Assessing soil health

Soil health assessment helps land managers understand how their soils are working. It can help identify problems, support management decisions, and track the impact of soil management practices over time.

The Province has developed two soil health assessment tools:

1. Soil Health Assessment Protocols (SHAP)
   SHAP uses standard sampling and laboratory methods to measure soil properties in a consistent way
2. In-field indicators of soil health
   These are in-field checks that help growers take a first look at soil conditions directly in the field

The two assessment methods are separate tools that serve different purposes but can complement each other. In-field indicators help growers quickly learn more about a field and decide where more detailed testing may be useful. SHAP provides more precise results that can be tracked over time.

Natural site-specific conditions, such as climate, topography, parent material, drainage, and soil texture, affect how each soil works. Because of this, a soil health assessment is usually most useful when the same field is tested over time, using the same methods. This shows changes in that field more clearly rather than comparing it with another farm.

Suggested testing intervals are:

• Fertility: every 3 years, with nitrogen and phosphorus tested more often where needed
• Biology: every 3 years
• Physical indicators: every 3 to 5 years

1. Soil Health Assessment Protocols (SHAP)

The indicators included in SHAP were selected by the B.C. Technical Soil Health Working Group because they are practical, cost-effective, and supported by science.

The SHAP indicators are:

• Physical: aggregate stability, bulk density, plant-available water
• Chemical: plant-available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, pH, salinity
• Biological: nitrogen and carbon mineralization (PDF, 312 KB), soil carbon, soil organic matter

The methods are described in two companion documents:

• B.C. Soil Health Assessment Laboratory Protocol (PDF, 1.3 MB)
• B.C. Soil Health Assessment Field Sampling Protocol (PDF, 2.9 MB)

Where applicable, methods align with existing regulations and ministry soil fertility sampling guidance,

2. In-field indicators of soil health

The in-field soil health assessment is a practical tool for growers. It uses direct observations and low-cost tools to check soil conditions directly in the field.

It can help identify signs of compaction, poor aggregation, drainage problems, surface crusting, limited rooting, and biological activity.

These methods are not meant to replace laboratory testing. Instead, they help growers better understand field conditions and decide whether more detailed testing or management changes are needed.

• In-field soil health assessment ( PDF, 4 MB)

Many soil properties help describe soil health, but no single one tells the full story. Soil health is best understood by looking at several physical, chemical, and biological properties together, within each site’s natural conditions and functions.

There are often multiple methods—and many variations—for assessing soil properties, and they can produce different results. Using a common method improves consistency and allows for more reliable comparison. (Photo Credit: Amber Sadowy, BC Ministry of Environment and Parks)

Different soil sampling methods can significantly affect results. A common protocol helps reduce this source of uncertainty.

In-field observations using accessible, low-cost tools are valuable learning tools that help growers identify limitations and track changes. They can also guide whether more rigorous—and often more costly—testing is needed.