NCEA_ARD_Limitations_2025_12_05
Source: environment.data.gov.uk (2026-01-05)

NFI+ Soil Condition & Health. This dataset contains comprehensive soil chemical and physical indicators collected as part of the NFI+ (National Forest Inventory Plus) programme and the BioSoil forest soil and biodiversity monitoring network. The dataset covers forest soil sampling sites across Great Britain and provides baseline and monitoring data on soil condition and health in forest ecosystems.

Chemical indicators measured include: soil pH (measured in water and CaCl2), organic carbon content (%), total nitrogen (%), available phosphorus (mg/kg), exchangeable cations (Ca, Mg, K, Na in cmol/kg), cation exchange capacity (cmol/kg), base saturation (%), and heavy metal concentrations where applicable.

Physical indicators measured include: soil texture (% sand, silt, clay), bulk density (g/cm³), porosity (%), aggregate stability, moisture content at sampling, and soil depth profiles.

Samples were collected at multiple depth intervals (0-10cm, 10-20cm, 20-40cm) using standardised protocols aligned with ICP Forests and BioSoil methodologies.  Each sampling location includes associated metadata on forest type, soil type, elevation and forest origin (plantation or natural).  The data include chemical and physical soil properties.

Quality assurance procedures included duplicate sampling, laboratory reference standards, and inter-laboratory comparisons.

Limitations:  Data coverage is limited to forest soils only. Some historical samples may have incomplete heavy metal analysis. Seasonal variation should be considered when interpreting results.

Data are georeferenced using a delocalised grid. The bounding coordinates for each grid square are included in the dataset. Further information about the delocalisation process is provided in the dataset evidence pack.

The 'NFI+ Soil Condition & Health' is a project funded by the UK Government through Defra’s Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment programme (NCEA), England sites, and the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), Scotland sites.  Users should ensure they have read the supporting documentation before viewing or making use of the data. This includes the NCEA Analysis Ready Data Limitations Statement and dataset specific limitations/caveats outlined in the supporting documentation, please refer to the 'Metadata' tab on the 'Soil Condition Data 2022-24' dataset  Attribution statement: © Forestry Commission copyright and/or database right 2025. Includes data from Ordnance Survey, British Geological Survey, and the Met Office. All rights reserved.

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- NCEA Analysis Ready Data (ARD) Limitations Statement, December 2025
NCEA Analysis Ready Data (ARD) Limitations Statement, December 2025

Contents
- General (#general)
- Access (#access)
- Natural capital (#natural)
- Quality (#quality)
- Geography (#geography)
- Licence (#license)
- Governance (#governance)
Abstract

This work was funded by Defra through the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment programme (NCEA).

Study periods

Topic categories

Keywords

Resource languages

File Identifier

Resource Identifier

Resource type

Contact information

Parent identifier

Metadata language

Resource website

Natural capital classification

Natural capital records are classified by themes and categories which indicate whether the record relates to natural capital assets (such as habitats and species), the ecosystem services they deliver, the pressures that act on them and/or their value.

Date of publication

Date of creation

Date of last revision

Metadata date

Lineage

Distribution formats

Frequency of update

Character encoding

Spatial representation service

Spatial referencing system

Geographic boundary

Limitations on public access - Access constraints

Limitations on public access - Other constraints

Conditions for access and use - Use constraints

Conditions for access and use - Other constraints

Role

Organization name

Individual name

Email

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