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Leon soil comparison in "Field Indicators of Hydric Soils in the United States"

Field Indicators of Hydric Soils in the United States has been developed by soil scientists of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS); the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE); the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); various regional, state, and local agencies; universities; and the private sector. The editors recognize that this guide could not have been developed without the efforts of many individuals. Included in this publication are the hydric soil indicators approved by the NRCS and the National Technical Committee for Hydric Soils (NTCHS) for use in identifying, delineating, and verifying hydric soils in the field. Also included are indicators designated as test indicators, which are not approved for use but are to be tested so that their utility can be determined.

 

The current version of the indicators is available on the NRCS hydric soils website:

 

A hydric soil is a soil that formed under conditions of saturation, flooding or ponding long enough during the growing season to develop anaerobic conditions in the upper part.

 

For more information about Hydric Soils and their Field Indicators, visit:

www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/field...

 

For more information about describing and sampling soils, visit:

www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/field...

or Chapter 3 of the Soil Survey manual:

www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/The-Soil-Su...

 

For additional information on "How to Use the Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils" (video reference), visit:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_hQaXV7MpM

 

 

Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, or is present either at or near the surface of the soil all year or for varying periods of time during the year, including during the growing season. Water saturation (hydrology) largely determines how the soil develops and the types of plant and animal communities living in and on the soil. Wetlands may support both aquatic and terrestrial species. The prolonged presence of water creates conditions that favor the growth of specially adapted plants (hydrophytes) and promote the development of characteristic wetland (hydric) soils.

 

The concept of hydric soils includes soils developed under sufficiently wet conditions to support the growth and regeneration of hydrophytic vegetation. Soils that are sufficiently wet because of artificial measures are included in the concept of hydric soils. Also, soils in which the hydrology has been artificially modified are hydric if the soil, in an unaltered state, was hydric. Some soil series, designated as hydric, have phases that are not hydric depending on water table, flooding, and ponding characteristics.

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Uploaded on December 30, 2010
Taken in January 2007