Some land is suited for intensive cropping, especially where the soil is deep, level, fertile, and well drained. Other land is so steep, shallow, or stony that it is suitable only for wildlife or other uses which cause little or no disturbance to the soil and native vegetation. Some land is suitable for housing development, while other land such as flood plain should be used only for park areas or other open space uses. Other types of conservation techniques are generally divided into vegetative and mechanical categories. Vegetative forms of conservation include planting specifically to reduce soil erosion.
Plants help to protect the soil surface from raindrop impact.
Plants also reduce standing water and runoff by making the surface more permeable. Prompt replanting after disturbing the soil is an effective soil conservation practice for road construction, timbering, or strip mining. Farmers often plant a cover crop to protect soil during winter months, and ranchers encourage native grass covers as an important range conservation practice. Contouring, contour strip cropping, and terracing all increase water intake by holding water on the land longer. These measures also reduce the potential for flooding because streams fed by slow runoff and seepage water have longer-lasting flow and lower flood peaks than they would have if their watersheds were unprotected.