The Association of State Wetland Managers is launching a series of training webinars on hydric soils for wetland professionals and more specifically state and tribal wetland field staff (state/tribal wetland managers, local municipal officials, conservation commissions, boards of health and others). This four-part training series targets wetland field practitioners who need expertise in hydric soils and seek to understand the basics. It is also designed to be a refresher course for those practitioners who have not had soils training in recent years.

This first webinar in a monthly four-part series on hydric soils will focus on four initial topics: soil formation, horizonation v. simple processes; soil texture and structure; and describing soil color. This webinar is designed to 1) help wetland managers better understand hydric soils, 2) describe how to fill out the hydric soils data sheet and 3) provide guidance on how to interpret it.

The next three ASWM hydric soils webinars (see schedule below) will continue to build participant’s knowledge of hydric soils, covering hydric soils processes, landform and landscape and the use of field indicators.

This first webinar will provide three presentations followed by opportunity for questions and answers:

Presentation #1: The Five factors of Soil Formation and Horizonation vs. Simple Processes

Presenter: W. Lee Daniels, Virginia Tech
This presentation will introduce the definition of hydric soils and describe the five factors of soil formation. Horizonation will be compared to simple processes. The presenter will cover OM additions, leaching, illuviation, organic matter and other processes.

Presentation #2: Soil Texture and Structure

Presenter: Annie Rossi, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
This presentation will focus on two physical soil properties, texture and structure. Soil texture describes the relative proportions of sand, silt, and clay in a mineral soil. In soils where organic matter contents are high (such as hydric soils) organic textural classes or modifiers may be used to describe the soil texture instead. Soil structure describes the naturally occurring arrangement of soil particles into peds or aggregates. The combination of soil texture and structure influences how water is stored and moves through the soil, as well as other soil processes. This webinar will cover how these properties are characterized as well as how they influence hydric soil processes.

Presentation #3: Describing Soil Color

Presenter: Lenore Vasilas, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
This presentation will focus on describing soil color. Soil color and the color patterns in soil can tell you a lot about the soil. It is an especially good indicator of soil wetness and hydric soils. The primary components that give a soil its color are soil organic matter, iron, and the color of soil particles. The Munsell Soil Color System is the standard we use to document soil color. When documenting soil color it is important to note matrix color, mottle colors, and type, location and abundance of mottles.