Redwood Reader

91. Connecting the Dots
This summer the federal government stated research and information were not flowing smoothly across agency and department lines, policy of some agencies flew in the face of others research, some research was duplicated at taxpayer expense and other research neglected by agencies that did not conduct that research. This was in relation to fifteen agencies involved in public lands and natural resources. And this is only at the federal level. Many of these agencies are duplicated at the state level. Sometimes these agencies act as successive filters for actions refining the decision making process in a series of steps. Too often, though it is the lateral movement of data across lines that is the problem. This is the story with glomalin.
Researchers focus on the object of their study, that is the nature of reductionism. They provide information that they interpret to best of their ability and in the channels they are accustomed to. Later, decisions are made by compiling past studies and extracting practical conclusions. So it is that USDA has discovered a soil glue mechanism deposited by fungi called glomalin in 1996. This study is already saving farmers millions of dollars converting to no-till farming practices as well as giving them a method to quantify soil carbon storage and earning them carbon credits to sell for additional profit.
Now, fungi are common in forests, indeed one writer has pointed out that soil samples high in bacteria are from grasslands ad those high in fungi are from forests. In fact, fungi are critical in forests as mycorhizzia, decayers and in a host of forest functions such as mineral transport and water storage. Hyphae extend through the soil in huge numbers, and deposit glomalin, accreting soil particles and providing pore space for water transport and root growth. In foresat soils this is occurring billions of times a year on each acre and slowly the soil becomes a water storage mechanism for the plant community stable while protected from major disturbance.
The salmon restoration movement has recognized the importance of maintaining river flows. Low summer flows in Middle Creek are not caused by water withdrawal or upslope use. The watershed does not retain enough rain because the vegetation is too young and the fungi have not reestablished the previous soil water space. Still, there is no talk of establishing glomalin or water producing areas for the benefit of rivers or fish. In xome cases improving the quantity and quality of water may be as useful as restoring original flow regimes, at least for the fish.
Similarly, clearcutting small trees hardly allows soil structure to improve if glomalin is considered. Naturally thick growing Douglas fir will need thinning at or before this age, but thinning with minimized soil impacts allows for quick return to stable conditions. Many county lands are in this recovering condition after the flood of 1964, the logging boom or fire. BLM planning for various areas all call for stand improvement thinning at an early age. Reducing fire risk also includes thinning and spacing. The conclusions reached by BLM are pretty close to how land would be managed for water production, with sound wildlife habitat and mature trees and strong year round flows. In the meantime, use should be found for small trees culled or thinned by land management crews charged with TSI projects.
Careful reading shows many examples of agencies fighting political battles without benefit of other government information. Fish and Wildlife vs. Board of Reclaimation. A concept like fungally produced soil glue made from excess greenhouse gases that stores rainwater needs to be understood as an everyday fact of life in planning and decision making because it allows us to live and work within the natural systems, that is, sustainably.