Soil Conservation Chapter 2 Section 3 Pages 56-59

Objective: Identify ways soil is lost or destroyed; explain how and why soil is conserved. Sod: Thick mass of tough roots at the surface of the soil. It keeps soil in place and holds moisture. Natural Resource: Anything in the environment that humans use. Soil is one of Earth’s most valuable natural resources because everything that lives on land, including humans, depends directly or indirectly on soil. The value of soil is reduced when soil loses its fertility and when topsoil is lost due to erosion.

Soil can be damaged or lost when… *It loses its fertility. (It becomes exhausted when all Of the nutrients have been taken out.) *Erosion from water and wind happens. Dust Bowl: In the 1930’s a long drought caused topsoil to dry out. Wasteful farming and ranching methods also allowed the wind to erode the most fertile soil away. Soil Conservation: The management of soil to prevent its destruction. The Dust Bowl taught us the importance of using conservation methods in farming and ranching. Contour Plowing: Farmers plow their fields along the curves of a slope. It helps slow runoff, prevents soil from Washing away.

Conservation Plowing: Farmers disturb the soil and its plant cover as little as possible. Dead weeds ad stalks from the previous year are left to return nutrients to the ground, keep soil moist, and hold soil in place. Crop Rotation: Farmers plant different crops in a field each year. Different types of plants absorb nutrients or put nutrients back. This prevents soil exhaustion.