City Trees is a premier publication focused on urban + community forestry. In each issue, you’ll learn how to best manage the trees in your community and more!
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/346592
ÌÞÊ/Àiià "iÊvÊÌiÊ£ÎÊ ÀiÊV>«ÕÃÊ}>À`iÃÊÌ>ÌÊ>ÛiÊLiivÌÌi`ÊvÀÊÌiÊëiʺ-V«Ê>`ÊÕ«»ÊiÌ`Ê DIFFERENCE WAS THE RESEARCH SUBJECT OF A FORMER STUDENT OF "ASSUKS $R !NGIE 2IVENSHIELD 3HE FOUND THAT ADD ING b TO bBYVOLUME ORGANIC MATTER OR IN THE CASE OF THESE CAMPUS SITES TO INCHES TO CM IS NEC ESSARY TO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE BULK DENSITY IE REDUCE COMPACTION AND TO INCREASE MICROORGANISM POPULA TIONS 4HEREFORE THE h5RBAN %DENv STUDENTS WOULD ADD TO INCHES OF ORGANIC MATTER TO THE SITE LEAVING VEINS OF COMPOST THROUGH THE PROFILE OF COMPACTED SOIL h4HATS WELL AND GOODv "ASSUK SAYS hBUT ) ALWAYS WONDERED HOW MUCH COMPOST IS GETTING USED UPv 4HE GARDENS LOOKED GREAT BUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE SOIL 4HOUGH HER STUDENTS ALWAYS MULCHED WITH A SHRED DED HARDWOOD BARK AND KEPT THE MULCH REPLENISHED OVER THE YEARS AT TO INCHES TO CM DEEP NO FURTHER COMPOST WAS ADDED AFTER THE INITIAL h3COOP AND $UMPv SITE PREPARATION .OW THAT THERE WERE GENERATIONS OF GARDENS PUT IN WITH THE SAME METHODS THERE WERE SETS OF SOIL PROPERTIES THAT COULD BE ANALYZED "ASSUK HAD THEORIZED THAT THE MORE RECENTLY THE h3COOP AND $UMPv SITE HAD BEEN PREPARED THE BETTER THE ORGANIC MATTER BULK DENSITY AND MICROORGANISM PICTURE WOULD BE "UT A GRADUATE STUDENT -ILES 3AX TESTED THE VARIOUS GARDENS AROUND CAMPUS THAT HAD ALL BEEN PREPARED IN THE SAME WAY AND FOUND THAT THE RESULT WAS JUST THE OPPOSITE h4HE LONGER AGO WE PUT IN THE GARDENv "ASSUK SAYS hTHE MORE ORGANIC MATTER WAS IN THE SOIL AND THE LOWER THE BULK DENSITYv (ER HYPOTHESIS IS THAT THE LARGE QUANTITY OF COMPOST THAT WAS INITIALLY PLACED ON THE SITE WAS ENOUGH TO GET THE BACTERIA AND FUNGI IN THE SOIL COOKING AND MULTIPLY ING 4HEN IT APPEARS THAT THOSE MICROORGANISMS WERE SUFFICIENTLY NUMEROUS TO BE ABLE TO USE THE BARK MULCH AS FOOD BRINGING IT DOWN TO LOWER LEVELS IN THE SOIL WHERE BYPRODUCTS ARE AVAILABLE AS PLANT NUTRITION AND AID IN CREATING DESIRABLE SOIL AGGREGATES h7ERE EXCITED ABOUT THISv "ASSUK SAYS hBECAUSE IT TELLS US THAT THE VALUE OF THAT INITIAL SOIL REMEDIATION THAT SIMPLE 3COOPAND$UMP IS HUGEIT REALLY PAYS OFF )F THE EFFORT TO REMEDIATE SOILS IS MADE ON THE FRONT END ALL THAT HAS TO BE DONE IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS IS TO REPLENISH A LIGHT LAYER OF BARK MULCHv