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Cologne / Germany

Due to railway construction in my area some acres of forest have to go, along with the soil. I assume that soil is high in OM, but is it something one would like to have in the patch? Maybe some of you have experience with forest soil.

1/13/2005 4:56:39 AM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Yes, there is a product here called Seasoil which is a composted product using logging waste (forest fines soil)and fish from packing plants. Check them out at http://www.seasoil.com

I use it and love the stuff...very high in OM.

1/13/2005 6:55:46 PM

Montoursville, PA

Flo.........the forest top soils are very thin as are the permanent natural mulches over them. What they are made up of determines the goodness. Here where I live in the North East of USA the forests are a few million years older than perhaps out in our far Western mountains.

For various reasons our PH in the mountains thin top soil layers are very acid....yet that very thin zone between existing top soil is alive with natural conversion...the process of become humus and then humates to feed the forest.
Here it would be more fungal than bacterial. That tiny thin zone will test sweeter because humus is about PH 7.0.

Here we would be mainly interested in the top quarter inch or so. That part of the forest soil is really good stuff.

I have no idea what your forest soil structures might be but maybe this little discussion may help you relate from what we have here. It is illeagle to remove any natural soil, minerals, water, wood, fungi or plants from our state or federal held mountains without specific permission.

2/10/2005 9:00:12 PM