S is for Soil

Peter Wohlleben in The Hidden Life of Trees puts it this way “Without soil there would be no forests, because trees must have a somewhere to put down roots.”  That is the simple physical view. Wohlleben does go on to explore the unseen soil components, the exciting fungi and little microscopic animals.  This life extends through and burrows in the layers of organic material laid down over the years from the trees and other vegetation above creating a complex web holding carbon and nutrients necessary for forest health.  It’s not the obvious bird, salamander or deer and no less important.

Following forest fire it has been shock and awe I’ve witnessed the disappearance of the organic layer.  First by volatilizing in the fire and then washed away by fall, winter and spring rains. The organic material is so light that it was easily bounced around and moved downhill by unimpeded rain drops.  That is even on rich forest soils, not one made up of little pieces of granite where the granite itself is moved. Granite countertops are very solid but when they are pieces smaller than peas they can roll and move without much effort.

When working in a forest it is just important to be thinking about the soil, when you are there and what you are doing, how you are going to do it.

PS: When it comes to forestry and forestry topics words that start with “S” is a rich environment.  Easily I think of silviculture, species, spacing, seedling but soil is the foundation and that is why I choose to start here.