Soil Matters: Improving Forest Landscape Planning and Management for Diverse Objectives with Soils Information

Most forest managers would agree that soils are a fundamental resource of forestlands, yet many planning and management decisions continue to be made without a detailed and spatially explicit understanding of this unique and vital resource. We discuss the value of soil data and interpretations in forest planning. We emphasize that soil types differ widely in their inherent capacity to perform various ecological functions as well as in their dynamic response to and recovery from disturbances—concepts that can greatly enhance the quality of forest management decisions. We make a case for applying these concepts by introducing an adaptive management model that targets the use of soil information during forest planning and management. Our goal is to help bridge the gap between soil science and decisionmaking by helping forest managers better understand the value of soil information in project planning. A case study highlights applications and potential benefits.