Charges, activities, membership, and contact information for the Urban Soils Team.
Overview
The Urban Soils Team was created to address topics relevant to soils in the urban environment. Team members are experienced urban soil mappers and bring together a diverse perspective of urban soil issues from cities with various mapping needs and historical backgrounds.
Charges
- Coordinate urban activities across division (procedures, equipment, safety)
- Identify training needs
- Identify needs to update standards – propose solutions
- Identify needs to update taxonomy – propose solutions
- Assemble existing data
- Identify gaps
- Work with BOA and MGT to provide guidance on priority areas
Resources
Urban Technical Notes (links to Box)
Projects
Active Projects List:
- Support active urban soil survey projects
- Support planning of future soil survey projects
- Develop an urban dynamic soil property (DSP) project framework
- Review of horizon nomenclature conventions for soils formed in HAHT materials
Long-Range Plan:
- Launch Urban Soils Field Week to support active soil survey projects and deliver field training
- Assist efforts to modernize the Urban Soil Primer and Soil Risks and
- Hazards documents
- Develop job aids, tech notes, training materials, and other resources
- Develop new urban soil interpretations
- Develop suggested urban soil mapping guidelines or procedure
- Reimagine soil survey datasets for urban areas to meet local needs
– E.g. soil artifact content database review - Promote and expand the use of proximal sensors to support soil survey operations in urban areas
Accomplishments
- Urban Soils Fact Sheet
- Urban Soil Survey Story map
- Technical review for Artesols soil order proposal in Soil Taxonomy
- Contributions for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Global Soil Partnership (FAO–GSP) Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) Technical Manual; Recarbonizing global soils – A technical manual of recommended management practices
- Display skin for urban soil focus team
- HAHT Soil Series extent map (ESRI online map)
- Provided presentations at the Urban Soils Symposium during the 2019 SSSA Annual Conference in San Antonio, TX
– Genesis of Urban Soils
– Mapping of Urban Soils - International Union of Soil Science – Soils of Urban, Industrial, Traffic, Military, and Mining Areas (SUITMA) conference participation
- Technical review for “Native Soil Properties and Qualities in Urban Soils” for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification
- NCSS webinar presentation – Urban Soil Mapping in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Detroit
- Urban soil mapping presentation for the U.S. Geological Survey – Urban Landscapes Capability Team
- NCSS National & Regional Conferences poster & presentations
- Urban soils technical data evaluation and review for EPA
Sub-Teams
- Urban Soil Survey Data & Methods
- Urban Dynamic Soil Properties (DSP)
Contact
Members
- Josh Beniston, Urban Soil Health Specialist; Santa Rosa, CA
- Dan Benyei, MLRA Soil Survey Leader; Marietta, OH
- Carl Fuller, Soil Scientist; Olympia, WA
- Eric Gano, Soil Scientist; Flint, MI
- Braden Fleming, Soil Scientist; Tolland, CT
- Roel Guerra, Soil Data Quality Specialist; Temple, TX
- Jacob Isleib, Connecticut State Soil Scientist; Tolland, CT
- Tiffany Justus, Soil Scientist; Aurora, IL
- Kefeni Kejela; Resource Soil Scientist and Urban Ag Conservationist; Reading, PA
- Alaina Kresovic, Soil Scientist; Dover-Foxcroft, ME
- Ben Marshall, MLRA Soil Survey Leader; Frederick, MD
- Chris Miller, MLRA Soil Survey Leader; Juneau, WI
- Edwin Muniz, New Jersey State Soil Scientist; Somerset, NJ
- Cooper Nichols, MLRA Soil Survey Leader; Tuskegee, AL
- Donald Parizek, Soil Survey Leader; Tolland, CT
- Austin Price, Soil Scientist; Greensboro, NC
- Kristine Ryan, South Carolina State Soil Scientist; Columbia, SC
- Lucas Scott, Soil Scientist; Hayes, KS
- Kari Sever, Soil Scientist; Denver, CO
- Sarah Smith, MLRA Soil Survey Leader; Indianapolis, IN
- Andy Steinert, MLRA Soil Survey Leader; Fort Morgan, CO
- Ralph Tucker, MLRA Soil Survey Leader; Union, MO and Marion, IL
- Olga Vargas, Resource Soil Scientist; Greenwich, NY
University Partners
- Dr. John Galbraith, Virginia Tech
- Dr. Bryant Scharenbroch, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point
- Dr. Patrick Drohan, Penn State University
- Dr. Jonathan Russell-Anelli, Cornell University
Additional Information
Urban Soils
According to the 2010 U.S. Census, 81 percent of the nation’s population lives in urban areas. This fact alone is enough to justify the need to identify, describe, and map urban soils to modern standards.
Learn More