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| Canadian System of Soil Classification | |
|---|---|
| Name | Canadian System of Soil Classification |
| Country | Canada |
| First published | 1955 |
| Latest revision | 1998 |
| Administering body | Canada Soil Survey Committee |
Canadian System of Soil Classification
The Canadian System of Soil Classification is the national hierarchical scheme developed to describe, name, and map soils across Canada for use by agencies such as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and provincial ministries like Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. Originating from post‑war systematic surveys led by figures linked to institutions such as the Central Experimental Farm and influenced by international bodies including the Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Union of Soil Sciences, the system standardizes soil taxonomy for research, mapping, and policy.
The system was formalized in editions published in 1955, 1978, and the comprehensive revision of 1998 developed by the Canada Land Inventory and the Canada Soil Survey Committee with contributions from researchers at the University of Guelph, McGill University, University of Alberta, and the Ontario Agricultural College. Early development drew on methodologies from the United States Department of Agriculture classification and parallels with the FAO soil classification while adapting to Canadian contexts such as permafrost in the Yukon and organic peatlands in New Brunswick's Acadian Forest region. Prominent soil scientists associated with revisions include researchers who collaborated with agencies like the Royal Society of Canada and international workshops hosted under the auspices of the United Nations.
The taxonomy is hierarchical and uses categories including Orders, Great Groups, Subgroups, Families, and Series, consistent with frameworks used by bodies such as the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the FAO Commission on Soil Classification. The highest category, Soil Orders, reflects broad pedogenic regimes tied to climatic and biogeographic provinces like the Boreal Shield, Prairie Provinces, and the Cordillera. Great Groups and Subgroups incorporate diagnostic horizons and properties recognized by organizations such as the International Union of Soil Sciences and research centers like the Canadian Forest Service and the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Branch. Families and Series integrate parent material, texture, mineralogy, and temperature regimes pertinent to regions such as the St. Lawrence Lowlands and Canadian Shield.
Diagnostic horizons (for example, Ah, Bh, Bm, and Cryogenic features) and properties (such as organic carbon thresholds, gleying, and texture) define taxa, following principles discussed at venues like meetings of the Canadian Society of Soil Science and guidelines referenced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for carbon inventories. Criteria address permafrost presence in northern territories including the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, peat accumulation in bogs of Nova Scotia and Manitoba, and salinization issues on the Saskatchewan River Delta. Laboratory methods for classifying texture, mineralogy, and cation exchange capacity reference standards used by provincial labs at institutions like the University of British Columbia and federal labs within Natural Resources Canada.
The system recognizes several principal Soil Orders reflecting Canadian diversity: Cryosols (permafrost‑affected soils common in the Arctic, Yukon and Nunavut), Organic soils (peat and histic soils of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Boreal Shield), Gleysols and Brunisols (wetland and forest soils in the Atlantic provinces and Quebec), Luvisols and Chernozems (fertile soils of the Prairies and Manitoba), Regosols and Podzols (coarse textured and coniferous forest soils across the Canadian Shield and the Coast Mountains). These Orders inform land management by agencies such as the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration and regional planning authorities in municipalities like Toronto and Calgary.
Soil surveying and mapping have been coordinated by the Canada Soil Survey Committee and executed by provincial agencies, federal labs, and academic teams using standards similar to those promoted by the International Soil Reference and Information Centre. Major mapping programs include the Canada Land Inventory and provincial soil survey series; modern efforts use geospatial platforms supported by organizations such as Geological Survey of Canada and data infrastructures like the Open Government Portal (Canada). Digital soil mapping integrates remote sensing from satellites like Landsat and systems used by the Canadian Space Agency, and databases follow metadata standards promulgated by the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure.
The classification underpins decisions by stakeholders including Farm Credit Canada, provincial ministries, indigenous governance bodies such as the Assembly of First Nations, and conservation NGOs like the Nature Conservancy of Canada. It informs crop suitability analyses in regions producing wheat in Saskatchewan and canola in Alberta, peatland management in Quebec, urban planning in Vancouver and Montreal, and carbon accounting for climate commitments reported to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Soil classifications guide remediation efforts under statutes such as provincial environmental protection acts and influence programs administered by entities like the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
While sharing structural similarities with the United States Department of Agriculture soil taxonomy and conceptual links to the FAO World Reference Base for Soil Resources, the Canadian System emphasizes cryic regimes, organic horizons, and landscape glaciation legacies unique to the Laurentide Ice Sheet and Canadian physiographic regions. Comparative workshops hosted by the International Union of Soil Sciences and bilateral exchanges with institutions such as the United States Geological Survey and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation have highlighted differences in nomenclature, diagnostic thresholds, and mapping practices tailored to national priorities like northern land stewardship and peatland carbon accounting.
Category:Soil classification Category:Soils of Canada