Oregon Society of Soil Scientists

07/01/2026

Microbes that save buildings from earthquakes? Only in !

Can soil microbes stop the Cascadia earthquake from liquefying the ground?

05/24/2026

Looking for a fun day out with your favorite soil nerds? Join us for our upcoming Pit Day next Saturday, May 30th!

We will meet at the OSU Crops Department from 8:45am-9:00am then carpool over to our pit location in Lebanon, seeing classic Willamette Valley terraces along the way.

This event is open to all, and we encourage those new to soils to join! We will focus on building fundamental pit assessment skills like hand-texturing, Munsell color ID and more.

Admission is only $10 for students and Lifetime Member Donors, and $20 for general admission. See the attached flyer for more info and register TODAY at oregonsoils.org/events.

See you then!

01/21/2026

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

https://www.oregonsoils.org/events/

09/24/2025

David Rand shares about Bellpine soils!

https://soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/B/BELLPINE.html

It’s like Pantone was thinking of us when they chose the 2025 color of the year – Mocha Mousse 17-1230. Or is it actually Munsell Soil Color Chart 2.5YR 5/4? Pantone says Mocha Mousse has “sophisticated, earthy elegance” and evokes “thoughtful indulgence, harmonious comfort, and feelings of content.” Same. It looks especially elegant on our work pants.

The Bellpine soil series is one example that includes soil horizons that fall in the 2.5YR 5/4 range. Bellpine is typically a silty clay loam found on the low foothills along the Willamette Valley in Oregon. These soils are primarily used for timber production, cropland, Christmas trees, and homesite development. Get more information about official soil series descriptions at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/data-and-reports/official-soil-series-descriptions-osds.

Photo: USDA NRCS Oregon

08/20/2025

Way to go Oregon Envirothon teams! We’re so proud to support such a great opportunity for Oregon high schoolers. 🏔️

07/24/2025

OSSS is excited to share that registration is officially OPEN for our September 12-14 Summer field tour in the Klamath River Basin! 🦦

https://www.oregonsoils.org/events/

The link above will take you to the OSSS events page where you can access information on highlights for what to expect from the tour, lodging and meals, transportation, and an outline of the exciting tour stops centered around landscape characteristics of the basin and landscape level change from the J.C. Boyle Dam removal restoration. This tour will offer an in depth, hands on look at the ex*****on of the largest dam removal project in history, management of soils following extreme landscape change, and a look into soils of the unique geologic and climate region of the Klamath River Basin.

Spots for the tour are available at rates for regular registration, lifetime members, and for students/retirees, thank you for your support of OSSS and the greater Oregon soils community!

Upcoming Events 2025 Klamath River Basin Summer Field Tour Join us in the Klamath River Basin to explore soils near the largest dam removal in U.S. history! We will visit the recently exposed sediments of the former J.C. Boyle Reservoir, buried volcanic soils, wetland restoration project sites, and....

07/17/2025

More from the 2025 National Cooperative Soil Survey national meeting- featuring our own Salem soil survey staff! 🪏🌲

Soil scientists from NRCS join an archaeologist from the Umpqua National Forest to look, listen, and learn from the soil beneath their feet and the sea of green leaves surrounding them. Time seems to stand still in the quiet forest, but a modern collection of data is afoot. The last time the NRCS produced any kind of soil map on the Forest was in the 1970s, long before the advent of lidar, GPS, and computers. With today’s technology, the soil scientists’ work will culminate in modern mapping information placed in the Soil Survey Geographic Database, or SSURGO, a source of soils data collected by NRCS and other partners over the last century. For advanced data users, the SSURGO Portal is where the Forest Service and public will be able to access the information collected in the Forest, or it can also be accessed in Web Soil Survey. The soil survey will provide heaps of data and information to assist the Forest Service in making important science-based land management decisions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snzVN7b7wq8iil

Soil scientists from the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) join an archaeologist from the Umpqua National Forest to look, listen, and lear...

07/15/2025

If you missed this year's National Cooperative Survey conference, never fear! The recordings are now posted to YouTube. Checkout the USDA NRCS Soil and Plant Science's YouTube channel for all of the recordings, but here are some Oregon-centered highlights (we hosted!). 🌲🏜️

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKn7yImX1r0
At 58 minutes in, OSSS member Dr. Jennifer Moore discusses research on soil health and C storage in seed and hop systems
Just after, right around 1 hour 16 minutes, OSSS member Andy Gallagher talks about collaborating with NRCS as a private contractor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wkLsBdmvKA
At this link at 56 minutes, you'll find OSSS past prez Alicia Leytem's talk which highlights OSSS specifically as well as the importance of professional societies as a whole.

Recorded presentations from the Featured Oral Presentations on Wednesday, June 25, 2025The 2025 NCSS National Conference was held June 23-25 virtually and ho...

07/14/2025

An Area of Critical Environmental Concern based on ! What are you favorite unique soils in Oregon?

07/02/2025

Are you a CPSS??

Soil Science Society of America offers Certified Professional Soil Scientist (CPSS) and Associate Professional Soil Scientist (APSS) certifications, which set standards for knowledge, skills, and conduct that define the professions of soil science and soil classification. Exam registration begins July 2. Learn more: https://ow.ly/iuhc50WbN5Y