Soil Conservation By W.Batke Activity Teacher Notes

Why is soil conservation important? "A nation that destroys its soil destroys itself." - President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1937

First let us look at the problem of soil erosion. Sheet erosion is the removal of the thin layer of topsoil by raindrop splash or water run-off.

First let us look at the problem of soil erosion. Wind erosion is the detachment and movement of soil by wind.

First let us look at the problem of soil erosion. Gully erosion occurs when small streams unite and create a stronger flow, cutting a channel down which water flows during or just after rain

Worldwide, an estimated 26 billion tons of topsoil are washed or blown off cropland each year. Every year 6 million hectares of productive dryland become desert.

The soils of our planet have formed over thousands of years in conditions which have long since changed. The destruction of soils through man's misuse, however, can take place in just a few years, and in most cases this process is permanent or at best is difficult to correct.

What can be done to save our soil? The most critical factor in protecting soils from erosion by water and wind is the maintenance of cover (plant residues, pasture and forest litter) in close contact with the soil surface.

The importance of groundcover

Improve soil management Practice: * contour plowing * reduced tillage or no tillage, * using windbreaks to reduce wind speeds at the land surface, * allowing soils to rest * promote humus production

Good soil stewardship, means food and resources for the future.

Teacher notes: *Slides that do not advance automatically must be advanced manually by left clicking on the mouse button. *Back arrows on each slide move to previous slide. *Topics are intended to be discussed in class and science journal notes or records are encouraged. *Programs may be viewed in any sequence although they tend to build upon one another. Soil Importance, Soil Formation Pt.1, Soil Formation Pt.2 Soil Conservation, Soil Problems Back to start More

Here are some additional resources on the web http://www.hintze-online.com/sos/soils-online.html http://nscss.org/ssource.html http://www.bsyse.wsu.edu/~saxton/soilwatr/ If you have questions, comments, please send to bbatke@worldnet.att.net Back to start