Soil is a valuable and highly important asset, which is critical to supporting the productivity and health of northern Tasmania’s economic, environmental and social values.

Tasmanian agricultural systems have relatively high organic carbon content due to climatic and soil influences, however intensified farming practices, changing climate, erosion, increased chemical inputs and over 200 years of cultivation has led to significant declines in overall soil health.

Understanding soil changes over time is vital for providing information to guide improved land management actions and investment, to sustain our agricultural industry and ecosystems well into the future. Currently, there is no nationally consistent, long-term measured soil data available to understand soil changes.

The National Soil Monitoring Program focuses on major agricultural zones and will sample and monitor approximately 3,000 sites across Australia to provide nationally consistent soil data for an enduring soil monitoring program into the future.

NRM North, Cradle Coast NRM and NRM South have been engaged by CSIRO to engage landholders at pre-determined sites across Tasmania in soil monitoring efforts, with resampling to occur every five years, over a total of 20 years, to see how our soils are changing. Soil core samples of 50 mm diameter will be extracted up to a depth of 1 metre, from small 25 m x 25 m areas. Making sure to minimize disturbance, sites will be backfilled upon completion.

Data collected as part of the program will use internationally and nationally recognised methods and approaches, and will be publicly accessible through the Australian National Soil Information System. Landholders will also receive a detailed report on their soil test results, including information about its chemical, physical and biological properties.