These publications commonly cover a county or a particular part of a State. They may cover two or more counties or only part of one or more. The area covered by a survey is determined by many factors, including complexity of soils, topography, and the needs of users. Besides the formal soil survey report, special summaries of soils information for the survey area may be required. Information may be needed before the formal report is finished, or new information may be needed after the report has been released.
Special reports are often useful to present information on specific topics.
Many people and agencies contribute to the making and publishing of soil survey reports. Local, State, and Federal cooperators may provide funds and personnel for the survey. The central responsibility for coordinating the individual soil surveys, as well as the national soil survey program in the United States, rests with the Soil Conservation Service. Soil survey publications are distributed widely, although most of the copies of a survey are distributed in the area covered by that survey. Publications are distributed by the cooperating agencies and the local conservation district.