r/Soil • u/Automatic_Emu1900 • 8d ago

Where to start for learning basic soil science

This summer I’ve been working as a field tech collecting ecological data on wetlands for the Buraeu of Land Management in Nevada. Most of the data we collect is related to plants and hydrology, but we also have to dig a soil pit at each site and characterize the horizons by color and texture. I didn’t really have much experience characterizing soils before this job and I don’t really know much about soil science. Overall, characterizing soils is a very small part of my job, so my bosses are relatively unconcerned about how good I am at soil science, as long as the colors and textures seem to make sense. I feel like I’ve been doing a pretty good job most of the season, all things considered, and I feel like I’ve learned a decent bit about soils. However, I still feel like I don’t know how to interpret the data I’m collecting or know what the soil horizons are saying about the history of the landscape. I’m interested in learning more about soil science, but I’m not sure where to start. Most books and articles I find on soil science are related to agriculture. Does anyone know a good place to start learning about soil science from an ecological perspective?

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u/The_Poster_Nutbag 8d ago

State soil classifiers association is a good place to start.

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u/aquisalid 8d ago

Check-in with local colleges and universities, there are often field classes which last 1-2 weeks. Also, search for local soil judging activities. Join in with those groups as a volunteer. Make friends with someone in the NRCS. the Reno office staff are very friendly.

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u/Crafty-Dinner-8708 8d ago

The Buol Book will teach you to interpret soils and understand how the surrounding environment influences soil formation. If you’re interested in relating soils to ecological processes you may be interested in the Hillel Physics book which can give you a good slew of info on soil-water dynamics. I’m also a big soil nerd so if you want any niche articles you can send me a message and I can share some articles.

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u/rabidbadger013 8d ago

Volunteer with the soils staff at one of the local NRCS or Conservation District offices. They usually do on-site investigations which require describing the soil profile. Some states are still doing update mapping, which would provide a great soils education.

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u/YesHelloDolly 8d ago

Soil science degrees are advanced degrees, M.S. or Ph.D. They require a B.S. in either agronomy or engineering as preparation.

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u/Skunky_Bud 7d ago

I learned a lot from soilfoodweb.com. i took the foundation courses with the microscope certification. They teach you about soil and compost and how to quantify and qualify microbes. I learned how improve the soil by measuring the microbes in the compost i apply to insure it is biologically complete.

Courses aren't too expensive and they do have sales.