Conversion of Prime Farmland Soils on Natural Resource Lands To Urban
Lands Findings

State of Oregon

1997 National Resources Inventory Results

(Revised December 2000) 

 

See   HYPERLINK
"http://www.or.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/nri/geoarea/state/res2urb/stconve
rsion.html"  Conversion of Lands Topic List  for detailed results.

 

 Several documents on this page require   HYPERLINK
"http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/documents.asp?type=acrobat"  Adobe Acrobat 

Conversion of Prime Farmland Soils to Urban Lands

An additional aspect of the loss of farmland to urbanization is the
amount of prime farmland soils (those best suited to crop production)
that are removed from the natural resource base.

Prime farmland soils are defined in the USDA-NRCS Title 430 National
Soil Survey Handbook, issued November 1996, as follows: "Prime farmland
is land that has the best combination of physical and chemical
characteristics for producing food, feed, forage, fiber, and oilseed
crops and that is available for these uses. It has the combination of
soil properties, growing season, and moisture supply needed to produce
sustained high yields of crops in an economic manner if it is treated
and managed according to acceptable farming methods. . . . "

Conversion of prime farmland soils to urban lands from 1982 to 1997
totaled an estimated 85,000 acres out of the 249,800 total acres
converted from natural resource lands.

 

 Chart for Prime Soils Converted to Urban Compared to Total Converted to
Urban 1982 to 1997  (17 KB)

  HYPERLINK
"http://www.or.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/nri/geoarea/state/res2urb/prime/r
es/stpfresc2u8297t.pdf"    HYPERLINK
"http://www.or.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/nri/geoarea/state/res2urb/prime/r
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    HYPERLINK
"http://www.or.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/nri/geoarea/state/res2urb/prime/r
es/stpfresc2u8297a.html"  Text Version of Prime Soils Converted to Urban
Compared to Total Converted to Urban 1982 to 1997.  

    HYPERLINK
"http://www.or.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/nri/geoarea/state/res2urb/prime/r
es/stpfresc2u8297d.html"  Details for Prime Soils Converted to Urban
Compared to Total Converted to Urban 1982 to 1997.  

The rate of conversion of prime soils to urban lands increased from an
estimated 5,000 acres per year between 1982 and 1992 to 7,000 acres per
year from 1992 to 1997. This is an increase of 40%. The rate of increase
doubled on pastureland and forestland. NRI results indicate little
change in the average annual rate of conversion of prime soils on
rangelands.

 

 Chart for Annual Rate of Conversion of Prime Soils Converted to Urban
Compared to Total Lands Converted to Urban  (18 KB)

 Table for Annual Rate of Conversion of Prime Soils Converted to Urban
Compared to Total Lands Converted to Urban  (8 KB) 

    HYPERLINK
"http://www.or.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/nri/geoarea/state/res2urb/prime/r
es/stpfresc2uratea.html"  Text Version of Annual Rate of Conversion of
Prime Soils Converted to Urban Compared to Total Lands Converted to
Urban.  

    HYPERLINK
"http://www.or.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/nri/geoarea/state/res2urb/prime/r
es/stpfresc2urated.html"  Details for Annual Rate of Conversion of Prime
Soils Converted to Urban Compared to Total Lands Converted to Urban.  

 

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HYPERLINK
"http://www.or.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/nri/archive/res2urb.html"  < Back
to Conversion of Natural Resource Lands To Urban Lands, Farmsteads, and
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