Empirical Soil Health Baselines for New South Wales Forest Regions

Empirical soil maps present soil health and stability data across 2162 spatial units in New South Wales Regional Forest Agreement areas. The Forest Monitoring Steering Committee commissioned a consortium between the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment and the University of Sydney to deliver these baselines. Data is based on the most representative soil profile from the Soil and Land Information System (SALIS) for each unit.

Use Cases

• Analyze soil health baseline values across the 2162 spatial units to identify regional patterns.
• Assess soil stability metrics for forest catchment management and planning.
• Use the most representative soil profile data from SALIS for environmental modeling in NSW RFA regions.
• Map empirical soil property values to establish reference conditions for monitoring programs.

Strengths

• Covers 2162 distinct spatial units for detailed regional analysis.
• Data is derived from the authoritative Soil and Land Information System (SALIS).
• Commissioned by the Forest Monitoring Steering Committee, ensuring project alignment with state needs.

Limitations

• Maps reflect values at the time of sampling; temporal changes are not accounted for.
• The empirical approach may not capture fine-scale variability within each spatial unit.
• Specific soil property columns and measurement methodologies are not detailed in the provided input.

Provenance

Source

NSW Natural Resources Commission, via Spatial Services (DCS).

Collection Method

Empirical data collection based on the most representative soil profile available in SALIS for each of 2162 units.

Time Range

Reflects values at sampling time; initial publication date is 30/05/2022.

Freshness

Data currency is listed as 30/05/2022, with a last platform update in 2026.

Geography

New South Wales Regional Forest Agreement areas.