What have you done for your soil today
By: Sandy Batty
Soil is as critical for maintaining life as water and air, though much less appreciated. Some misguided folks even call it dirt! But as any natural scientist or farmer will tell you, soil is the stuff of life.
Healthy soil teems with activity. One spoonful contains more micro-organisms than the number of people on earth. Soil is typically about 45 percent minerals, 25 percent water, 25 percent air and 5 percent organic matter. The total weight of living organisms in the top 6 inches of an acre of soil can be as much as 20,000 pounds.
The soil we take so much for granted produces essentially all our food and fiber by storing water and nutrients for plant growth. Soil cleans our planet’s water as it seeps down into aquifers. Soil absorbs stormwater and prevents flooding. Soil regulates climate by taking carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, out of the air and storing it as soil carbon. Soil micro-organisms change methane and nitrous oxides (two other greenhouse gases) into less harmful by-products. Soil sustains fish and other aquatic organisms by releasing minerals into the sea. Without soil, our ecosystems could not function.
Unfortunately, soil can be damaged and wasted like any other natural resource. Once lost, it is almost impossible to reclaim. Natural processes take several hundred years to form just 1 inch of topsoil. Rain or wind can remove that inch in a very short time, and overuse or careless use by humans can ruin soil quickly, too.
Large-scale soil loss often occurs through poor farming practices. The U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service and local Soil Conservation Services work with farmers to educate them about using contour or no-till plowing, planting windbreaks, planting groundcovers, crop rotation, proper fertilization and other soil-protecting practices.
Construction activities also cause a lot of soil loss. When a contractor clears an entire site before construction, the freshly turned soil will subsequently blow away, be washed off by rain or be tracked off onto roads by construction equipment, ending up in storm sewers, lakes and rivers. If you see mud running or being tracked off a construction site, report it to your county Soil Conservation Service (found in the "blue pages" of the phone book). Compaction by heavy equipment also ruins soil’s ability to absorb water and sustain plant growth.
How can a homeowner protect soil? Seed or plant all exposed areas, and cover seeds with mulch until they sprout. Plant trees. Put splash guards on downspouts. Don’t overdo edging, and don’t blow soil away with leafblowers. Don’t disturb sloping areas. Plant different crops in different places in your garden each year to balance the uptake of nutrients. Minimize or avoid use of pesticides to allow beneficial creatures to survive. (One worm can move and aerate many tons of soil in a single year!) Best of all, start a compost pile, and spread that rich, organic mixture over your garden and lawn. Let’s start treating our soil like the precious resource it is.
Sandy Batty is executive director of the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions.