OREGON/WASHINGTON SOIL PROGRAM

The Soil Program maintains the productivity of soils across diverse ecosystems in Oregon, from the thick soils in western Oregon to the dry, desert soils of the rangelands in Eastern Oregon. The BLM addresses the health and productivity of soils and evaluates the potential impacts of projects on soils when they prepare resource management plans and subsequent environmental impact statements and environmental assessments.

Soil Project: Soil Restoration after Wildfire

Following such environmentally catastrophic events as wildland fires, local land managers use rangeland seed drills from the Vale District to restore vegetation and help prevent soil erosion. Thanks to this heavy machinery, seeds are being mechanically planted en masse without having to resort to the slower work of planting by hand. But after many hours of scuffing terrain, creating furrows, and dropping and covering seeds, these drills must be sent by the BLM to its Vale District's International Rangeland Drill Repair Center. At this shop, seed drills are refurbished in a large garage that can handle up to three seed drills at a time.