The ancient Greeks believed there were four elements on this planet; Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. Chemistry would later prove them wrong. Three of these four items, Earth, Air, and Water; are essential to life as we know it. Clean Water and Air became rallying cries for the creation of Earth Day, but another name for earth, namely, soil has not received the same attention until recently.
Conservationists have long realized the importance of soil to our way of life. Without healthy soils we would not have bountiful foods, our majestic forest, babbling brooks, potable water, or many other treasures of our environment. We often mistreat our soils. In fact, we treat them like dirt!!! Mismanagement erodes our cropland and urban soils leaving sediment in our waterways — our greatest water polluter.
Soil Compaction is another example of soil mismanagement. Healthy soils are almost 50% pores. This pore space permits water and air to reach plant roots. Water also moves below the root zone which reaches ground water, the source for much of our drinking water. In compacted soils, this pore space is much less, reducing groundwater recharge and increasing stormwater runoff, i.e. flooding.
More recently programs have been initiated to improve Soil Health.
