Conserving Land and Soil

1
Conserving Land and Soil
2
Value of Soil

• Soil is one of Earths most valuable resources
  because everything that lives depends on it.

3
Mining

• Strip Mining causes the top layer of land to be
  stripped away.
• Once the land has been mined it is difficult to
  use the land for another purpose.

4
Soil Damage and Loss

• Desertification- Where a land that is fertile
  turns into desert-like conditions
• This occurs during a drought.

5
Dust Bowl
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video
6
The Dust Bowl

• In the 1930s, there was a drought (no rain). The
  soil turned to dust. The dust was blown from The
  Great Plains (Mid-western area) to New York.

7
Soil Conservation

• Soil Conservation - The management of soil to
  prevent its destruction.

8
Ways to Conserve

• Ways that soil can be conserved include contour
  plowing, conservation plowing, fallow soil, crop
  rotation, and terracing.

9
Soil Conservation
TYPES EXPLANATION
Contour Plowing
Conservation Plowing
FALLOW Soil
Crop Rotation
Terracing
Crops planted in curving rows. Prevents soil loss
as much as 50.
A method famers use when plowing, which leaves
old crops on top to prevent the topsoil from
blowing away.
Crops are NOT planted to keep the soil fertile.
Farmers rotate which plants they use every other
season.
Farmers cut level areas into the side of
hills/mountains to slow down water from washing
away the soil.