The Canadian System of Soil Classification Pedology Committee invites interested soil scientists from across Canada to join the Soil Classification Working Group (SCWG) and participate in the development of the 4th edition of the Canadian System of Soil Classification (CSSC). Between January and July 2023, the SCWG will meet monthly to review, discuss, and debate proposed revisions to the CSSC on the third Friday of every month, with a kick-off session January 6th. These meetings will focus primarily on the 10 research articles related to soil taxonomy published in the Special Collection of the Canadian Journal of Soil Science: Advances in Soil Survey & Classification in Canada.
In addition to these major proposals, we will explore other aspects of creating a revised CSSC manual, including organizing working groups to tackle larger issues, hearing about the Education Committee’s experience with self publication, discussing updates to artwork, diagrams, and photos, and reviewing minor changes submitted through the online form. The 10 manuscripts are being made available to the SCWG for the purposes of revising the CSSC in this Google Drive folder.
Some are still in “online first” format and will be updated once finalized on the CJSS website. Please refrain from sharing these manuscripts, except for those that are Open Access. The Pedology Committee has created an email account to be used for all communications. If participants are unable to attend a meeting due to a scheduling conflict, they are encouraged to submit their questions, concerns, and/or arguments for or against a specific taxonomic proposal by email ahead of the scheduled meeting. For this reason, meetings will not skip ahead on the topics.
Please note that changes to the CSSC outside the manuscripts in the CJSS can still be submitted using the online form; please have submissions in by the end of May 2023. We look forward to seeing many of you online in the new year for these important discussions.