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Soils

What is a Soil Survey?

Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Scientists develop and maintain the Soil Survey. In New Jersey, Soil Surveys provide soil descriptions, interpretations and maps for each county. Information about soil characteristics and capabilities in their county assist communities, landowners and government in land-use planning. Educators use soil surveys for soil science instruction.
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Web Soil Survey

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The Web Soil Survey is updated and maintained online as the single authoritative source of soil survey information. This is the "official" Soil Survey.

Historical Soil Survey publications are available in PDF. These publications are for reference only. The official Soil Survey information is available in the Web Soil Survey.

Help for finding the report you need from Web Soil Survey: 
developed by NJ NRCS Soils Staff - updated December 2009
Web Soil Survey - Soil Properties (41 KB)

Web Soil Survey - Soil Report (48 KB)   

Web Soil Survey - Suitabilities and Limitations (59 KB)

from national Web Soil Survey
Web Soil Survey - How to Use It  2726 KB)

Soil Data Mart

 Soil Data Mart - SSURGO (Soil Survey Geographic Database) spatial data and tabular data are available for download for use in GIS (Geographic Information Systems). Interpretation reports can be viewed online. Soil Data Mart users who register at the website will be advised by email when updated SSURGO data becomes available.

Featured New Jersey Soil

 Soil Quality

Help with Soil Survey Products -
These documents require Adobe Acrobat.

Web Soil Survey Quick Guide

Soil Data Mart Quick Guide

Soil Data Viewer Quick Guide
 

Soils in New Jersey

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MLRA Offices Serving New Jersey

New Jersey MLRAs and the Offices That Serve Them (pdf 340 kb)

 

 

 
Maps and Data Available from the NRCS Soils Website

National site provides information on Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) - Land Resource Regions and Major Land Resource Areas of the United States, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin

MLRA Symbol MLRA Name Agriculture

Barren Land

Forest

Urban

Water

Wetland

Total
    (acres) (% of NJ)
140 Glaciated Allegheny Plateau and Catskill Mountains 7,205 181 99,767

8,725

4,768

12,489

133,135

3
144A New England and Eastern New York Upland, Southern Part

85,870

11,495

377,316

431,109

38,793

107,171

1,051,753

22
148

Northern Piedmont

142,564

7,312

238,268

282,028

13,464

88,763

772,399

16
149A Northern Coastal Plain 305,653 19,173 255,457 443,679 38,003 326,937 1,388,902

29
153D Northern Tidewater Area 55,064 19,184 601,169

257,975

33,310

451,526

1,418,228

30
Source:
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), Office of Information Resources Management (OIRM), Bureau of Geographic Information Systems (BGIS) , 2007. NJDEP 2002 Land use/Land cover. Trenton, NJ.
United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2006. Land Resource Regions and Major Land Resource Areas of the United States, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin. U.S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 296.
NRCS Contact for National Cooperative Soil Survey in New Jersey

Richard K. Shaw, State Soil Scientist

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Last Modified: November 16, 2011

 

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