Ecological and economic interpretation of the soil map constructed by the method of plastic of relief

The paper deals with the possibilities of soil maps, constructed by the method of plastic of relief, to distinguish soil differences based on their association with specific relief forms. It gives examples of the ecological and economic assessment of lands in the Kashirsky district (Moscow region), which were carried out with the help of a map of plastic of relief. The method of plastic of relief was developed by Professor I.N. Stepanov in the eighties of the last century. The authors give a comparative analysis of the results of soil mapping by the traditional method and the method of plastic of relief. Using the example of soil maps of the Ozherelyevsky state farm, they discuss the advantages of the method of plastic of relief for representing soil differences on different relief elements. The soils of the Ozherelyevsky state farm are shown on the map as flows. The hierarchy of height levels of flows is shown. These levels correspond to specific soils according to V.V. Dokuchaev (normal, transitional, soils of depressions). The flows revealed by the method of plastic of relief have a specific direction in space. Due to this quality, it’s concluded that it’s possible to determine the ways of transport of geochemical substances and contaminants in space. This is important to take into account when carrying out reclamation work. The map at the design stage allows structuring land use in the most optimal way and taking a differentiated approach to the economic assessment of lands involved in production.