I used to trust county soil survey maps as gospel before making an offer on wooded land. Then I bought a hollow in Sevier County based almost entirely on those maps, expecting good deep loam. What I found on the ground was compacted, depleted soil that hadn't grown a productive understory in decades. No ramps, no bloodroot, no black cohosh — just invasive privet from fence line to creek. Those indicator plants don't lie. Their absence was the real soil report.
Now I walk a property and read what's actually growing before I read any document. A healthy ramp colony tells me more about moisture retention, pH, and organic matter than a USDA map made from interpolated samples. Spicebush density tells me about drainage. Presence of yellow root along a creek edge tells me water quality. These plants have been taking measurements for decades.
I'd argue that any serious rural land buyer in the eastern US who ignores native plant communities is leaving critical information on the table.
Anybody else using on-the-ground vegetation as a due diligence tool, or do most of you still lean on the survey maps?