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Home/Environmental protection and sustainability/Air, land and water/Land/Soil/Soil Survey Standards

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Soil Survey and Mapping Standards and Guidelines

Last updated on October 4, 2018

Standards and guidelines applicable to B.C. soil surveys and mapping projects are as follows.

Classification & Inventory Standards

All Soil Survey projects in B.C. follow the classification standard:

  • Canadian System of Soil Classification 

Inventory standards:

  • Soil Inventory Methods for B.C. (PDF)
  • Field Manual for Describing Terrestrial Ecosystems 2nd ed. (DTEIF) (2010) (PDF)

Related Standards, Guidelines & Information

Information about humus forms:

  • Taxonomic Classification of Humus Forms in Ecosystems of British Columbia: First Approximation
  • Towards a Taxonomic Classification of Humus Forms (1993)
  • Towards a Taxonomic Classification of Humus Forms: Third Approximation (1997)

Learn About Soils

  • Canadian Soil Orders Soil Classification Videos
  • Canadian Soil Publications Archive
  • Pacific Regional Society of Soil Science
  • The Soil Landscapes of British Columbia (PDF)
  • United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization soil fact sheets
  • Virtual Soil Science Learning Resources

Contact information

If you have any questions, please contact the provincial specialist for soil information.

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The B.C. Public Service acknowledges the territories of First Nations around B.C. and is grateful to carry out our work on these lands. We acknowledge the rights, interests, priorities, and concerns of all Indigenous Peoples - First Nations, Métis, and Inuit - respecting and acknowledging their distinct cultures, histories, rights, laws, and governments.

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