Teaching land management with a microcomputer-based model

Dan Ross; Tom Nash; Jon Harbor

Excerpt

THE universal soil loss equation (USLE) is an empirically based equation for predicitng gross soil loss. It was developed by professional soil conservationists as a tool to aid in recognizing erosion-sensitive areas and to help in planning strategies to minimize soil loss (8, 9). Although the equation originally was developed using research data from agricultural areas in the eastern United States, the USLE has been expanded for use in other climatic regimes (1, 5) and on construction sites (10). It is now widely used by practicing soil conservationists.

The USLE is particularly useful for indicating potential reductions in soil erosion that can be achieved by various forms of land management. The equation has been used in legislation to help define acceptable levels of soil loss management for agricultural areas and construction sites, for example, the U.S. Food Security Act of 1985 and the City of West Bend, Wisconsin, Erosion Control Ordinance. One of the many advantages of the USLE is that it is fairly simple to apply and uses data that …

Footnotes

Dan Ross is a district conservationist with the Soil Conservation Service, US. Department of Agriculture, and an adjunct professor in the Geography Department, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325. Tom Nash is a professor in the Geography Department, University of Akron. Jon Harbor is an assistant professor in the Department of Geology, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242.
Copyright 1992 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society

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