Promoting climate resilience and biodiversity by assessing soil health across 2,000+ acres to guide regenerative land management practices
Project overview
The Soil Productivity Assessment Project is a collaboration with The Trustees of Reservations to support climate resilience, biodiversity, and food system goals across more than 2,000 acres of farmland in Massachusetts. The project centers on analyzing soil health and productivity to enhance ecological value and inform sustainable land management practices.
Through detailed soil organic carbon (SOC) mapping and classification of soils by conservation and regeneration potential, this project aims to optimize carbon sequestration while supporting productive agricultural practices. Forests, wetlands, grasslands, and cultivated fields were analyzed to estimate current SOC stocks, evaluate sequestration capacity, and recommend site-specific management strategies.
Informed by this analysis, The Trustees are equipped with a decision-making framework to guide whole-farm and field-specific management at seven diverse sites. Recommendations include regenerative land management practices such as rotational grazing, reduced tillage, and improved drainage. The project establishes a foundation for long-term soil health monitoring, which will track SOC and other soil health indicators to ensure that these lands continue to thrive amidst a changing climate.
Services + Accomplishments
- Classification of soil carbon conservation and regeneration values across seven agricultural sites
- Recommendations for regenerative agriculture practices to enhance soil carbon and ecosystem services
- Soil carbon stock quantification to guide carbon-focused interventions in over 2,000 acres of mixed-use lands
- Strategic recommendations for forest, pasture, and wetland management to align with climate resilience goals
- Initiate soil health assessment and monitoring program, including periodic testing and documentation for long-term tracking
