Soil moisture or drainage conditions tend to vary along soil catena toposequences and are closely associated with other soil chemical and physical properties. Soils were characterised for points along a catena of wetland to upland in the boreal forest of the Swan Hills, Alberta, Canada. Soils along one transect were sampled by horizon from soil pits, while bulk auger samples were taken from others. A newly developed GIS approach to topographic modelling of soil moisture conditions was related to these soil characteristics. The utility of both a high resolution (1 m) LiDAR DEM and a photogrammetric (10 m) DEM for spatial modelling was assessed. Characterisation included soil classification, organic depth, drainage, moisture regime, texture, pH, exchangeable cations, Fe, Al and Zn, total C, N and S (Leco combustion), available P and ammonium and total P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, Zn and Al. The potential for DEM modelling of such soil characteristics across the landscape was examined. Such approaches may be able to add significantly to the resolution and reliability of soils data available to forest operations planners and other natural resource managers, moving operations towards sustainable management.