# Technical Soil Services Handbook

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The Technical Soil Services Handbook provides authority, responsibilities, definitions, guidance, and procedures for technical soil services within NRCS.

Technical Soil Services provides leadership and assistance with soil data collection, interpretation, application, and presentation and integrates this data with other natural resource information for sound resource management by internal and external customers.

Soil scientists play a critical role in helping users understand and properly use the soil survey and providing users with predictions and interpretations about the behavior of the soil. Technical soil services provided by soil scientists range from specific items, such as maintenance of the Field Office Technical Guide, determination of hydric soils or soil carbon, identifying the suitability of soils for various urban uses, geophysical investigations, and in-field soil quality, to more broadly defined items, such as soil productivity for groups of crops, global climate change information, suitability of soils for wildlife, and training in the use of soils information.

Soil scientists are using National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) information for an increasingly diverse array of applications that go well beyond the traditional use for agricultural planning and management. They use NCSS information for assessing resource sustainability and resiliency, climate change impacts, urban soil systems, biodiversity, environmental protection, natural disasters, and resources in underserved communities.

The Table of Contents is below. Unlisted parts are reserved.

##   General (Parts 600 to 608)

Introduction (Part 600)(37.5 KB)

Legislative Authority for Technical Soil Services (Part 601)(35.5 KB)

Historical Overview of Technical Soil Services (Part 602)(39.5 KB)

Concepts and Use of Technical Soil Services (Part 603)(47 KB)

Delivery of Technical Soil Services (Part 604)(132 KB)

##   Technical Policy and Program Services (Parts 609 to 615)

Managing Soils Data for Agency Programs and Customers (Part 609)(39.5 KB)

Conservation Practice Standards (Part 610)(45 KB)

Assistance to Other Units of Government (Part 611)(34 KB)

##   Planning Services (Parts 616 to 628)

Determinations of Highly Erodible Lands (HEL) (Part 616)(41 KB)

Water Table Determinations (Part 617)(55 KB)

Determinations and Delineations of Hydric Soils (Part 618)(105.5 KB)

Field Office Operations (Part 619)(83 KB)

Rangeland Management and Rangeland Health Assessments (Part 620)(42.5 KB)

Soils and Cultural Resources (Part 621)(54.5 KB)

The Role of the Resource Soil Scientist in Support of Soil Survey (Part 622)(71.5 KB)

Dynamic Soil Properties (Part 623)(39 KB)

Developing Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans (Part 624)(59 KB)

##   Site-Specific Soil Investigations, Testing, Interpretation, and Evaluation (Parts 629 to 634)

Onsite Soil Investigations (Part 629)(43.5 KB)

Special Projects, Studies, and Inventories (Part 630)(52.5 KB)

Development of Use-Specific Local Interpretations (Part 631)(41 KB)

##   Expert Services for Judicial Requests (Parts 635 to 636)

Acting as an Expert Witness (Part 635)(57.5 KB)

##   Informational Services (Parts 637 to 640)

Providing Education and Training (Part 637)(51 KB)

Promoting Customer Awareness of Soils Information (Part 638)(42 KB)

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## Recommended Citation

*U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. Technical Soil Services Handbook. Available online. Accessed [month/day/year].*

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