Welsh Soils Discussion Group

For details of future meetings, please contact Dr John Scullion, WSDG chairman

WSDG Committee

Chairman: Dr John Scullion, University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Treasurer: Dr Russell Young , University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Secretary: Dr Zoe Frogbrook, CEH Bangor
Committee member: Dr Davey Jones, University of Wales, Bangor

Autumn Meeting
Wednesday 12th November 2008
Environment Centre Wales, Deiniol Road, Bangor

Meeting programme and registration details

For further information contact Zoe Frogbrook

July 2008 Field Meeting Report

ADAS Pwllpeiran

Download full report, including the pictures of wet field scientists !

Soils and Catchment Sensitive Farming
Meeting report
Wednesday 1st November 2006
IGER, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth

Following on from last years meeting the Welsh Soils Discussion Group met again at IGER in Aberystwyth. It was good to see that the group has been steadily growing in numbers over the past year (and also during the day!). The theme of the meeting was Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) and with a full room and a wide range of people the day held some very interesting discussions.

Peter Samuel from the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG), started the morning by discussing the CSF demonstration project in Wales. The three year project was launched in October 2005 and has two demonstration areas, Deepford Brook in Pembrokeshire (one catchment) and Lake Bala in Gwynedd (two catchments). Peter outlined what the scheme entails and what is available for farmers within the catchments. One aspect that the project tackles is minimising soil erosion, which has involved creating cattle corridors, providing hard surfacing for feeding areas and fencing stream banks.

Peter Redfern talked about CSF from an Environment Agency perspective. Peter highlighted the role of CSF officers – to target priority catchments, co-ordinate advice and voluntary action. It was also emphasised that these are non-regulatory officers. It was discussed how diffuse pollution can be very subtle, and this is where CSF officers can be very useful. They can identify potential problems and provide appropriate advice. There is a need to encourage and support collective action for farmers and to identify key issues within a catchment.

The final speaker of the morning was Conor Doherty from Natural England (NE). Conor gave us an insight into the England CSF programme one year on. This is a two year project run by NE and the EA, sponsored by Defra water quality division. Work focuses on 40 high priority catchments across England, where farm level advice is given. Some of the issues have included soil compaction, soil loss and soil nutrient management. This has involved creating appropriate soil management plans and implementing these plans. Conor explained how advice is delivered though a variety of formats, including workshops, conferences, one to one meetings and champion farmers.

After lunch Bob Palmer (formally NSRI Cranfield), talked about the assessment of soil structure and its relevance to CSF. Bob outlined how soil degradation is assessed, and some of the common problems which are encountered. The results from a range of catchments in SW England were discussed, along with data from the Wensum, Pontbren and Camel catchments. Bob emphasised that structural degradation can dramatically change soil hydrology. We need, therefore, to know what soils we have within a catchment and the quality and health of these soils, along with their interaction with climate.

The final talk of the day came from James Skates (WAG), who outlined the plans for a Welsh Soils action plan. James discussed why an action plan is needed, that the plan will be both dynamic and adaptable, and that it will address the threats to soil in Wales. Eight topic areas were outlined for the action plan; Agriculture and Forestry, Planning Transport and Minerals, Ecosystem Services (biodiversity & clean water), Wastes and Pollutants, Climate Change, Cultural Heritage and Recreation, Education and Information, and Monitoring and Indicators. The action plan is currently in a planning period and will hopefully be published by April 2007.

I would like to thank the speakers for making the day so enjoyable and to all who attended for their interesting debates. I would also like to thank IGER for hosting the meeting and Michelle Clarke (NSRI, Cranfield University), for her help in organising the day. All of the presentations from the speakers will be available on our website http://www.soils.org.uk/wales.htm

Just to end, I would like to highlight that after a successful field trip in June another trip is planned for spring/summer next year. Although I cannot guarantee the sunshine again I am sure it will be a good day!! More information will be available about this next year, please look on our website for postings.

Zoë Frogbrook
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bangor

Presentations made at this meeting can be viewed in full by following the links below (be warned, some of the files are chunky, and may take a few minutes to download !)

Peter Samuel - Catchment Sensitive Farming Demonstration Project

Peter Redfern - Catchment Sensitive Farming - EA Wales Perspective

Bob Palmer - Assessment of Soil Structure and its Relevance to CSFI

Conor Doherty - England CSF programme one year on - focus on the South West. See also CSF Briefing

James Skates - Welsh Soils Action Plan

Welsh Soils Discussion Group Field Day, 15th June 2006

 Following on from the success of the Autumn meeting the WSDG met for a field trip in June. The venue was Blaenau Ffestiniog and, despite everyone’s comments on how it always rains in Blaenau, the sun came out for the day! The focus of the meeting was to look around a land restoration project located in the quarries at Blaenau. The site is managed by The University of Wales, Bangor and forms part of an EU funded project TWIRLS (Treating Wastes for Restoring Land Sustainability).

The day started with a walk across the area adjacent to the quarries, looking at the natural vegetation within the landscape. Julie Williamson and Susan Tandy led the tour, discussing the key issues of land restoration for plant communities typical of a low nutrient environment. The walk took us to the TWIRLS composting site, trial plots on slate waste investigating composting and vegetation establishment. Throughout the morning there were interesting discussions on how composted wastes can be used as asoil forming media for upland areas.

 After a picnic lunch (in the sunshine), we left the site and made our way back to the vehicles. Since it was a soils discussion group meeting, we felt it was only right to look at some of the natural soils in the landscape. On the way back we found brown podzolic soils, surface water gleys and deep peats all within a small distance of one another; illustrating how diverse soil is.

 I would like to thank Julie Williamson and Susan Tandy for showing us around the site, and to Mark Nason for suggesting the visit.  Thanks also to all those who attended, making the day an enjoyable one.

 For more information on the project visit www.bangor.ac.uk/ies/TWIRLS/TWIRLS_home.htm

WSDG members walking across the natural landscape, with the TWIRLS site in the distance and examining the compost plots recently sown with the upland grasses Agrostis capillaris (common bent) and Festuca ovina (sheeps fescue)

Welsh Soils Discussion Group Autumn Meeting 2005

The papers presented at the meeting held at IGER Aberystywyth on Wednesday 16th November 2005 can be downloaded by clicking on the paper titles listed below. Be warned - some of these files are several MB so might take a few minutes to download, depending on the speed of your connection !

Introduction Mike Hornung CEH Lancaster

Are soil quality indicators achievable? Dick Thompson National Soil Resources Institute

Are there key links between soil biodiversity and what lies above? Richard Bardgett Lancaster University

Is climate change affecting our soils? Bridget Emmett CEH Bangor

Is soil erosion a problem in Wales? Ian Rugg Welsh Assembly

Has agriculture affected the condition of our soil? Peter Redfern Environment Agency