Sustainable soil health and trees in a changing world

Published 20th April 2026

Written by Antonia Illingworth, Forestry Trainee 24/25 cohort 

Why soil health matters in a changing world?

We are living in a quickly changing world, with the pressing challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, a growing global population, and pest and disease threats. Sustainable management of our soil is crucial in the toolkit to help deal with these challenges, both in the UK and globally. Healthy soil, a spoonful of which is thriving with more bacteria than there are people on earth, acts as a carbon sink, taking carbon out of the atmosphere. As well as its place in the carbon cycle, and its obvious role in supporting the growth of our food, healthy soil provides other important ecosystem services, like absorbing rainwater to reduce the impacts of flooding. Healthy soils are crucial to healthy woodlands – and sustainable forest management can benefit soils in turn.

Healthy soil comprises of 10% organic matter which includes living organisms, dead organic matter and humus.

Leaf litter scattered on the Forest floor at the Millennium Country Park on an autumn day.

Unhealthy soil struggles to absorb excess water run-off and comprises of poor structure, lack of organic matter and low biological activity.

Can healthy soils and modern farming coexist?  

The farming landscape presents a major opportunity for the UK to improve soil health, and the sustainability of ecosystem services healthy soil provides. More intense farming practices often employ a consistent over-use of fertilizers and mechanical interventions like ploughing, which lead to soil degradation. Unable to support itself, poor soil begins to rely on fertilizers and pesticides. It’s also more susceptible to being washed away by heavy rain and may produce nutrient-poor crops.

In their 2015 publication “Status of the World's Soil Resources” the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations found that 33% of Earth’s soils have suffered degradation. This has led to a reduced agricultural productivity and increased sensitivity of crops and livestock to pests and diseases.

From depleted to thriving: How regenerative farming restores soil health 

Healthy soil contains 10% organic matter, while many UK arable soils only contain 1-2%. While there is obviously a challenge here in improving UK soil health, the adoption of regenerative farming methods might offer a route to change.  

Broadly, regenerative farming is a ‘whole ecosystem’ method, operating under core principles which include reducing soil disturbance, avoiding bare soil, and avoiding synthetic interventions. These principles protect farm soil health. Overall, regenerative farming helps to make the farm more sustainable, by reducing reliance on costly chemical interventions and instead working with, and supporting, nature. Trees are a great addition to a regeneratively managed farm.  

Agroforestry builds on traditional land management practices to support and increase agricultural productivity in a natural way, by integrating trees into farming. This can be by planting trees alongside crops, within grazing land as wood pasture, or as hedgerows and orchards.  

Our relationships with the land mean we have valuable historic and current accounts of working with it, and we need to make the most of these to get the best out of the soil. The adoption of regenerative farming, agroforestry and the realisation of its whole-ecosystem benefits will require discussion between farmers and researchers to make best use of the wealth of knowledge in the farming community. As well as this, investigations into historic records, like Ordinance Survey and tithe maps are likely to help us understand our historic relationships with the land.

Healthy woodlands start from the soil up 

In woodland and forest management, the maintenance of a diverse age and species structure of trees helps to improve soil health. Trees can host mycorrhizal fungi (fungi associated with root systems), and a higher diversity of host tree species will, in turn, increase the diversity of fungi. Similarly, young and old trees will support different soil biology, so a diverse age structure in a woodland will improve overall ecosystem biodiversity. The resilience of a woodland (for example to disease and climate change threats) will rely on its soil health, so monitoring the soil should be a component of woodland management. A move towards Continuous Cover Forestry, avoiding any clear felling, would support the development of a woodland with a diverse age and species structure, and maximise the health of the woodland below, and above ground.

Protecting soil to protect our future 

Our soils should be incredible, dynamic ecosystems, full of life. Healthy soils support our food system, can protect us from flooding, and sequester carbon from the atmosphere. A demand for high crop yields has led to unsustainable use of synthetic fertilisers, and farming practices which compact and degrade soils, reducing their ability to provide ecosystem services and nutrient rich food. A move towards regenerative farming and forestry, with a collaborative, global approach, will help to ensure the sustainability of our food system, and support biodiversity, which is currently at risk.   

If you’re passionate about protecting woodlands, why not become a Friend of the Forest? Your donation helps us to protect and grow the Forest and other vital habitats within the Forest of Marston Vale, plus you a get a host of 'Friends' benefits such a free parking, and discounts in the Forest Centre.