance for a specific soil, also known as the T value, is the maximum average annual soil loss expressed as tons per acre per year that will permit current production levels to be maintained economically and indefinitely. T … Continued
Hydrologic soil groups are used to estimate runoff from precipitation. Soils not protected by vegetation are assigned to one of four groups. They are grouped according to the infiltration of water when the soils are thoroughly wet and receive precipitation … Continued
This layer classifies soils types by farmland importance. Important farmlands consist of prime farmland, unique farmland, and farmland of statewide or local importance. Within these classifications, limitations to farmland importance may be noted. See Prime Farmlands Definitions for further information.
The National Commodity Crop Productivity Index 3.0 replaces version 2.0 as the National Crop Index. The NCCPI is a method of arraying the soils of the U.S. for non-irrigated commodity crop production based on their inherent soil properties. The interpretation … Continued
Hydrologic Soil Group, which estimates potential runoff from precipitation based on soils characteristics, has been updated to the October 2019 NRCS SSURGO data release.
Surface Texture is based on the composition of sand, silt, and clay in the surface layer of soil based on the standard soil triangle definition.
Soil Loss Tolerance, a measure of how much soil can be lost per year without impacting production, has been updated to the October 2019 NRCS SSURGO data release. Note there is a change to the legend used to depict the … Continued
Forest Productivity is a measure of wood volume likely to be produced by the most important tree species based on soil characteristics.