Urban Soil Revitalization
There is currently a renaissance underway in tree care, shaped by a growing understanding of soil as a living ecosystem. New research is revealing the profound importance of biological diversity, soil structure, and ecological function in supporting tree health. This page highlights notable research contributing to that evolving understanding of soil stewardship.
Research Article
By Glynn C. Percival, Sean Graham, Christopher Percival, and David Challice
The article, Evaluation of Nature-Based and Traditional Solutions for Urban Soil Decompaction, explores a growing shift in arboriculture toward biological soil restoration rather than conventional fertilizer-based management. It highlights how practices such as woodchip mulching, biochar application, understory planting, and selective soil decompaction can help rebuild soil ecology, improve root function, and support long-term tree vitality.
The paper specifically discusses vertical mulching as a method for alleviating soil compaction and improving aeration and water infiltration within degraded urban soils. Rather than relying solely on chemical inputs, the research emphasizes restoring physical soil structure and microbial activity to create healthier rooting environments.
Mulch is presented as another foundational tool in ecological soil care. Organic woodchip mulch is recommended for moderating soil temperature, retaining moisture, reducing competition from turfgrass, and gradually increasing organic matter as it decomposes. Together, vertical mulching and proper mulching are framed as practical strategies for rebuilding living soils and improving the resilience of urban trees over time.
The article connects this research to bigger philosophical questions about the origin of life and Earth’s identity as a living system. Instead of viewing Earth as just a stage where life happens, the article suggests life is deeply intertwined with the planet’s evolution — almost as if Earth and its biosphere co-created one another over geological time.
The article supports an ecosystem-based tree preservation approach by showing that healthy ecosystems depend not only on visible plants and animals, but also on vast underground microbial networks that regulate soil chemistry, nutrient cycling, water movement, and long-term ecosystem resilience. Just as deep-earth microbes help shape planetary systems over geologic time, soil microbes and fungal networks around trees play a critical role in tree health and forest function
Research Article
Kelby Fite E., Thomas Smiley, John McIntyre, and Christina E. Wells
The study, Evaluation of a Soil Decompaction and Amendment Process for Urban Trees, investigated how soil decompaction and amendments affected compacted urban soils beneath established red maples across four cities in the United States. Researchers evaluated a combined treatment involving air tillage, fertilizer incorporation, and mulch, as well as the individual effects of mulch, fertilizer, and soil decompaction alone.
The research found that decompaction treatments significantly improved aeration and water infiltration within the root zone. Trees growing in the most compacted soils showed the greatest and longest-lasting improvements. The study also found that plots treated with mulch and the full amendment process retained more soil moisture during drought periods and developed higher levels of soil organic matter over time.
The paper specifically discusses vertical mulching as a method for alleviating soil compaction and improving aeration and water infiltration within degraded urban soils. Rather than relying solely on chemical inputs, the research emphasizes restoring physical soil structure and microbial activity to create healthier rooting environments.
Mulch is presented as another foundational tool in ecological soil care. Organic woodchip mulch is recommended for moderating soil temperature, retaining moisture, reducing competition from turfgrass, and gradually increasing organic matter as it decomposes. Together, vertical mulching and proper mulching are framed as practical strategies for rebuilding living soils and improving the resilience of urban trees over time.