Sshp overview-with-field-study-emphasis-for-swcs-draft-7-31-2017
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The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is undertaking a Science of Soil Health Project to strengthen the scientific understanding of soil health. The project involves collaboration between NRCS divisions and partners to conduct field studies comparing soil management systems. The goals are to evaluate soil health indicators, understand the impacts of conservation practices, and incorporate data into publicly available databases. An initial pilot project involves four study locations over two years to test sampling methods and indicators. Results will help improve NRCS soil health programs, tools, training and public education.
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Sshp overview-with-field-study-emphasis-for-swcs-draft-7-31-2017
- 1. NRCS Science of Soil Health Project: Strengthening the Science of Soil Health SWCS – Madison, WI July 30 – August 2, 2017
- 2. Michael P. Robotham (presenter) Bianca Moebius-Clune, Director, Soil Health Division (SHD) David Lindbo, Director, Soil Science Division (SSD) Terrell Erickson, Director, Ecological Sciences Division (ESD) Technical staff from all Divisions Contributors
- 3. Soil health is NRCS-wide • Public education and outreach • Incorporating soil health issues into agency operations • Conducting training for employees and partners • Developing assessment and planning tools and procedures • Collaboratively improving the science behind soil health • Science of Soil Health Project
- 4. Science of Soil Health Project (SSHP) • Collaboration between Deputy Areas and Divisions within those Deputy Areas • Programs (CPTAD) • Science and Technology (SHD, ESD) • Soil Science and Resource Assessment (SSD) • Project has been divided into five (5) broad components
- 5. Strengthening the Science of Soil Health Leveraging agency wide technical capacity and infrastructure, as well as partner resources to assess, monitor, and enhance Soil Health Components: 1. Evaluate existing literature on indicators and their interpretation & soil health management systems implementation 2. Leverage existing projects for data and field insights 3. Build and populate NRCS soils database with soil health data 4. Monitor soil health on representative benchmark soils and evaluate management impact and contribute to assessment 5. Develop soil health management decision tools and citizen science portal Opportunities for collaboration exist in every component
- 6. Science of Soil Health Project: Field Studies
- 7. Overall goals of field study component • Increase our knowledge of the utility and applicability of proposed soil health field assessment protocols and laboratory-based indicators • Broaden the geographic scope of our knowledge of the soil property changes related to recommended management systems changes (SHMS) • Involve additional institutions, organizations and individual researchers in soil health efforts
- 8. Core objectives • Compare different management systems on similar soils, climates and landscape positions (ecological sites) • Assess the utility and applicability of a standard set of field and laboratory assessment protocols and soil health indicators • Evaluate the outcomes of management activities (systems of conservation practices - SHMS) that implement the four core NRCS soil health principles
- 9. Additional objectives • Identify highest achievable levels for proposed indicators • What is the “best someone can do”? • These will vary depending on climate, soil, etc. • Provide systematic comparison between field-based and laboratory-based assessment results • Assess consistency of laboratory results across multiple laboratories including the Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory (KSSL)
- 10. Key project attributes • Standard scope of work including: • Explicit collaboration across NRCS divisions and with partners (e.g. university, ARS) to identify specific study sites (soils and management systems) • Core set of field and laboratory assessment methods (identified by SHD-led efforts) • Projects can add to this list to address local issues/needs • All data collected will be incorporated into publicly accessible database(s)
- 11. Pilot project – 2017-2019 • Obtained limited internal agency initiative funds (FY-2017) to begin pilot efforts • 2-year collaborative agreements with university partners • Four (4) locations have been selected • Agreements are being finalized at this time • Additional sites will be added if additional funds become available
- 12. Projected Timeline • Fall 2017: Initial pilot test locations identified and agreements developed between universities and NRCS • Winter 2017-18: Project-based teams meet to identify target soils and management systems for their location • Spring 2018: Initial sampling with follow-up sampling in Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 • Fall 2019: Final sampling, data analysis and initial reporting of results.
- 13. For more information on the field study project contact: Skye Wills Skye.Wills @ lin.usda.gov 402-437-5310
- 14. For more information on the overall SSHP efforts contact: Bianca Moebius-Clune (bianca.moebius-clune@wdc.usda.gov) David Lindbo (david.lindbo@wdc.usda.gov) Terrell Erickson (terrell.rickson@wdc.usda.gov)
- 15. Questions ? USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender
Editor's Notes
- Highlight that this is an ongoing team effort that includes a large number NRCS technical staff. I’m presenting the information on behalf of the three Division Directors who are co-leads on this project. These efforts involve a long, and growing, list of people within the agency who have and continue to make valuable contributions. If I tried to list them all, I could easily use up this 15 minute time slot and would undoubtedly leave people out.
- Highlight great ongoing work on all of these aspects – call out PAS and the outreach group for Unlock the secrets in the soil campaign; highlight SHD work in training and education including new course; discuss ongoing tool development and efforts to ensure that soil health concerns are appropriately addressed in NRCS planning processes and procedures (collaborative efforts). Segue into science of soil health project as one component of these agency-wide efforts that builds on what has come before
- Highlight collaborative nature of these efforts – multiple pieces of NRCS working together for a common goal
- Transition slide ..
- Broad goals: Better understand the utility and limitations of proposed assessment protocols and indicators Broaden the geographic scope of our inquiries Get more people and groups involved
- Collaborative intensive long-term inventory, assessment and monitoring studies on benchmark soils and landscapes. Comparison of different management systems on similar soils, climates and landscape positions – ties into the wider ecological site (ES) concept Selection of benchmark soils and landscapes and associated ecological sites will this allow SH information to be linked with existing soil survey products and data and will facilitate extrapolation to other similar areas Long-term goal is to evaluate the impacts of management activities that follow the core NRCS soil health principles: Minimize disturbance Increase diversity Keep living roots Maintain soil cover Studies will be conducted in collaboration with partner organizations (e.g. universities, ARS, others) On slide 8, you might want to emphasize that the similar soils/climate piece • Compare different management systems on similar soils, climates and landscape positions (ecological sites) You might want to make the link to soil survey more explicit (at least in the notes) …..
- All these are important questions to inform both agency internal operations but the overall knowledge of soil health and soil health assessment procedures
- Highlight collaborative nature of these efforts – multiple pieces of NRCS working together for a common goal
- Initial pilot sites were identified based on discussions early on in SSHP development that identified priority areas for supplemental investigation. Because of short timelines, strong state-level support as well as cooperator willingness and ability to move forward very quickly were also required. These are pilot efforts and we hope to expand to additional sites as additional funding becomes available and as additional information on priority knowledge gaps is gained from ongoing literature reviews and meta-analyses both within and outside NRCS. We are also happy to provide the scope of work and minimum data sets field and laboratory indicators; meta-data requirements) to others working in this area as examples that they may want to follow or that they can adapt for their own use.
- Timeline is flexible to account for local conditions – ample planning time is explicitly included – we want to spend the time up front to make sure that the selected study sites and sampling design best meet both the national and local needs of the project
- Dr. Skye Wills, soil scientist at the National Soil Survey Center is the technical lead for the field study sites component of the SSHP – her contact information is provided here.
- Any of the three Division Directors would be happy to provide additional information on the overall scope and objectives of the overall project