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NSSH Part 601

National Cooperative Soil Survey Organization

Definition (601.00)

The National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) is a nationwide partnership of federal, regional, state and local agencies; and private entities and institutions. This partnership works together to cooperatively investigate, inventory, document, classify, interpret, disseminate, and publish information about soils of the United States and its trust territories and commonwealths. The activities of the NCSS are carried out on national, regional, and state levels.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is responsible for the leadership of soil survey activities of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, for the leadership and coordination of NCSS activities, and for the extension of soil survey technology to global applications. Additional information about the soil survey program is in the NRCS General Manual under Title 430, Part 402.

Primary federal agency NCSS participants include Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Department of Defense (DoD), Forest Service (FS), National Park Service (NPS), and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Appendix A has a short description of the roles of these partners. In addition to these federal agency partners, there are numerous state and local partners participating in the NCSS. Information about the organization and responsibilities of partner agencies are contained in their policy documents.

NRCS Organization and Responsibilities (601.01)

This section provides information about the responsibilities of various offices within the NRCS as they pertain to the National Cooperative Soil Survey Program.

  1. NCSS Responsibilities of the MLRA Soil Survey Office (MLRA-SSO).
    1. updating soil surveys on a physiographic basis;
    2. assisting the state soil scientist in evaluating the needs for updating soil survey maps and data;
    3. managing the soil survey of private and Native American lands within the assigned area;
    4. preparing annual work plans including schedules for completion of priorities identified in the project plan and annual plan of operations for the area;
    5. providing on-the-job technical direction and training for staff members;
    6. controlling the quality of all phases of the soil survey as specified in the project plan and annual plan of operations;
    7. periodically reviewing all soil survey products developed by the office staff to ensure those products meet NCSS standards;
    8. ensuring that all soil survey products submitted for quality assurance review and certification have passed prior quality control inspections;
    9. making initial correlation decisions for the survey area using NCSS standards and supplemental guidance provided by the MLRA Soil Survey Regional Office (MO);
    10. conducting progressive soil correlation during the course of all soil survey activities;
    11. ensuring that all changes to map unit names and legends, and the reasons for the changes, are recorded in the National Soil Information System (NASIS);
    12. ensuring seamless soil survey products across political and physiographic boundaries in the survey area as defined in part 609.03;
    13. providing leadership for the MLRA Technical Team by identifying survey update needs, and carrying out the completion of priority projects as directed by the MLRA Management Team;
    14. assessing training needs of the MLRA-SSO staff and requesting training from the MO and the State Soil Scientist;
    15. preparing agendas, soil descriptions, lab data, maps, and other information needed for quality assurance reviews conducted by the MO;
    16. ensuring findings and recommendations identified in the MO quality assurance reviews are addressed and implemented in a timely manner;
    17. developing soil survey publications that meet the NCSS standards as outlined in part 644;
    18. developing digital spatial information that meet the NCSS standards as outlined in part 647;
    19. preparing soil series descriptions;
    20. ensuring Official Soil Series Descriptions (OSDs) drafted or revised by the MLRA-SSO meet NCSS standards as outlined in part 614 and have passed the OSD Check Program prior to being submitted for processing;
    21. developing project plans as directed by the MLRA Management Team and planning and organizing work activities to accomplish the projects in the assigned time frame;
    22. preparing soil survey technical reports;
    23. compiling soil maps for technical reports;
    24. developing and maintaining the soil database in NASIS;
    25. developing and implementing an active information program; and
    26. maintaining a safe working environment.
       
  2. NCSS Responsibilities of the Resource Soil Scientist.
    1. assisting the state soil scientist with the development, coordination, and maintenance of field office technical guides and soil interpretations;
    2. conducting onsite soils investigations according to agency authorities;
    3. evaluating and assisting field offices to maintain the official copy of soil survey information and soil information systems;
    4. coordinating with the MLRA soil survey office and state office to make any needed changes in the official soil survey data;
    5. providing assistance in the use of soils information for the implementation of NRCS programs;
    6. providing interdisciplinary input to solve resource problems;
    7. assisting with special soil studies including collecting additional site and soil information on the performance and behavior of correlated soil map units;
    8. training NRCS staffs and the public to understand and utilize soil survey data and information;
    9. assisting the state soil scientist with the development and dissemination of soil information and in promoting soil survey; and
    10. assisting the state soil scientist to evaluate the adequacy of existing soil survey maps, data, and interpretations through participation on the MLRA Technical Team.
       
  3. NCSS Responsibilities of the State Soil Scientist.
    1. providing technical soil services to other staffs and leadership to resource soil scientists;
    2. developing cooperative relationships to enhance the funding, progress, use and understanding of soil surveys;
    3. serving as liaison to NCSS cooperators;
    4. hosting an annual meeting of state NCSS cooperators to plan and coordinate soil survey activities and technical soil services;
    5. periodically hosting the regional or national NCSS conference;
    6. documenting the needs for updating soil survey maps, data, and interpretations;
    7. leads the MLRA Management Team for each MLRA-SSO hosted within the state (and participates as a member of the MLRA Management Team for MLRA SSOs hosted in adjoining states) to establish priorities for the MLRA Soil Survey Office in cooperation with partners, other state soil scientists, the MO, and other stakeholders;
    8. assisting soil survey users in understanding and applying soil survey information;
    9. coordinating the development of localized soil interpretations;
    10. maintaining the Digital General Soil Map of the U.S.;
    11. marketing soil survey information;
    12. providing soils training to specialists in other disciplines;
    13. ensuring the technical content, coordination, and quality of soil information in the field office technical guides;
    14. providing soils input to all NRCS program activities;
    15. posting updated soil survey data to the soil data warehouse and data marts;
    16. assisting in national soil program initiatives;
    17. supplementing and distributing a state subset of the national soil information system data;
    18. providing to the responsible MO, layers desired for map finishing in a compiled or electronic format compatible with digital map finishing (these include such layers as hydrography, public land survey, roads, and recommended cultural features to be used in the survey);
    19. providing administrative and management support and guidance to the soil survey offices that they supervise;
    20. preparing digital files for general soil maps, index maps, soil legend and special features legend, geology maps, and block diagrams for use in publications;
    21. submitting complete manuscripts that have passed a state quality control review to the MO;
    22. ensuring that findings and recommendations identified in the MO quality assurance reviews are addressed and implemented in a timely manner;
    23. providing leadership for identifying the need for new soil survey information and interpretations within the state; and
    24. providing leadership for the development of new soil survey applications, technology, and information delivery within the state.
       
  4. NCSS Responsibilities of the MLRA Soil Survey Regional Office (MO).
    1. providing leadership in the production and quality assurance of soil survey information including updating of soil surveys;
    2. developing a region-wide memorandum of understanding covering the entire MO region that outlines the responsibilities and specifications for conducting soil surveys in the region;
    3. providing coordination and quality assurance for all production soil survey and update activities and products, including all data collection, NASIS data population, interpretation, correlation, publications; and map compilation, finishing, and digitizing; to ensure that all soil survey products meet NCSS standards;
    4. providing leadership in classifying, interpreting, correlating, and joining of spatial and attribute data within and between MLRA soil survey areas;
    5. planning and managing the MLRA Soil Survey Regional Office activities in cooperation with the state soil scientists, cooperators, and other stakeholders;
    6. coordinating with National Soil Survey Center soil scientists and other disciplines as appropriate to maintain and improve soil surveys;
    7. securing technical input and review from other disciplines into soil interpretations and technical reports;
    8. providing technical support and guidance to soil survey offices;
    9. conducting quality assurance reviews to:
      1. ensure that products developed by the MLRA-SSO have passed quality control inspections and meet NCSS standards,
      2. ensure that progressive correlation is being implemented and followed by the MLRA-SSO staff,
      3. provide guidance to the MLRA-SSO staff,
      4. identify training needs, as well as management and performance issues, and communicate those needs and concerns to the appropriate supervisor; and
    10. providing states with findings, recommendations, and commendations from quality assurance reviews;
    11. providing supplemental training in all aspects of soil survey operations as may be needed (beyond that provided by the Soil Survey Division) to soil survey office staffs through technical notes, on-site visits, workshops, and similar activities;
    12. providing quality assurance of all attribute data residing in NASIS;
    13. developing soil correlation documents for initial soil surveys;
    14. coordinating soil series and soil property and interpretation databases across MLRA soil survey areas;
    15. providing quality assurance of all OSDs developed or revised in the MO region;
    16. maintaining the national OSD and SC databases;
    17. ensuring the development of seamless soil survey products across political and physiographic boundaries as defined in 609.03;
    18. providing MLRA-specific correlation guidelines for technical issues such as soil temperature and moisture regimes and their associated ecological zones and vegetation and any other MLRA-specific information;
    19. providing leadership for the coordinated collection of soil survey related soil characterization data and investigations in the MO region;
    20. providing leadership in collecting, analyzing, and interpreting soil performance and characterization data;
    21. providing technical quality assurance to soil survey technical reports and maps submitted for publication;
    22. editing, formatting, proofreading, and reviewing text and tables for soil survey technical reports;
    23. providing quality assurance of all spatial data developed in the MO Region;
    24. coordinating and providing quality assurance for the map finishing process;
    25. providing quality assurance of Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) database, and the Digital General Soil Map of the U.S. (STATSGO) database;
    26. coordinating proposed revisions to major land resource area boundaries with states and the NSSC;
    27. assisting in coordination of regional or national NCSS conferences; and
    28. participates on the MLRA Management Teams for MLRA soil survey offices serviced by the MO.
       
  5. NCSS Responsibilities of the National Technology Support Center Core Team Soil Scientist.
    1. providing assistance to states and MLRA Soil Survey Regional Offices in developing and implementing strategies to coordinate and deliver soil survey data and interpretations to meet specific program needs such as ranking systems and eligibility criteria for CRP and EQIP;
    2. providing technical assistance and guidance in developing interpretive criteria to meet state’s specialized interpretive needs;
    3. developing soil science related policies and procedures and implementation strategies for maintaining and coordinating Field Office Technical Guides with primary emphasis on Section II;
    4. developing, maintaining, and enhancing soils-related aspects of conservation practice standards and quality criteria used in Field Office Technical Guides;
    5. collaborating with other discipline specialists to develop and maintain drainage guides, irrigation guides, and other technical references included in the Engineering Field Manual and other discipline specific technical guides;
    6. developing, reviewing, and recommending program policy;
    7. providing specific guidance to states and collaborating with others regarding detailed training in the application of soil survey data and interpretations to programs such as Farmland Protection Policy Act, Farm and Ranchland Protection Program, and Farm Bill programs;
    8. collaborating with others to provide training and guidance at all levels in the use, understanding, and appropriate application of soil survey information in program policy and environmental models;
    9. developing interpretive criteria, identifying data requirements, and coordinating delivery of data and interpretations to meet specific national program needs;
    10. providing technical expertise, and serves as Soil Survey Division representative to Agricultural Research Service, University research stations, and others in the use and application of soils and soil survey information in the development of environmental models such as RUSLE2, WEPS, WinPST, WEPP, and EPIC;
    11. promoting the use and integration of soil survey information in public and program policies;
    12. works with the Soil Quality Special Technology Development Team, NTSC and NRCS staffs, and others to anticipate and identify needs for soil survey data and interpretations to meet new and emerging programs and strategize technology transfer and training; and
    13. represents the Soil Survey Division and provides technical expertise to task forces, committees, and work groups dealing with natural resource issues such as air, water, and soil quality: and related legal, social, and policy concerns.
       
  6. NCSS Responsibilities of the National Cartography and Geospatial Center.
    1. acquiring imagery for soil mapping and technical reports;
    2. preparing maps and indices of aerial photography;
    3. preparing orthophotos for halftone reproduction and lithographic printing;
    4. providing a repository for geospatial data layers and distributing as needed;
    5. assisting the MLRA Soil Survey Regional Office to provide quality assurance of digital soils spatial data;
    6. providing guidance in the management of geospatial data;
    7. providing support for the integration of new geospatial technologies;
    8. providing the process, procedures, and the training to generate map finished products;
    9. providing photographic and reproduction materials for reports and soil survey management;
    10. preparing map materials for reproduction;
    11. assembling proof layouts for printing technical reports;
    12. preparing the final locator maps, block diagrams, general soil maps, and index to map sheets that are used in soil survey technical reports;
    13. distributing certified SSURGO data and the Digital General Soil Map of the U.S.;
    14. acquiring, integrating, and delivering digital elevation data for soil survey application;
    15. assisting with the application of remote sensing to soil survey;
    16. providing global positioning system acquisition, evaluation, and training;
    17. providing geospatial web services (WMS), image map services (IMS), feature map services (FMS), and the Geospatial Gateway for soil survey data distribution and application; and
    18. providing training and assistance with geographic information systems (GIS).
       
  7. NCSS Responsibilities of the National Geospatial Development Center.
    1. promoting partnerships with educational institutions, private industry, and government agencies to research and develop technologies to enhance the production and utilization of soil information;
    2. addressing future soil information dissemination in partnership with the National Cartographic and Geospatial Center by developing technologies to support distribution; and
    3. implementing functional user-friendly applications by delivering them to the appropriate functional unit for their use.
       
  8. NCSS Responsibilities of the National Soil Survey Center.
    1. providing leadership to the development of policies, guidelines, standards, and procedures for all technical phases of NCSS work;
    2. maintaining and improving the scientific basis for the NCSS program;
    3. maintaining national soil survey standards included in the National Soil Survey Handbook, the Soil Survey Manual, Soil Taxonomy, Soil Survey Laboratory Methods Manual, and other topical handbooks for mapping, classification, interpretation, investigation, laboratory analysis, and data management;
    4. providing leadership for the effective integration of soil survey technical standards and principles in the development and maintenance of spatial and tabular information systems;
    5. assisting international, national, MO, state, and soil survey office staffs in soil survey activities;
    6. coordinating with National Employee Development Center to plan and deliver training for the Soil Survey Division including training in soil survey procedures, soil classification, pedology, geomorphic principles and application, interpretations, investigations, soil survey project management, technical soil services, and soil survey data management;
    7. supplementing basic soil survey information with laboratory and field data on properties and behavior of soils; and
    8. providing liaisons to each of the NCSS regional conferences.
       
  9. NCSS Responsibilities of the National Headquarters.
    1. formulating national policies regarding the soil survey program;
    2. formulating policy regarding the integration of technical soil services within NRCS and with other agencies;
    3. representing NRCS agency interests to the NCSS;
    4. providing leadership for the federal part of NCSS;
    5. chairing and coordinating the NCSS and its activities; and
    6. developing and maintaining relationships and contacts with NCSS cooperators.

Appendix — Primary Federal Partners

This appendix includes a brief description of the role of the five primary federal partners in the NCSS. Descriptions were prepared in 2006 by representatives of each agency. The most current information is contained in each agency’s own policy documents.

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)

The BIA is the primary contact for soil surveys on the 93.7 million acres of Native American lands. Soil surveys are primarily at 1:24,000 scale to support land management decision making processes. Soil surveys are needed to meet needs for farming, community planning, land development, and grazing and forest management. Soil survey and ecological site data are necessary to accomplish land health assessments, grazing permit renewal, energy and mineral permitting and leasing, restoring natural fire processes, restoring health of the land, maintaining clean water and air, and invasive plant control. Soil information is fundamental in assessing soil capabilities, limitations, and vulnerability to degradation and loss of capacity to sustain the health of the land. Native American lands are considered private lands and, as such, NRCS has the responsibility to complete soil surveys on Native American lands. Soil surveys are completed in conjunction with BIA soil scientists and other staff.

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

The BLM manages approximately 261 million surface acres of public lands, located primarily in 12 Western States. The mission of the BLM is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The BLM-administered lands include a diverse mosaic of grassland, shrub land, forest, desert, arctic and alpine ecosystems on extensive landscapes that can range from nearly level playas to steep, rugged mountains. These landscapes and ecosystems contain a wide variety of soils with diverse properties that can significantly affect use and management. The BLM manages a wide variety of resources and uses including energy and minerals, livestock forage, fish and wildlife habitat, timber, wild horse and burro populations, watershed values, wilderness and recreation areas, and cultural and other natural heritage values. The BLM administers public lands within a framework of numerous laws and regulations, including FLPMA, NEPA, and state water quality laws. Soils are one of the most fundamental natural resources on public lands. Soils sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the land. Soil quality and health are the driving forces that determine these factors.

Soil surveys are primarily at 1:24,000 scale to support land management decision making processes. Soil survey and ecological site data are necessary to accomplish rangeland health assessments, grazing permit renewal, energy and mineral permitting and leasing, restoring natural fire processes, restoring health of the land, maintaining clean water and air, and invasive plant control. Soil information is fundamental in assessing soil capabilities, limitations, and vulnerability to degradation and loss of capacity to sustain the health of the land. All public land activity that disturbs the soil benefits from the information and interpretations provided in soil surveys. Most soil and ecological mapping on public land has been accomplished via reimbursable agreements with the NRCS.

Department of Defense (DoD)

DoD manages about 50 million acres divided up into five main agencies. The Army has about 17 million acres of mission land, the Air Force has about 9 million acres, the Navy has about 2 million acres, the Marines have about 1 million acres, and the Army Corps of Engineers has about 15 million acres. The remainder is divided up by smaller agencies.

DoD has two missions on its installations. The first mission is to train soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors in conditions as close as possible to those they may have to fight in. The second mission is managing for the conservation of natural resources. Managing for conservation of natural resources allows for the first mission.

The Sikes Act, as amended, requires each component Service (Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines) to have an Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) for each installation and/or training site that has significant natural resources. The INRMP describes the installation’s natural resources and its management strategy for sustaining them while supporting the installation’s military mission. The Department of Defense is interested in focusing its efforts on its mission training lands.

Each Service’s natural resources management implementing guidelines require a soil planning level survey as part of an installation’s INRMP. Each Service either names NRCS as the source from which to obtain soils data or requires that the soil survey be done to NCSS standards and procedures. Each installation’s mission normally dictates the level of detail needed. The Army’s standard is a 1:12,000 soil survey to support installations where millions of miles of vehicle (from ATVs through main battle tanks) traffic and other land intensive mission training takes place. On those installations that DoD is closing, clean-up requirements often need Order 2 soil surveys to understand the fate and transport of chemicals and constituents of concern. Installations needing a soil survey enter into an agreement with the NRCS of the state(s) the installation is located in. At the installation’s request, the soil survey may be restricted from public access due to national security concerns.

Forest Service (FS)

The national forests (at first called forest reserves) began with the Forest Reserve Act of 1891, which allowed the President to establish forest reserves from timber-covered public domain land. National forests and grasslands encompass 193 million acres of land. There are 155 national forests and 20 grasslands. Congress established the Forest Service to provide quality water and timber for the Nation’s benefit. The Forest Service manages national forests for multiple uses and benefits and for the sustained yield of renewable resources such as water, forage, wildlife, wood, and recreation. Multiple uses means managing resources under the best combination of uses to benefit the American people while ensuring the productivity of the land and protecting the quality of the environment.

The National Forest System uses soil resource inventories and terrestrial ecological unit inventories to develop land and resource management plans as well as project plans. The Forest Service has pursued an ecological approach to land stewardship. This evolution has increased the need for soil resource inventories to collect and classify vegetation data in conjunction with progressive inventories. Soil surveys in the eastern U.S. have been completed primarily through agreements with NRCS. In the western states, soil surveys are typically completed by Forest Service staff.

National Park Service (NPS)

The National Park Service acts as steward for natural resources on nearly 85 million acres of public land. Management Policies and Guidelines for soil resource management are contained in NPS-77 “Natural Resources Management”. The NPS Management Policies states: The NPS will actively seek to understand and preserve the soil resources of parks and to prevent, to the extent possible, the unnatural erosion, physical removal, or contamination of the soil, or its contamination of other resources. The NPS Soil Inventory and Monitoring Program is acquiring appropriate, detailed geospatial soil databases which will define the distribution of soil types; determine their physical, chemical, and biological characteristics; and provide interpretations needed to assess soil capabilities, limitations, and vulnerabilities to degradation, as well as promoting a soil conservation ethic and supporting soil resources management, vital signs monitoring, ecological restoration activities, and facilities development decisions within the agency.

Soil management objectives are as follows:

  1. Preserve intact, functioning, natural systems by preserving native soils and the processes of soil genesis in a condition undisturbed by humans.
  2. Maintain significant cultural objects and scenes by conserving soils consistent with maintenance of the associated historic practices, and by minimizing soil erosion to the extent possible.
  3. Protect property and provide safety by ensuring that developments and their management take into account soil limitations, behavior, and hazards.
  4. Minimize soil loss and disturbance caused by special use activities and ensure that soils retain their productivity and potential for reclamation. The NPS typically works with NRCS, via Interagency Agreements, to support dedicated soil survey crews in strategic locations to map NPS lands as well as refine and/or develop ecological site descriptions to meet agency needs.

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