Opportunities for pedology graduates in the private sector

David Whetter

Canadian Land Resource Network

March 11, 2010

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Outline

• Personal reflections

• Pedology in the private sector

• Attributes of a pedologist in consulting

• Opportunities for pedology graduates

• Working toward our future

BECOMING A PEDOLOGIST IN

THE PRIVATE SECTOR

Personal Reflections

My experience

• Bachelor of Science (Agroecology)

• Master of Science (Soil Science)

• Other experiences along the way…

– Exposure to AAFC and provincial soils groups

– Volunteer opportunities

– MSSS & CSSS meetings and field tours

• Consulting…

– AXYS Environmental Consulting Ltd

– Jacques Whitford AXYS Ltd

– Stantec Consulting Ltd

PEDOLOGY IN THE PRIVATE

SECTOR

Need/Services/Sectors/Projects

Need for private sector

• Waning public sector involvement in SRI

• Complex regulatory environment

• Growing environmental challenges

• Increasing environmental awareness

• Being a “good corporate citizen”

Major services provided

• Soil resource inventories

• Project planning

• Environmental assessment

– Environmental impact assessment

– Environment act proposals

• Nutrient management planning

• Environmental site assessment

• Remediation and reclamation

Major sectors

• Oil and Gas

• Transmission Lines

• Mining

• Agriculture

• Food Processing

• Commercial/Industrial

• Government

• First Nations

SAMPLE PROJECTS

Project: Soil Resource Inventory; Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives

• SIL3 soil survey (1:50,000)

• 110,000 hectares

• Pre-mapping conducted in HD-MAPP

• Final mapping conducted in HD-MAPP

• QA/QC – internal & external

• Digital soil resource inventory delivered

in 8 months

Project: Irrigation Suitability

Assessments; KVPA – PFRA-AAFC

• Over 30 projects

• Baseline SIL2 soil surveys

• Interpretation for:

– Agricultural capability

– Irrigation suitability

– Potential environmental impact

• Support Environment Act Proposals for

irrigation development

Project: Irrigation Suitability

Assessment; Saskatchewan Agriculture

• Soil suitability assessment for irrigation

• 20,000 acres over 3 years

• EM38 field mapping

• Soil salinity confirmation

• Salinity mapping

• Agro-environmental reporting

Project: Keystone Pipeline EA & EPP• Baseline soil survey conducted along 370 km of new

pipeline development

• Detailed inspections to 1.8 m at 400 m intervals;

additional topsoil inspections

• Mapping

– Soil map unit – series and slope

– Topsoil depths

• Mitigation recommendations

– stripping, soil handling, special mitigations

Project: Lease 14 EA; UTS

• 100 km northwest of Fort McMurray

• 6000 hectare lease

• SIL1 and SIL2 survey (1:5,000 & 1:20,000)

• Interpreted LCC ratings

• PDA will be conducted in future

Project: Bipole III Site Selection and

Env Assessment; Manitoba Hydro

• Proposed high voltage DC transmission line

• Large, multi-disciplinary project

• Assessing soil and terrain constraints along

proposed alternative routes to determine

route with least impact

• Environmental assessment and environmental

protection plan required for the selected

route

ATTRIBUTES OF A PEDOLOGIST

IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR

The perfect consultant – “soft skills”

• Adaptable

• Self-starter

• Multi-tasking

• Strong writing skills

• Great organizational skills

• Efficient

• Ethical (personal, business, professional)

The perfect consultant – technical skills

• Strong technical skillset

• Generalist (but with focus area)

– Soil classification, mapping and interpretation

– Nutrient cycling and management

– Soil-water relationship

– Soil-plant/crop interactions

– Carbon cycling

– Remediation

• Keeps science in consulting

• Uses technology to apply knowledge efficiently

• GIS skills

Integration of Terrestrial Ecosystem Components and Processes

Terrain

Surficial Geology

Hydrology

Soils

Vegetation

Wildlife

Form

Materials

Water and Hydrologic Processes

Soil Distribution, Properties and Processes

Vegetation Distribution; Habitat quality/quantity

Populations and Communities

OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEDOLOGY

GRADUATES IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR

Opportunities for pedology graduates

• Soil mapping

– “Traditional” Mapping and Predictive Mapping

• Remediation and reclamation

• Climate change / greenhouse gases

– Soil carbon cycling and inventory

• International opportunities

Opportunities for pedology graduates cont’d…

• Water management

Opportunities for pedology graduates

• Nutrient management

• Wastewater reuse

• Regional land use planning

Opportunities for pedology graduates cont’d…

Opportunities for pedology graduates cont’d…

• We are facing many environmental challenges

• Many opportunities ahead for pedologists

• Future looks bright

• We all have to work together to ensure that

pedology remains a science in demand

Advice for future graduates

• Take advantage of mentors

• Network, Network, Network

• Work hard, but keep things in perspective

• Join associations and societies

• Build your resume

• Follow ethical conduct and maintain integrity

• Travel - broaden your horizons

WORKING TOWARDS OUR

FUTURE

What we need to work towards

• Standards and accreditation

• Training the next generation

• Maintaining existing SRI for use by professionals

• Adding to existing SRI?

Thank-you!

Questions?

P.S. We’re currently looking for an intermediate

pedologist for the Winnipeg office!