Soil experts group (SEESOIL)

 

SEESOIL group meeting at Alice Holt to discuss forest soils and the current soil research carried out at Forest Research

News from Forest Research: November 2007

We may not often stop and think about soil, but a thorough understanding of it underpins all environmental research and, with the European Soils Directive about to come into force, soil is starting to be given much greater attention by policy makers.

Spring 2007 meeting

The South East England Soils Discussion Group (SEESOIL), affiliated to the British Society of Soil Science, carries out field visits, conferences and workshops on themes relating to soil science, soil management and exploitation. Earlier this year, the group met at Alice Holt in Surrey to discuss forest soils and the current soil research carried out at Forest Research.

The group considered the impacts on soil of pollution and climate change, as well as soil surveys and monitoring. They also discussed the role of forest soils within the wider environment, such as the forest ecosystem, archaeology and hydrology. A number of Forest Research environmental scientists made presentations to the group, after which visitors were taken on a field trip to several sites where FR is currently working on soil analysis under a range of research programmes, including the Environmental Change Network, Level II Intensive Forest Monitoring Network, Soils and Archaeology, Soil and the C-cycling and fluxes.

Meeting details and presentations.

Winter 2007 meeting

The next SEESOIL conference will take place soon at the University of Surrey on 11 December. The theme for the meeting is ‘Soil and water conservation’, which covers conservation issues within both agricultural and natural soil-water systems, the impacts of human activity, and the management and maintenance of soils as ‘fit for purpose’. Other topics will include the implementation of legislation and how this may affect ecosystems.

More details on the upcoming conference or contact SEESOIL secretary, Elena Vanguelova.