Endorsement of USDA Soil Taxonomy by the International Union of Soil Sciences

Abstract

The 20th World Congress of Soil Science was held at Jeju, South Korea, June 8–13, 2014. An important development from the Congress was the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) giving its official endorsement of “Soil Taxonomy” as an IUSS-approved system of soil classification. The endorsement came after almost two years of ongoing effort by the IUSS Universal Soil Classification Working Group (Division 1, Commission 1.4), supported by the USDA-NRCS Soil Science Division and National Soil Survey Center. The vote among the IUSS Council was 10 to 1, making this a significant step forward for our ability to apply and improve Soil Taxonomy to more places around the world. This endorsement of Soil Taxonomy from IUSS will have significant influence on the continued development of soil classification within the international community and will empower soil scientists from around the world to test and expand the criteria for the improvement of Soil Taxonomy and know that they are making contributions to pedology. Early in the deliberations of the IUSS Universal Soil Classification System Working Group, there was the recognition of the need to continue the improvement and use of the existing national systems of soil classification, while new concepts for a universal soil classification system are being researched and developed. This was especially true for systems that are used and accepted worldwide. According to Krasilnikov et al. (2), many countries have developed soil classification systems for national use, but there only two that are used worldwide: Soil Taxonomy (Soil Survey Staff, 3) and World Reference Base (IUSS Working Group WRB, 1). Soil Taxonomy has a long history of use within the international soil science community as a soil classification system. It is commonly used as a primary soil classification system in many parts of the world including North America, South America, Asia, India, the Middle East, and parts of Europe. Additionally, Soil Taxonomy is used extensively, internationally, in activities relating to teaching, research, soil mapping at a variety of scales, as well as a reference in many scientific publications. Soil Taxonomy, as well, has a long history of international input and involvement. In the early 1980s, deliberations about how best to update and improve Soil Taxonomy led to a very significant decision, namely, to invite all interested international soil experts to cooperate in the task of improving Soil Taxonomy. As a result, nine International Soil Classification Committees were established between 1976 and 1987, each with a mandate to deal with specific classification problems in the new system. This international involvement continues today with the International Committee on Anthropogenic Soils (ICOMANTH). The final recommendations of this committee are incorporated into the 12th edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy (Soil Survey Staff, 4). Jon Hempel is director of the USDA-NRCS National Soil Survey Center in Lincoln, NE. Image from Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 12th edition, USDA-NRCS. For these reasons, the IUSS Universal Soil Classification System Working Group recognized the value of an IUSS endorsement for Soil Taxonomy similar to that which was given to the World Reference Base in 1999 and formally requested through the IUSS Secretary General, the IUSS President, and the Chair of IUSS Division 1 (“Soils in Space and Time”) that the IUSS Executive Council take this issue to the full Council for a vote during its deliberations at the 20th World Congress of Soil Science. This formal request to IUSS was supported by USDA-NRCS Chief Jason Weller, who in turn, sent letters to above-mentioned IUSS leadership specifying NRCS support for the IUSS Universal Soil Classification System Working Group request that Soil Taxonomy be endorsed as an internationally recognized system for soil classification. He further stated that NRCS will remain the custodian of Soil Taxonomy and will continue to be a strong proponent of international needs, and to the extent possible, will provide resources to help insure the system meets the needs for soil classification for the international community. In an effort to support this new IUSS endorsement and to continue improving Soil Taxonomy, broaden the interest, and improve global application, the USDA-NRCS Soil Science Division and the National Soil Survey Center have developed a new committee designed to better engage the international community. The establishment the International Committee for Soil Taxonomy (ICOMTAX) follows a long history of international involvement for the continued improvement and further development of Soil Taxonomy. Membership of ICOMTAX will include both U.S. and international representatives, and members will be associated with IUSS. The suggested size of the committee is 9 to 17 members with at least one member from each continent. Membership would be on a three-year rotational basis, with initial terms staggered to establish a rotation that will provide continuity as members rotate on and off. The committee will have a chair and co-chair, with the co-chair moving up to chair when that person rotates off the committee. The purpose of the committee will be to review and recommend action regarding proposals forwarded to the committee by the national leader for soil survey standards. Only those proposals deemed of sufficient importance and complexity by both the national leader and the committee chair will be forwarded to the committee (for example, establishing a new diagnostic horizon, such as the recent proposal for an anhydridic horizon). Other more routine proposals (for example, adding an oxyaquic subgroup where one is not currently recognized) will be handled by the national leader, which would mean proposals deemed as routine by the ICOMTAX chair and the national leader will be handled directly by the National Soil Survey Center staff. The role of ICOMTAX is to provide detailed analyses and recommendations to the national leader for soil survey standards. The recommendations are to include solid, in-depth technical arguments, pro or con, for the national leader to use in making the final decisions to be implemented in soil classification and other technical standards of the National Cooperative Soil Survey. Guidance for the committee would be such things such as the technical and scientific soundness of proposals; avoiding proposals that violate the underlying attributes of Soil Taxonomy (see Chapter 2, Soil Taxonomy, 2nd edition); assuring that the appropriate level of the system is targeted by the proposal (see Chapter 6, Soil Taxonomy, 2nd edition); coordinating criteria, where possible, with World Reference Base Working Group; and considering of the practical aspects of implementing the proposed changes, including impacts on soil survey programs using Soil Taxonomy. Once ICOMTAX is established, a guidance document will be developed as one of first items of business for the committee and will be guided by the Soil Science Division. The lead taxonomist on the National Soil Survey Center Soil Survey Standards staff will serve as permanent secretary for the ICOMTAX. As part of this position, the secretary will be responsible, on behalf of the national leader for soil survey standards, for forwarding proposals onto the committee and receiving the final recommendations. He/she should participate as a member and will be responsible for communicating through email correspondence, teleconferences, and meetings and by providing logistical support to the committee as needed such as arranging teleconferences, planning meetings, and by facilitating internet file sharing, distribution of communications, and other items as needed. The secretary will also be responsible for developing a system for archiving the proposals and providing documentation for their disposition. The goal is to improve transparency of the system and provide information on decisions and resolutions to any interested party. The National Soil Survey Handbook will be revised in detail to document this new procedure and will outline the guidance for the content of proposals. This information will be posted prominently within the soils.usda.gov website and be included in future editions of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy. Soil Taxonomy is a system for soil classification that has been used extensively in many parts of the world and is a proven asset to promote the understanding and wise use of the soil resource. Enhancing the use by involving the international community, through ICOMTAX, will not only improve the technical viability of the system, but also expand the information to more users. The ultimate goal of the system is to provide sound scientific information so that decisions can be on the best use and management of the soil resource.