CLASSIFICATION OF SOIL SERIES

The NRCS uses Soil Taxonomy (Soil Survey Staff, 1975, Soil Survey Staff, 1996) to classify soils for making and interpreting soil surveys. Class names are difficult and uncommon, but serve researchers well as a shorthand language to relate soil properties (Table 2). Many of the soils in this survey have the same classification to the family level, but they are separated at the soil series level by clearly different physical properties that affect their use. For example, Yalesville and Cheshire soils have the same family classification, but the Yalesville soils have bedrock between 20 and 40 inches and the Cheshire soils do not.

Table 2. Family level classification of the soil series.

SOIL  SERIES	FAMILY LEVEL CLASS
Well drained upland soils:
Cheshire, Maplecrest, Wethersfield, Yalesville	Coarse-loamy, mixed, mesic Typic Dystrochrepts
Wetter upland soils:
Ludlow and Wilbraham	Coarse-loamy, mixed, mesic Aquic Dystrochrepts
Fredon	Coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, nonacid, mesic Aeric Haplaquepts
Other upland soils:
Arnot	Loamy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Lithic Dystrochrepts
Manchester	Sandy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Typic Udorthents
Penwood	Mixed, mesic, Typic Udipsamments
Branford	Coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Typic Dystrochrepts
Flooded soils:
Rippowam	Coarse-loamy, mixed, nonacid, mesic Aeric Fluvaquents
Wallkill	Fine-loamy, mixed, nonacid, mesic Thapto-Histic Fluvaquents
Ipswich	Euic, mesic Typic Sulfihemists
Human-altered urban soils:	(Preliminary classes)
Greenbelt and Foresthills	Coarse-loamy, mixed, mesic Typic Dystrochrepts
Centralpark	Loamy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Typic Dystrochrepts
Canarsie	Coarse-loamy, mixed, nonacid, mesic Typic Udorthents
Greatkills	Loamy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Typic Udorthents