Healthy Soils

Soils are one of the building blocks of life. Healthy soils are vital in our urbanized environment for sustaining vegetation, managing stormwater, supporting urban agriculture, sequestering carbon, promoting human health, thereby enhancing quality of life for our residents. 

Supporting Vegetation: Healthy soil is essential for supporting vegetation, including trees, shrubs, and grasses. This vegetation helps reduce soil erosion, mitigate urban heat island effects, improve air quality, and provide habitat for wildlife.

Stormwater Management: Healthy soil plays a critical role in managing stormwater in urban areas. It helps absorb and filter rainwater, reducing runoff and the risk of flooding. 

Urban Agriculture: Community gardens, backyard gardens, and urban farms – healthy soil is essential for growing food in these settings, providing nutrients to plants and supporting sustainable food production.

Carbon Sequestration: Soil health influences the capacity of urban soils to sequester carbon. Healthy soils can store significant amounts of carbon, helping mitigate climate change by reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.

Human Health: Soil health can indirectly affect human health in urban areas. Contaminated or degraded soils may pose risks to human health through exposure to pollutants or through the food grown in them. Conversely, healthy soils can support the growth of nutritious food and reduce the risk of exposure to harmful contaminants.

Soil Resources

Web Soil Survey

Official Soil Series Descriptions

Soil Quality

Soil Quality for Environmental Health

Cornell Soil Health Assessment Training Manual

Urban Soil Primer

Soil Fertility Testing

Soil testing is an excellent measure of soil fertility. It is a very inexpensive way of maintaining good plant health and maximum crop productivity. The best time to test your soil is the Spring or the Fall.

The file below is a fact sheet from OSU Extension titled “Soil Testing is an Excellent Investment for Garden, Lawn and Landscape Plants, and Commercial Crops.” Cuyahoga SWCD frequently offers mail-in soil test kits from Penn State University to Cuyahoga County residents – be sure to follow our social media channels to find out about these opportunities!

Soil Testing Resources

OSU Extension Soil Testing Fact Sheet