Untitled Document Soil Ecology and Restoration Group Soil Strength Remediation David Bainbridge One of the most common effects of disturbance is an adverse increase in soil strength. As pretreatment studies at a 1999 CSS restoration site in San Diego showed, soils were very compacted in many areas.
Disturbance also affects many other soil characteristics that can increase soil strength.
For example, soil strength is related to soil moisture, so reduced infiltration or water movement into the soil as a result of disturbance, vegetation removal and other changes at the soil surface can also increase soil strength. A reduction in soil organic matter may also reduce soil moisture retention, which further increases soil strength and makes it more difficult for plant root extension. The increased soil strength makes it very difficult for seedling roots to penetrate the soil and plant survival and growth will be limited if no remediation is attempted. The effects of even minor increases in soil strength can be dramatic in favorable environments and catastrophic in exposed or difficult sites. Reversing these effects and reducing soil strength to improve plant survival at this restoration site was a goal of the site preparation process.