Intensive trafficking in orchards by heavy machinery can cause soil compaction. This can change the soil structure and pore system, with respect to both pore size distribution and the connectivity of the pore network. To determine the effect of wheel traffic and two different management practices on soil compaction and its consequences, we measured penetromenter resistance, water infiltration, bulk density, macroporosity, and microbial activity in an conventional (integrated fruit production programme) with bare (herbicided) rows and organic apple orchard with grassed rows. Measurements were taken both within the tree row and the wheel-track, and down to a depth of 350 to 400 mm. The results indicate that compaction is higher in wheel-track under both management methods, however, organic management results in a higher macroporosity in both the row and the wheel-track compared to conventional management. The ‘close-to-saturation' infiltration rate was also significantly higher within the row of the organic orchard (60 mm/hr) compared to the conventional orchard (10 mm/hr), and compared to the wheel-track (10 mm/hr). Compaction in the wheel-track was higher under organic than conventional management. The microbial activity was higher in the organic orchard compared to the conventional one, and, unexpectedly, higher in the interrow compared to the row under both management regimes, perhaps due to adverse soil chemistry (spray residues) in rows.