Soil Science 315

Soil Science for Land Use Planning

Introduction to Soil Survey—Classroom Exercise

1. From the Soil Survey of Barron County, WI read the following: How to Use This Soil Survey (inside front cover); the Contents page (bold headings) and; the Foreword from Patricia Leavenworth, NRCS State Conservationist for Wisconsin: And Pat Says: The Soil Survey contains information that affects land use planning in the survey area.

2. General Soil Maps: Locate Prairie Lake on the General Soil Map of Barron Co. and list the following information derived from the map and General Soil Map Units section:

a. Soil Association and extent in county: Chetek-Rosholt-Menahga make up 18% of county

b. General texture and landforms on which they occur: loamy and sandy soil on outwash plains and stream terraces

c. Soils of minor extent in the association: Anigon, Brill, Freeon , Haugen & Oesterle

3. Draw a line below that represents one mile on the General Soil Map; do the same for the Detailed Soil Maps:

What is the scale of each? 1:253,440 for general soil map; 1:20,000 for detailed soil maps

4. Detailed Soil Maps: Locate the village of Almena on the Index to Map Sheets and list the sheet number(s):

a. (north-side): 32 b. (south-side): 38

5. List the two major soil map unit symbols found in Almena:

a. (far north-side): AnB b. (far south-side): MaB

6. From the legend found on the back of the Index to Map Sheets, record the map unit names corresponding to the symbols above:

a. (far north-side): Anigon silt loam, 2 – 6% slopes

b. (far south-side): Magnor silt loam, 0 – 4% slopes

7. From the Detailed Soil Map Unit descriptions, for soil map unit (a.) determine:

a. Other soils included in the map unit: Brill soil (moderately well drained—5 to 10% of unit)

b. Predominant soil drainage class of map unit: well drained

c. Permeability of substratum of named soil in map unit: rapid or very rapid

8. From the Tables determine the following for soil map unit (b.):

a. Acreage and extent of this map unit in the survey area: (table 4-p170) 22,447 ac or 3.9%

b. Suitability for Recreational Areas—Camp Areas: (table 11-p200) severe-wetness

c. The ‘K’ and ‘T’ erosion factors for the surface horizon: (table 18-p251) K=0.37; T=5

9. If you were collecting digital data layers for a GIS project concerning a tract of land would you include a soils layer? Why or why not?

Yes is judged accurate and scale appropriate, no if not. It can be used to create numerous thematic maps.