Welcome to the Zoom into Soil: Soil Compaction video from the British Society of Soil Science.
'Zoom into Soil: Soil Compaction' features Dr Lynda Deeks, a Research Fellow at Cranfield University, with her presentation, 'The effect of compaction on soil function'. Lynda looks at soil compaction from the perspective of how it affects soil function and will consider both negative and positive consequences of the compaction process.
Dr Bruce Lascelles, UK Director for Land Management and the current President of the British Society of Soil Science, joins Lynda as our second speaker with, 'Soil compaction in construction'. In his presentation, Bruce looks at how construction activities can affect soil structure and result in compaction. Some materials we would describe as soils become surplus and can be suitable for use as engineering or landscape fill and may be compacted deliberately to ensure stability. Those soils which need to support a defined end use, be that agricultural land, landscape planting, green infrastructure (such as SUDS) or habitat creation areas, need to have characteristics suitable for that end use, and this will include a requirement for structural units to be present in some form. Where soils are being handled, in particular by large plant, the potential for soil compaction to occur is high. Reference is made to the guidance relating to soil handling and to measures which can be incorporated where stability or erosion risk is a concern.
