“The aim of the Soil of the Year award is also to draw attention to the threats facing the finite resource soil,” says Environment Minister Petra Berg. “Soil is often unfortunately not in the foreground, although we walk on it, stand on it, and live on it. We need to create soil awareness and protect this finite resource. That is why we will also develop a soil protection strategy for the Saarland.”
As the current soil of the year, forest soil fulfills several functions. It serves as the foundation of our forests and performs diverse roles and services in the landscape ecosystem, which are invaluable for both society as a whole and the forest as a habitat for countless organisms. For example, intact forest soils ensure high water quality through their filtering and buffering functions and contribute to flood protection by retaining water after precipitation events. Forest soils also provide a structurally and biologically rich habitat, especially for small (e.g., earthworms and woodlice) and microscopic organisms (e.g., bacteria and fungi), ranging from the litter and humus layers on the soil surface through the various mineral soil horizons down to the underlying rock several meters deep.
As part of the nationwide forest soil condition survey, samples have also been taken at predefined points in the Saarland since 2022. These are processed and analyzed in a laboratory. The soil analyses include a variety of soil chemical and soil physical parameters, such as the carbon and nutrient contents of the samples. In addition, investigations into forest nutrition are conducted based on leaf and needle samples from the trees. The total number of sampling points for the third forest soil condition survey in Germany is approximately 1,900. Of these, 50 are located in the Saarland. The sampling network for the third survey has a density of 4 x 4 km in the Saarland.
The soil condition survey in forests is carried out jointly by the federal government and the states as part of forest environmental monitoring. The sites were sampled for the first time from 1987 to 1992 (BZE I-Forest) and again from 2006 to 2008 (BZE II-Forest). From 2022 to 2024, the field surveys of BZE III-Forest are being conducted. The states are responsible for the collection and analysis of the samples. In total, about 50,000 samples are taken and analyzed at approximately 1,900 sampling points nationwide. This results in over 700,000 data records, which—after evaluation—allow for regionally representative and nationwide comparable statements on the condition and changes of forest soils, vegetation, and tree stock. The Thünen Institute for Forest Ecosystems coordinates the BZE and is responsible for the nationwide evaluation. The presentation of the final report of the third soil condition survey is planned for 2028.
