Massachusetts Healthy Soils Program

The Healthy Soils Program is administered by the Massachusetts State Commission for Conservation of Soil, Water & Related Resources, the coordinating body for soil and water conservation programs throughout the Commonwealth and staffed by EEA’s Division of Conservation Services.

Soil health is a matter of paramount importance within natural ecosystems, for growing our food, and for its relevance to mitigating climate change. In the face of escalating environmental challenges, the condition of our soil has emerged as a critical factor in mitigating climate change effects and ensuring sustainable agriculture.

Healthy soil acts as a natural carbon sink, sequestering vast amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Furthermore, it plays a pivotal role in regulating the water cycle, preventing erosion, and maintaining biodiversity. These functions are indispensable in the fight against climate change. As the climate continues to evolve, the preservation and enhancement of soil health become integral to adapting to its impacts.

To the general public, understanding soil health's significance is vital as our communities make important decisions about the future. Sustainable land management practices, such as preserving wetlands, methods of forest cutting, reduced tillage, cover cropping, and organic farming, promote healthier soils and help combat climate change. Supporting local initiatives and educational programs that advocate for soil health can empower communities to contribute to this global effort and is one of the objectives of this RFR.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts recently completed a three-year study and plan called  The Massachusetts Healthy Soils Action Plan.(HSAP)  That plan brings together into one document the science of soil health, its importance in sustaining healthy ecosystems, the current state of soil ecosystems here in Massachusetts, and finally, action steps that can be taken at all levels to recognize it importance and improve soil health.

To help us all better understand the science of healthy soils and the efforts being taken to promote better management of our soils, we are providing below a list of projects currently being undertaken.  These are projects funded through this office with the primary objectives for them are as follows:

• Promote Soil Health: To support demonstration type projects that document, prioritize and implement practices aimed at improving soil health and fertility.
• Sustainable Land Management: To encourage innovative approaches to sustainable land management that minimizes environmental degradation, enhances biodiversity and/or restores degraded soil health.
• Community Engagement: To foster community involvement and education in sustainable land practices and soil health improvement.
• Refine Tools for Municipal Soil Mapping, Assessment + Planning:  Update and distribute assessment and planning tools to enable municipalities, regional planning districts, and conservation organizations to visualize and integrate soil health into regular workflows.

Ongoing Projects, Funded by EEA Grants

Ref Number	Vendor	Grant Name	Quarterly Reports
C126	Northeast Organic Farming Association, Massachusetts Chapter, Inc.	Advancing HSAP Priorities through Sustainable Land Management Education for Homeowners and Landscapers	Quarterly Reports  Quarterly Report 2
C129	Worcester County Conservation District	Improving soil health of target agricultural, forested, and developed landscapes	Quarterly Reports
C131	ECOAG Collaborative, Inc., DBA Momentum Ag	Building a Community of Carbon Farmers in Massachusetts	Quarterly Reports  Final Report
C132	UMass Amherst	C132 - Demonstration and Education to Increase Soil Health Adoption on Massachusetts Cropland	Quarterly Reports
C135	Middlesex Conservation District	Transitioning Lawns into Meadowlands	Quarterly Reports
C137	Regenerative Design Group, LLC	C137 Guide for Implementing the Healthy Soils Action Plan in Design and Construction	Quarterly Reports Quarterly Reports2
C140	Regenerative Design Group, LLC	C140 - Soil Organic Carbon Mapping Project	Quarterly Reports
C142	Linnean Solutions, LLC	Healthy Soils Vo-Tech Curriculum	Quarterly Reports
C143	Hampshire College	Hampshire College Healthy Soils Initiative	Quarterly Reports
C145	Just Roots, Inc.	No-till: Innovation and Demonstration on a Community Farm	Quarterly Reports
C147	Landscape Interactions LLC	Healthy Soil through Maximum Biodiversity: Farmscape Models for Resilient Design & Land Management Using Pollinator Habitat	Quarterly Reports Quarterly Reports2
C148	UMass Lowell	C148 - Urban Food Forests for Healthy Soils	Quarterly Reports
C149	Hampden/Hampshire Conservation District	Building Healthy Soils Through Regenerative Practices	Quarterly Reports
C151	Berkshire Conservation District	No-Till Equipment program enhancement	Quarterly Reports
C300	UMass Amherst	C300 - Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices Assessment	Quarterly Reports
C263	BSC Group, Inc.	Healthy Soils Action Plan Wetland Management & BMPs Guide
C264	BSC Group, Inc.	Healthy Soils Action Plan Upland and Wetland Forest Carbon Data Collection & Analysis
C265	BSC Group, Inc.	Multimedia Healthy Wetland Soils Outreach Materials
C266	UMASS Lowell	Urban Food Forests for Healthy Soils - 2
C267	(MACD) Massachusetts Association of Conservation Districts	MACD Healthy Soils Program
C270	(MACC) Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions	Healthy Wetland Soils Training for Conservation Commissions, Community Colleagues, and Students across the Commonwealth
C272	Hampden/Hampshire Conservation District	Enhancing the Healthy Soils Program to Support Farmers & Build Soil Health in Western Massachusetts
C277	Regenerative Design Group Cooperative, Inc.	Healthy Soils Action Plan Ecosystem Carbon Sampling Protocols & Planning Project

The Massachusetts Healthy Soils Action Plan

There is a strong connection between the soils beneath us and a resilient Massachusetts. Soils determine the health and productivity of our farms, forests, wetlands and open spaces. The health of our soils is critical as climate change causes more flooding, droughts and heat waves. Soils also help reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. Soil organic carbon represents a huge reservoir of stored carbon and undisturbed soils absorb a significant amount of carbon each year. Soil carbon content is also a reasonable measure of the health and productivity of farms, forests, and wetlands. The Healthy Soils Action Plan provides an assessment of the condition of our soils and a blueprint for how we can effectively conserve and protect, restore, and properly manage our soils to improve the vitality of nature around us and the health and quality of life of our residents.

The Healthy Soils Action Plan was developed over the past three years under the direction of the Commission for Conservation of Soil, Water & Related Resources with crucial input from a steering committee with expertise in soils across five land use categories: farms, forests, wetlands, lawns and other developed open spaces, and impervious areas (buildings, roads, and parking lots). The committee met more than a dozen times and fifteen public workshops were conducted which included residents at various levels of government, nonprofits, communities, volunteers, farmers, foresters and landowners. Massachusetts is the first state to complete a healthy soils plan for all of its land use types.