First published as DSIR Land Resources Scientific Report No. 19, this is a reprint with corrections. Written for the specialist, it is a classification based on the best current knowledge of 15 soil types Further revisions are expected. Includes references and an appendix of code letters for soil designation.

This book offers an introduction to the soils of Aotearoa New Zealand, structured according to the New Zealand soil classification system. Starting with an overview of the importance and distribution of New Zealand soils, it subsequently provides essential information on each of the 15 New Zealand soil orders in separate chapters. Each chapter, illustrated with diagrams and photographs in colour, includes a summary of the main features of the soils in the order, their genesis and relationships with landscapes, their key properties including examples of physical and chemical characteristics, and their classification, use, and management. The book then features a chapter on soils in the Ross Sea region of Antarctica and concludes by considering New Zealand soils in a global context, soil-formation pathways, and methods used in New Zealand to evaluate soils and assist in land-management decisions. Information about how to access detailed information via links to the Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research website is also included.

Soils need to be classified so they can be identified and mapped. The classification of soils in New Zealand is described in two publications in the Landcare Research Science Series: The New Zealand Soil Classification (Hewitt 2010) and this new report by Webb and Lilburne, Criteria for defining the soil family and soil sibling. The New Zealand Soil Classification classifies NZ soils into 15 soil orders, each of which is divided successively into soil groups and subgroups; this provides an important framework to understand the occurrence and broad properties of soils in the landscape. Criteria for defining the soil family and soil sibling defines the next two levels of classification: soil families and siblings. The sibling is the primary entity depicted on soil maps. Families and siblings separate soils into well defined classes that define each soil's physical composition. The family criteria separate soils on the basis of three criteria: the nature of the soil profile material to 1.0 metre depth, the dominant texture in the upper 0.6 m, and minimum permeability within 1.0 m depth. The sibling criteria separate soils mainly according to the composition of horizons that make up the soil profile.

Developments in soil classification have accompanied parallel progress in our understanding of the soil system. However the theories behind the classifications and the purposes for which they were created have changed over time. The editors hope that this comprehensive synthesis will help to rally soil scientists around the world to develop an acce

Contains comtemporary knowledge on the classification of New Zealand soils. The book includes precise definitions of classes and keys for soil recognition, required by modern soil surveys and land evaluations. This edition contains updates and corrections, plus 11 new soil subgroups.

An understanding of the characteristics and the ecology of soils, particularly those of forest ecosystems in the humid tropics, is central to the development of sustainable forest management systems. The present book examines the contribution that forest soil science and forest ecology can make to sustainable land use in the humid tropics. Four main issues are addressed: characteristics and classification of forest soils, chemical and hydrological changes after forest utilization, soil fertility management in forest plantations and agroforestry systems as well as ecosystem studies from the dipterocarp forest region of Southeast Asia. Additionally, case studies include work from Guyana, Costa Rica, the Philippines, Malaysia, Australia and Nigeria.

Soil classification and terminology are fundamental issues for the clear understanding and communication of the subject. However, while there are many national soil classification systems, these do not directly correlate with each other. This leads to confusion and great difficulty in undertaking comparative scientific research that draws on more than one system and in making sense of international scientific papers using a system that is unfamiliar to the reader. This book aims to clarify this position by describing and comparing different systems and evaluating them in the context of the World Reference Base (WRB) for Soil Resources. The latter was set up to resolve these problems by creating an international 'umbrella' system for soil correlation. All soil scientists should then classify soils using the WRB as well as their national systems. The book is a definitive and essential reference work for all students studying soils as part of life, earth or environmental sciences, as well as professional soil scientists.Published with International Union of Soil Sciences