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GUIDELINES FOR SOIL QUALITY MONITORING

Guidelines do not represent the minimum disturbance that will reduce inherent productivity, but indicate the maximum tolerable disturbance; i.e., disturbance that will result in a detectable loss of productivity. Nonetheless, management goals should strive to create as little disturbance as possible, not just to keep from exceeding guidelines.

The effects of management practices may be cumulative over time. If a guideline or combination of guidelines is exceeded in an initial harvest or other management entry, then future entries must have no additional effect unless natural recovery has taken place or mitigative measures have been applied between entries.

Soil quality guidelines will be evaluated and updated as research and local experience may indicate. Local values may be developed and submitted to the Regional Forester for standardization among Forests. The ultimate goal of soil resource management is to translate soil management guidelines into applicable (realistic) soil conservation practices.

In 2005, a national team of Forest Service scientists and line officers was formed to reevaluate and revise the Region 1 Soil Quality Standards.  The results of this collaborative effort will become a template for development of nationally applicable soil quality monitoring methods and protocols.

Guidelines used as indicators of soil quality and as measures of conformance to soil quality standards are given for each identified monitoring concern.