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ENVIROTHON SOILS STATION

ENVIROTHON SOILS STATION. INTENT AND PURPOSE (you might want to sit up close for these). SOIL FORMATION. LANDFORM – gullies, hills, mtns , CLIMATE – freezing, thawing ORGANICS – life cycles PARENT MATERIAL – mineral sources TIME – long time, eons, mega yrs.

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ENVIROTHON SOILS STATION

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  1. ENVIROTHONSOILS STATION INTENT AND PURPOSE (you might want to sit up close for these)

  2. SOIL FORMATION • LANDFORM – gullies, hills, mtns, • CLIMATE – freezing, thawing • ORGANICS – life cycles • PARENT MATERIAL – mineral sources • TIME – long time, eons, mega yrs.

  3. Biologial Diversity is Essential

  4. Diversity in different Ecosystems

  5. Where are the most fertile soils? National Geographic, September 2008

  6. ARABLE PART of the EARTH

  7. PARTICLE SIZE

  8. Soil Color

  9. STRUCTURE

  10. Web Soil Survey

  11. Soil Survey Program Web Soil Survey

  12. Soil Survey Program Web Soil Survey • Requires only a computer with (fast) internet connection to use • No signups/passwords/email addresses required • Maps made without specialized software, instantly • Robust analysis capabilities without specialized software

  13. Soil Survey ProgramWeb Soil Survey-Data Availability • 94% of the country has been mapped • 96% of private land has been mapped • Utah has about 3 million acres of private land left to be surveyed

  14. Soil Survey Program Web Soil Survey Low Tech.--------------------Most People----------------------High Tech.

  15. Soil Survey Program Web Soil Survey • EASY TO USE . . . just 3 steps: 1) Define 2) View/Explore 3) Check Out http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/

  16. Area of Interest

  17. EXAMPLE SOIL MAP

  18. Building Materials Map

  19. Building Materials Ratings

  20. Eight Capability Classes

  21. WHY ALL THE FUSS?

  22. Sustainable Agriculture and Erosion • Factors that affect erosion • Slope • Texture • Cover • Climate (rain and runoff) • Temperatures • Wind • Types of Erosion – Splash Zone • Rill erosion • Gully erosion • Wind erosion • Sheet erosion • Streambank erosion

  23. Sustainable Agriculture and Erosion Control • Erosion Control • Contour Planting: plant crops around the curve of a hill rather than up and down the hill. • Terraces: wide ridges that go around a hill to prevent water from rushing down the hill too fast. • Forest and Grass Areas: keep steep hillsides in trees or grass rather than clear for cropland. • Grassed Waterways: plant grass and don’t plow low areas in a field where water usually runs.

  24. Sustainable Agriculture and Erosion Control • Erosion Control • Windbreak: rows of trees planted to slow down the wind and prevent soils from blowing • Cover Crop: a crop planted between harvests reduces soil erosion and replenishes the soil with nutrients and organic matter • Conservation Tillage • Crop Rotation: rotate the type of crop planted so that the nutrients are not depleted http://www.dubuqueswcd.org/page5.html

  25. QUESTIONS • Ray.grow@ut.usda.gov • 801 524-4253

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