Soil Survey Program
2007 Accomplishments

The National Cooperative Soil Survey Program (NCSS) is a partnership led by NRCS of Federal land management agencies, state agricultural experiment stations and state and local units of government that provide soil survey information necessary for understanding, managing, conserving and sustaining the nation's limited soil resources.  Soil surveys provide an orderly, on-the-ground, scientific inventory of soil resources that includes maps showing the locations and extent of soils, data about the physical and chemical properties of those soils, and information derived from that data about potentialities and problems of use on each kind of soil in sufficient detail.  These surveys meet all reasonable needs for farmers, agricultural technicians, community planners, engineers, and scientists in planning and transferring the findings of research and experience to specific land areas. Soil surveys provide the basic information needed to manage soil sustainability. They also provide information needed to protect water quality, wetlands, and wildlife habitat. Soil surveys are the basis for predicting the behavior of a soil under alternative uses, its potential erosion hazard, potential for ground water contamination, suitability and productivity for cultivated crops, trees, and grasses.

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Update on Maine Soil Survey

Fiscal Year 2007 saw six Soil Scientists from other states mapping in Maine to help complete the Initial soil survey of the state. With their help and Maine's own Soil Scientists working overtime, over 635,000 acres were mapped in western Aroostook and northern Somerset Counties. In addition almost 40,000 acres were updated in southern Penobscot County. Our state goal of 550,000 acres was exceeded by 23 percent. We now have about 1.8 million acres left to map in the next three field seasons to reach Maine's goal of a once-over by 2010.  We plan on having six detailees here each year and working more overtime to complete this project on time.

The soil survey of Northern Hancock and Western Washington Counties has been completed and is now available on Web Soil Survey. Maine now has digital soil survey available on line for the whole state except the unorganized townships of western Aroostook, northern Piscataquis and very northern Somerset Counties. This year we have also added to the collection of soil surveys on CD with the addition of Southern Aroostook, Kennebec and Hancock Counties.
 

Soil Survey Program National Web Site

Maine Soil Survey Program 

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