Palm | Kelapa Sawit

The Two close countries, Serbia and Bulgaria, have chosen, for this joint issue of postage stamps, a nowadays very actual world theme - ECOLOGY.The motif of these jointly issues stamps is the Balkan Mountain landscape with birds(Scolopax rusticola- Eurasian Woodcock; Monticola saxatilis - Rufous - tailed Rock - thrush).
In the scope of this field, the Balkan Mountain with its flora and fauna proved itself to be an out - and - out stamp motif, because it represents the tight connection between two countries, which share this mountain’s wonderful natural beauties.



Scolopax rusticola- Eurasian Woodcock

What causes wind erosion?
Wind erosion can occur only when windspeed at the soil surface is sufficient to lift and transport soil particles. Moist soils and soils with stable aggregates or rock fragments are less likely to be eroded than other soils. Thick lichen crusts provide greater resistance to erosion than thin crusts. Sand moving across the soil surface wears away soil aggregates and thin crusts, causing more soil particles to become detached and to be blown away. A cover of plants disrupts the force of the wind.

Soils are more susceptible to wind erosion where disturbance exposes individual particles and soil aggregates to the wind. When physical or biological crusts are crushed or broken apart by such disturbances as heavy grazing, vehicle or foot traffic, and water erosion, particle movement begins at the lower windspeeds. The following conditions increase the susceptibility of the soil to wind erosion:

• crushed or broken soil surface crusts during windy periods;
• a reduction in the plant cover, biological crusts, and litter, resulting in bare soil;
• a decrease in the amount of organic matter in the soil, causing decreased aggregate stability; and
• long, unsheltered, smooth soil surfaces.


What are some indicators of wind erosion?

Erosion and the risk of erosion are difficult to measure directly. Other soil properties that affect erosion and can change with management, including soil surface stability, aggregate stability, and content of organic matter, can be measured. Measuring these properties can shed light on the susceptibility of a site to erosion. Comparing visual observations along with quantitative measurements to the conditions in the ecological site description or a reference area helps to provide information about soil surface stability and wind erosion.

The visual indicators used to identify past erosion include:

• bare soil,
• wind-scoured areas between plants,
• a drifted or rippled soil surface,
• loose sand on physical crusts,
• biological crusts buried by soil,
• pedestaled plants or rocks,
• exposed roots,
• soil deposition on the leeward side of plants and obstacles,
• litter movement to the leeward side of plants and obstacles,
• exposure of subsoil at the surface,
• reduced plant growth, and
• dust clouds.

When measured over time, the following indicators can be used to predict where accelerated erosion is likely to occur in the future:

• an increase in the amount of bare ground or in the size of bare patches,
• reduced soil surface stability, and
• a reduction in the amount of organic matter.


Please spend a moment taking a look at this webpage that shows hi def picture examples of recent dust storms in the US. It shows the mayhem that dust storms cause. Please be aware of wind erosion and how it affects the earths soil. Try and learn from our past so we don't have to repeat it. Thank You.

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Wind erosion is the physical wearing of the earth’s surface by wind. Wind erosion removes and redistributes soil. Small blowout areas may be associated with adjacent areas of deposition at the base of plants or behind obstacles, such as rocks, shrubs, fence rows, and roadbanks. In many cases the fine soil particles and organic matter are blown offsite or into the atmosphere as dust. Reducing the amount of bare ground by increasing the extent of vegetation, litter, and biological crusts reduces the risk of wind erosion.


Source: soils.usda.gov/sqi/management/files/RSQIS10.pdf

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan has announced that soil erosion on cropland declined by more than 40 percent during the past 25 years, while more than one-third of all development of U.S. land occurred during the same period.


The information was contained in the latest National Resource Inventory (NRI) for Non-Federal Lands, which was released at an event marking the 75th Anniversary of USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the agency charged with ensuring private lands are conserved, restored, and more resilient to environmental challenges. To see key findings please visit this website.


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A number of farming practices are currently being implemented in the developed world to limit soil degradation, including using drip irrigation, planting cover crops at the end of the growing season, applying manure or other organic material to the soil, rotating crops, practicing contour cultivation, and using no-till methods. The practice of organic agriculture, which eschews pesticides and synthetic fertilizers and optimizes long-term soil fertility, is becoming more prevalent to meet consumer demand. In parts of the developing world, grassroots community action is being taken. In one region of Burkina Faso, Africa, basins are dug during the dry season and filled with compost or manure to reclaim degraded land and restore soil fertility. Sorghum yields there have increased by 400 percent. If you are not familiar with how to conserve your soil then please visit this website that can teach you how in seven easy and simple steps. Thank you for caring!

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Excessive application of chemicals by farmers or spills and leaks of petroleum products and toxic substances by other users kill soil organisms. Soil is a complex living food web, where a variety of organisms interact to process organic matter, recycle nutrients, and nurture plants. Please use organic fertilizers and organic methods for pest management.

According to soil scientist Elaine Ingham at Oregon State University, just one gram of healthy agricultural soil contains around 100 yards of threadlike fungal material, 100 million bacteria, tens of thousands of one-celled organisms called protozoa, and up to 2000 tiny worms called nematodes. Growth of plants depends upon the presence of these microorganisms, which interact to retain nutrients and make nitrogen available. Higher up the food chain are the springtails and mites that prey on fungi. Larger still are the earthworms, ants, termites, millipedes, and beetles that fragment the organic debris, aerate the soil, and form channels for infiltration of water.

If you want healthier plants then support your soil food web by putting organic matter, which increases the population of beneficial soil organisms, in your soil medium. Please support the fight against soil quality and erosion by visiting http://www.basic-info-4-organic-fertilizers.com/soilorganisms.html where you can find lots of detail information about the kinds of beneficial soil organisms.

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Readers and writers alike may be interested in Ecotone, a literary journal concerned with nature, environment, and ecosystems. According to their website,

Ecotone is a literary journal of place that seeks to publish creative work about the environment and the natural world while avoiding the hushed tones and clichés of much of so-called nature writing. In the natural world an ecotone is a landscape where two separate ecosytems overlap, a place of danger and opportunity for animals. As we try to reimagine a new literature of place, our journal embraces literary ecotones, writing that breaks across genres and seeks out edges. These edges—between science and literature, the urban and rural, the personal and biological—are places that are alive and electric, as well as new and dangerous.