Soil

Soil is the foundation for all terrestrial life including plants, animals, and microbial organisms. Soil plays a vital role in a variety of ecosystem services including carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, water quality and regulation, decomposition, and natural hazard regulation. Soils vary in their physical, chemical, and biological properties across landscapes and ecosystem types. Soil and soil processes can be impacted by disturbances and land uses including wildfire and timber harvesting operations. Scientists at the Rocky Mountain Research Station are conducting cutting edge research on the impacts of land management activities on soils and the ecosystem services they provide.

Rocky Mountain Research Station soil research themes include:

• Understanding below-ground processes such as organic matter decomposition and soil nutrient cycling
• Maintaining soil productivity during and after land management activities
• Understanding the impact of disturbance, such as wildfire, on soil properties and processes, including soil microbial organisms
• Incorporating biochar into forest management to improve soil health and ecosystem recovery

Featured Work

• National Soil Assessment for Forest and Rangeland Soils - Soils take thousands of years to develop, but they can lose their ability to contribute ecosystem services in a fraction of that time. This book synthesizes current soil research, tools, technologies, and management strategies for the United States.
• The North American Long-Term Soil Productivity study: collaborations to understand forest responses to land management - The Long-Term Soil Productivity (LTSP) Study is one of the most successful and extensive collaborative science efforts undertaken by the Forest Service. The network has a common goal of sustaining forest productivity in perpetuity while continuing to provide ecosystem services after timber harvesting
• High soil temperature data archive - The purpose of this archive is to provide users with soil temperature datasets collected during prescribed fires and wildfires across the Western U.S.