A Guide to Soil Decompaction

Soil compaction frequently results from industrial disturbance on mineral soils, whether due to infrastructure or equipment traffic. Soil compaction tends to be most severe on sites with high clay content and high soil moisture, and when operations occur during non-frozen conditions. Natural processes such as freeze-thaw cycles are typically not enough to loosen deeply compacted soils (10-20 cm deep), in which case mechanical treatments will be required. This document provides information on different options for ameliorating compacted soils to improve target species growth.