how does the tree affect the soil?

Answer 1

The tree sequesters carbon in the soil. The bulk of the tree and the roots is carbon and all of it comes from the air. CO2 + photosynthesis -> sugar -> cellulose wood. That was a surprise to me because I live with redwood trees and they seem so solid, not creations of the wind. So the carbon goes into the soil and nitrogen fixing bacteria are made from this carbon making the soil fertile. Also the tree roots hold the soil in place and reduce erosion.

Answer 2

a tree in its life time makes its own soil by the decomposed leaves it discards

these leaves mulch the ground and protect it from the impact of rain,
drying out by the sun
,wind and water erosion,
the trees keep the soil supplied with water that it obtains from the atmosphere and the rain by precipitation(condensation of the leaves and excess internal water is let of by the roots)

and so the ground is constanty humid and kept humid by
the protective mulch cover this also aids the devellopment of worms ,and their excrement is the best known compost in the world.

also the soil temperature is kept even and the decomposed leaves leave a rich black soil behind .

the trees also have waste chemical products that it adds to the soil,which ones these are ,depends on the kind of trees ,Acacia for example just like Marijuanna produces nitrogen

all the insects that live on the trees produce by products(such as sugars )and these are washed of ,and into the soil by the rains

during a normal rainfall 60% of the rainwater is retained by the trees and the thru-fall of 40 % that makes it to the ground is another quality of water all together than the original rain ,much richer

a tree is much more than just a tree its a micro environment with many inhabitants each playing their part in the overall quality of the environment

squirrels plant trees birds do as well with the seeds mixed into their excrement ,and the excrement of the many inhabitants adds to the quality of the soil below

in the day Trees absorb the heat and in the night they let it go,so regulating the climate keeping it more balanced.

the many trees of forests make soil
and with out plant and tree growth we would not have any soil at all

so it is not a question of affecting soil its a matter of production of soil

get the Designers Manual -it has a large section on soil,for all conditions and climates
the Permaculture designers manual by Bil Mollison cost about 40 dollars.
and is the best all round book you can get.(tagiari publishing, [e-mail])


Permaculture means permanent agriculture
a concept put forward by Bill Mollisson in the 60`s

some other writers that are on the internet are
david Holmgren
Larry Santoyo
Kirk Hanson

Masanobu Fukuaka has written ,
One-Straw Revolution
The Road Back to Nature
The Natural Way of Farming
http://www.context.org/iclib/ic14/fukuok...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/masanobu_fu...

Simon Henderson
and Bill Molisson.

a representitive of the concept in USA is
Dan Hemenway at [e-mail]
[e-mail]
http://barkingfrogspc.tripod.com/frames.htm
http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/ypc_catalog.htm

I am a permaculture consultant for the department of Ecology for the regional government of Guerrero in Mexico

Answer 3

Well, It depends what you are looking for. If you plant a tree near plants, the tree will suck out most of the nutrients in the soil.

Answer 4

it loosens the soil and uses the nutrients

Answer 5

if it is a pine the sap has oils in it that will kill most plants and your shingles. and if you live on a cliff it holds it together