Omineca-Skeena - Soils

Tools, factsheets and resources for the Omineca–Skeena agricultural region on the following soil and nutrient topics:

Soil and Nutrient Management Resources

Factsheets and handbooks for soil management and nutrient amendment practices. Note: some information in these documents may not be applicable to all areas. Always refer to your own soil test results and local weather conditions.

Top Requested Documents for Omineca–Skeena

• Understanding Soil pH     (PDF)
• Nitrogen Fertilization as Related to Soil pH (PDF)
• Managing Sulphur Deficiencies in B.C. (PDF)
• Liming Acid Soils in Central B.C. (PDF)
• Evaluation of Agricultural Limestone (PDF)
• Fertilizer Management for Canola in Central B.C. (PDF)

Soil and Nutrient Management

Learn more about soil and nutrient management

• Environmental Farm Management Planning Reference Guide (PDF) See chapter 6 for nutrients/soil amendments and chapter 8 for soil management.
• Soil management
• Nutrient management / soil amendment

Soil Testing Resources

Guides, contacts and tools for conducting soil tests and determining fertilizer recommendations. More information is available at Nutrient Management.  To contact a soil scientist see “Useful Contacts” on the Nutrient Management page.

• Learn how to take a soil sample (PDF)
• Find a laboratory to analyze soil samples (PDF)
• Understanding Different Soil Test Methods (PDF)

For the Omineca–Skeena Region, convert soil test P and K values to “Kelowna method” equivalent values (conversions are based on Lower Mainland and Okanagan samples), use the spreadsheet below for conversion.

• Soil Test Phosphorus and Potassium Converter (XLS)

Find interpretations and fertilizer recommendations for soil test P and K values of the “Kelowna method”.

• Interpretations for Soil Test Phosphorus and Potassium: Guidelines for Southern British Columbia (PDF)

For all nutrients other than P and K, the most recent and comprehensive interpretations are in the following publication:

• Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Methods and Interpretations of Their Results for British Columbia Agricultural Soil (PDF)

Agricultural Capability Maps and Soil Surveys

Land Capability Map Database

• Click on “TEI Scanned Map Index” for the excel spreadsheet, sort by Capability-Agriculture under the Project Name column and scroll across to Column T for links to individual maps.
• Land Capability Classification Manual (PDF). Handbook for assessing and classifying agricultural soil capability.

Agriculture Canada Soil Surveys

For questions about these maps and data sets, contact Agriculture Canada.

• Prince George area
• Upper Fraser Valley
• Nechako–Francois Lake area
• Smithers–Hazelton area
•  More Omineca–Skeena and B.C. soil maps and surveys

Agricultural Land Commission Maps

For questions about these maps or the Agricultural Land Reserve, contact the Agricultural Land Commission.

• Northern BC Panel Region (PDF)
• All Agricultural Land Reserve Map