We live in a world where there seems to be a day of commemoration for just about everything. So if we mentioned the day December 5th, you’d probably assume it’s just another day in the early part of the month. But thanks to the late H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand, December 5th is actually World Soil Day (WSD).
Officially adopted back in 2014 by the 68th UN General Assembly, World Soil Day focuses on the importance of having healthy soil while advocating for the sustainable management of all soil resources globally.
Why December 5th, you might ask? That was the official birthday of the King of Thailand above.
While soil is known to be a living resource home to more than 25% of the planet’s biodiversity, few understand why soil is such an essential resource in all of our lives.
According to the Soil Science Society of American, “Soil provides ecosystem services critical for life: soil acts as a water filter and a growing medium; provides habitat for billions of organisms, contributing to biodiversity; and supplies most of the antibiotics used to fight diseases. Humans use soil as a holding facility for solid waste, filter for wastewater, and foundation for our cities and towns. Finally, soil is the basis of our nation’s agroecosystems which provide us with feed, fiber, food, and fuel.”
So you see, soil is not just “dirt” beneath our feet but the fundamental component for our very survival.
For tree care, arborists will agree that soil is critical – providing trees the ability to anchor its root system to remain upright and vertical while strengthening it from toppling in strong winds and succumbing to erosion during heavy rainstorms. It also provides trees with the necessary nutrients and minerals for optimal health.
Oxygen is also trapped among the soil spaces, and tree roots use this oxygen to break down various sugars from what is called the rhizosphere (soil containing root excretions) and root microbiome (soil microorganisms). Together, these help a tree maintain steady growth.
Dr. Charles E Kellogg, Soil Scientist and Chief of the USDA’s Bureau for Chemistry and Soils, says, “Essentially, all life depends upon the soil… There can be no life without soil and no soil without life; they have evolved together.”
On December 5th, let us all celebrate the life which springs from the soil and do our part to help protect it for all generations to come.
For more information on lawn care and tree service, contact SavATree today!
