Optimizing Ecosystem Services By Soil Management during and after Land Development.

Land development changes soil properties resulting in immediate and ongoing loss or reduction of ecosystem services. For example, soil manipulation and removal results in immediate loss of soil organic carbon (SOC) and ongoing loss of SOC due to reductions in net primary productivity. Other ecosystem services affected include stormwater mitigation, cooling through evapotranspiration, and C and N cycling. This talk will review the current state of knowledge and review pre- and post-land development practices that have potential to optimize soil-mediated ecosystem services during land development including soil protection and rehabilitation.