Special terms may need to be looked up in the Glossary, and possibly in the reference manuals. The map unit descriptions in the following section, along with the soil map, can be used to determine the hazards, limitations and potential for specific land uses at any place in the survey area and to prevent failures caused by unfavorable soil properties. The information can be used to plan the use and management of soils for parks and other recreational uses. Figure 14 is an example of how planners may use computer programs to make Geographic Information Systems that combine soil and other resource maps with interpretation data from the Map Unit Description section.

Names: Soil series can be divided into soil phases according to the Soil Survey Manual (Soil Survey Staff, 1993) based on differences in texture or stoniness of the surface, slope, salinity, compaction, and other characteristics listed in the National Soil Survey Handbook (Soil Survey Staff, 1996). The phase name is identified in the map unit name. For example, Wethersfield soils in the golf course (map unit 54) have a compacted surface layer and are different than the adjacent Wethersfield soils in the woods (map unit 51).

Composition: Some map units, such as Yalesville-Cheshire loams, 8 to 15 percent slopes, are complexes (Soil Survey Staff, 1993) of two or more soils which occur in such an intricate pattern or in such small areas that they can not be shown separately on the soil maps. Most map units list include soils that commonly occur as small scattered areas within the map unit. The included soils have properties that differ greatly enough to affect use and management of the soils in the map unit.

Typical Profile: The written and graphic descriptions of typical examples of each soil are given that include the colors, depths, amount of rocks, textures, and names of the horizons from descriptions of real soils sampled in the park. Geologic material, texture and horizon names are listed in the Glossary. Soil drainage class can be estimated from the soil colors and color patterns (Fig. 12).

Soil Qualities: Classes for Excavation Difficulty, Drainage Class, Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity, and Hydrologic Soil Group are listed in the Glossary. Available Water Holding Capacity is the amount of water held in the soil that is available for plant use.

Soil Potentials: The risks of Pesticide Losses are given for each map unit. Pesticides that dissolve in water may become attached to soil particles. These pesticides have little risk of being leached, but are at risk of being moved into groundwater if the particles they are attached to are eroded. Pesticides that do not dissolve in water are at risk of being moved into the groundwater with rainfall that percolates through the soil. Corrosion risk for uncoated steel and concrete apply only to those materials if they are in contact with the soil. The source classes for Topsoil and Reconstruction Materials (fill) are explained with each rating. Groups of suitable ornamental trees, shrubs, and ground covers are given for the typical soil properties described in each map unit. Full plant lists for each group occur in the Glossary. Local plant experts, landscape architects, and extension agents should be consulted if the soil properties at a site appear to be different than the typical soil described, or if the site for planting is especially close to a building, street, or sidewalk. Differences in soil depth, subsoil density, pH, wetness, doughtiness, availability of irrigation, and things that affect the effective temperature such as nearness to pavement, slope direction, intensity and time of day of shading, and exposure to wind should be checked at the site. Additional information can be found in the New York Urban and Community Forestry Resource Notebook (Bassuk et al., 1996).

Limitations for Use: The limitation classes are identified for each rating. Limitation phrases that may be difficult to understand are explained in the Glossary.