5 Bi-Monthly Project Check In 22OCT2024

Date: October 22, 2024

Attendees:

5.1 Schedule Updates

Established bimonthly meeting schedule:
- Every second Tuesday of even months
- Next meetings: December 10, 2024 and February 11, 2025 at 10:30 AM CT (8:30 AM MT)
- Randy to send Teams meeting invites
- Future meetings to include North Central region staff (Dan/Clayton)

Team to submit first batch of 15 pedon descriptions
Process:
1. Enter data into Survey123
2. Send/commit to AGOL server
3. NRCS team reviews
4. Import to NASIS after review
Original pedon description forms needed for review process
Randy to set up Box folder for sharing forms and documentation

Anthropic Epipedons
- Must be pedogenically formed in place
- Requires soil structure
- Time “resets to zero” when site is established
- Generally corresponds with A horizons
- Care needed with transported dark materials
Densic vs. Anthrodensic Horizons
- Use anthrodensic for HTM (Human Transported Material)
- Criteria: Densic contact due to mechanical compaction
- Must be >90% laterally continuous
- Must be below soil surface
- Important for soil concept stratification
Paralithic Materials/Contacts
- Use national standard definitions from Keys
- Field test: Slake test (1-hour soak)
- Based on coherence classes
- Decision tree being updated through NCSS Taxonomy Committee

Current Distribution
- Heavy sampling in large regional parks
- Need more coverage in:
  - Smaller neighborhood parks
  - Residential areas
  - Different parent materials
  - Various development ages/types
Future Sampling Priorities
- More dispersed sampling approach needed
- Focus on:
  - Different land use intensities
  - Parent material variations
  - Urban core areas
  - Smaller parks in residential zones
  - Schools and other public lands

Initial Steps
- Start with parent material and existing soil survey merge
- Create single official spatial layer
- Address conversion history later in process
- Team to discuss detailed workflow in December
Data Organization
- NRCS Box account to be set up for file sharing
- Need to organize:
  - Pedon descriptions
  - Photos
  - Field notes
  - Spatial data layers

Randy
- Send Teams meeting invites for future meetings
- Set up Box folder for file sharing
- Share paralithic materials decision tree with Joe
Nora
- Test Box folder access
- Begin coordinating pedon data entry
- Share field description forms
Joe/Patty/Randy
- Meet to discuss Rider Anderson’s potential involvement
- Review spatial data management approach

Team
- Complete first batch of 15 pedon descriptions in Survey123
- Develop winter analysis plan
- Review sampling distribution and gaps
- Plan spatial data workflow