This year has been officially named the International Year of Soils by the United Nations. The Soil Science Society of America has assigned a different theme to each month and June’s theme is “Soils Support Recreation.” Healthy soil is crucial to so many parts of our lives and recreation is no exception. If you love football, soccer, baseball, hiking, golf, going to the beach and much more you can thank soil for making that possible!

Why is soil so important?

Soil plays a crucial role in the creation and maintenance of nearly all recreation facilities. The soil on athletic fields must be managed to ensure equal drainage and prevent the formation of puddles. Soil scientists are needed to maintain the thick turf grass on athletic fields and the lush grass that we appreciate when playing golf.  Those responsible for managing everything from baseball fields to festival grounds have to know the ins and outs of soil and the importance it plays in recreation.

Soil not only plays a role in maintaining recreation areas that require grass but also ensures our enjoyment when hiking, hunting, and fishing. Healthy soil must be maintained in order to sustain forests or gardens that are often utilized for walking and hiking. Not only does soil create the environment for these activities, but careful planning makes them possible. The trails utilized for hiking must be carefully planned by park managers to ensure the safety of park-goers. Soil conditions determine where trails can be placed.  If they are placed in the wrong spots the ground may become too soft, resulting in large muddy areas or if the soil isn’t well anchored, erosion can occur causing the trail to be dangerously uneven and unstable. The best forests are those that are rooted in deep soil with a lot of organic matter, which provides nutrients for large and diverse plants. Diverse plants provide the needed food supply for a wide variety of animals and sustain large and healthy animal communities. Healthy soils lead to healthy wildlife which we seek out when hunting and fishing.

How can we protect this soil?

During recreation humans can sometimes damage the soil that affords us such great opportunities. When partaking in recreation in wildlife areas one of the most important ways to protect the soil is by staying on designated trails. When hiking, horseback riding, riding an ATV, or hunting, staying on trails helps reduce the amount of soil compacted by human activity.

Another important way to help maintain soil health is to be responsible hunters and fisherman. Just as strong wildlife populations depend on healthy soil, healthy soil depends on those wildlife populations. If one part of the food chain is altered if affects the entire chain, including the soil. A well-known example of this happened in Yellowstone National Park. Wolves were eradicated from the park, which caused their prey, the elk population, to grow enormously in numbers. The increased population then overgrazed the stream banks causing the soil on the banks to erode into the river. The increased soil in the river adversely affected fish health, greatly lowering fish populations. It wasn’t until the wolves were reintroduced and the riverbanks replanted that the food chain was able to maintain healthy life on all levels.

Soil is a crucial component to nearly all recreation. If we work to maintain healthy soil, we will be able to enjoy these many activities for years to come! To learn more about soil health visit NACD’s Soil Health page. To learn more about this month’s theme “Soils Support Recreation” visit the Soil Society of American’s International Year of Soils webpage.

Tags: Soil Health, International Year of Soils, Soil, "Soils Support Recreation", fishing, hunting, outdoor recreation, Recreation, sports