A Practical Introduction to the Soils of Scotland
[This is the Soil Classification course based at the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen. There will be a further course based in Wales that will be available to book in due course.]
If you are working in a land-based industry and feel you need to improve your soil investigation and description skills, this course is for you.
This two-day training course is led by a team of national experts in soil description, mapping and classification. You will learn how soils form, why they differ from one place to another, and why and how they are classified. You will also find out about the key hard-copy and digital sources of information on the soils of Scotland.
You will learn how to identify and record key soil properties, such as texture and structure, and then be taken into the field to practice your newly-acquired skills. On the second day, you will be able to study a range of different soil types with guidance from the experts.
This course includes a number of presentations, a practical session on soil description and then field visits to demonstrate a range of soils. Delegates will learn about:
- soil formation processes and the factors that influence soil development,
- the nature of soil profiles and key soil horizon types,
- the structure of the national soil classification and the principal soil types in Scotland,
- organic matter types,
- the practical aspects of soil description – hand texturing and the description of stones, soil colour recording, the assessment of soil structure and porosity and the assessment of soil calcium carbonate
This course replaces the current Working with Soil course on ‘Foundation skills in field soil investigation, description and interpretation’ and will become a regular offering under the BSSS Working with Soil training banner.
As part of the package, you will receive a comprehensive course manual, soil profile description form for future use, a *10 hand lens for studying soil porosity and structure, plus copies of The Fragile Skin; Soil Landscapes of the UK and The Soil Survey Field Handbook.
Food and drink will also be provided
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If you have booked but would like to cancel for whatever reason, please refer to our Cancellation Policy.
