The Coastal Plainer: Fall 2011

MLRA 15–4 Update: Rapid Carbon Assessment

By John Burns, Soil Survey Office Leader

In MLRA 15–4, the initial soil survey has come to a close but there is no shortage of work. The whole country has, of course, been very busy with the Rapid Carbon Assessment Project (RaCA). We have been very grateful to have additional help this summer and fall. Other soil survey duties had to be conducted as well, but our main goal at this time has been completing the RaCA.

This summer, we hired a team of student workers to help with the RaCA fieldwork. The students were hired using the Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP). Zachery Hayes and Cooper Nichols are both seniors majoring in agronomy and soil science. Eze Francis is majoring in environmental science and was funded directly by Tuskegee University. The students helped with a good portion of the fieldwork, enduring very hot and humid conditions. They have also been in the lab at Tuskegee University, helping organize, crush, and sieve the over 9,000 samples from across MLRA region 15. We are also receiving help from Alden Harris, who was hired as a WAE in August. Alden has mainly been helping in the lab, especially with the Excel workbooks.

Now that classes are back in session, the students are concentrating on their studies, but they’re all still working up to 12 hours per week. Alden, being a WAE, is working 30 hours per week. Since all the RaCA fieldwork was completed, these four individuals have been working hard in the lab, on Excel workbooks, and with the NASIS Pedon data.

Left to right: Lawrence McGhee (assistant state soil scientist for Alabama), Eze Francis, Zachery Hayes, and Cooper Nichols.

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