Erosion tool technical note No. 450-8

Authors: COREIL, CHRIS - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, USDA); SIMPSON, BRENDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, USDA); SPAETH, KENNETH - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, USDA); GREEN, SHANE - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, USDA); DIERBERGER, BETSY - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, USDA); FERRUZZI, GIULIO - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, USDA); Armendariz, Gerardo; GOODRICH, DAVE - Retired ARS Employee; Heilman, Philip; Williams, Christopher

Submitted to: United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service
Publication Type: Government Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/2025
Publication Date: 2/1/2025
Citation: Coreil, C., Simpson, B., Spaeth, K., Green, S., Dierberger, B., Ferruzzi, G., Armendariz, G.A., Goodrich, D., Heilman, P., Williams, C.J. 2025. Erosion tool technical note No. 450-8. United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. Technical Note No. 450-8, 15 pp.

Interpretive Summary: The purpose of this technical note is to provide guidance on hydrology and erosion tool selection during conservation planning. Hydrology and erosion prediction tools available to conservation planners vary considerably and are different for various land uses. Most of the tools mentioned in this technical note were designed by the Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), some in collaboration with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and/or other agencies and university partners. The tools discussed in this technical note generally serve two purposes: 1) to determine whether a management system is sustainable and/or identify if resource concerns are present on a land unit, and 2) to provide an assessment of conservation practice impacts by comparing the current management system to alternative potential management systems. All of the tools evaluated focus on detailed field scale or small watershed assessments. This technical note is intended for conservation planners and others working with agricultural producers to facilitate understanding of contributing factors to soil erosion and the appropriate tools to assess the different forms of erosion on varying land uses and following available conservation practices.

Technical Abstract: Soil erosion is a process where the land surface is worn away through the detachment and transport of soil and rock by water, wind, and other geologic actions. There are natural processes that contribute to soil erosion, but some human activities have increased soil erosion on agricultural lands creating resource concerns that the Agricultural Research Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management have developed tools to assess. NRCS recognizes several forms of wind erosion and water erosion. This technical note is intended for NRCS conservation planners and partners working with agricultural producers and public land managers to facilitate the understanding of contributing factors to soil erosion and appropriate tools to assess the different forms of erosion on varying land uses.