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Cull hummings property7/31/2023 ![]() ![]() Glomalin can last over 40 years, but the slow depletion of the thing that stores most soil carbon, and does most of the heavy lifting in soil structure – well, that depletion starts in earnest the moment soil is dug. Now, glomalin was invisible to science until about 25 years ago, partly because it is so stable. Much of what we’ve done, historically, is about killing, not letting things thrive. Slice through them, and soil structure is broken. These hyphae are the source of glomalin, that magical superglue of soil. But – and this is the kicker – you also cut the hyphal threads, those long, invisible strands of fungal matter that provide all that underground connectivity in terms of nutrients and communication. Cut open soil, and you release a whole bunch of stored carbon and nitrogen from the rotting vegetable matter as well. When they die, they release carbon, which isn’t replaced in the soil by other living microbes, at least in the short term. Firstly, when you expose this microbial community to the air, lots of them die. Just like a city, a rebuilt one may differ in lots of ways.īut a few things happen in the interim. It can be rebuilt, but it may never be the same. All those bacteria, protists, nematodes, archaea, algae and fungi, as well as the bigger life, the springtails, rotifers and worms, their home is ruined. Ploughing, we now know, sabotages something far more delicate – those things invisible to the naked eye.Įvery time you plough a field, or dig over your garden, it’s not just the visible soil that’s in trouble, but the soil ecosystem. Once exposed, soil is too readily washed and blown away, or carried downhill.īut worse than this. Digging helps promote loss of the sand, silt and clay that make up over 95 per cent of soil. There’s also colluvial erosion, where loose soil moves downhill due to the action of gravity. Wind and water erosion take hold on the ground laid bare by the plough. We’re losing soil, on a global scale, on ploughed land, about 100 times faster than it can be made, according to the International Panel on Climate Change’s 2019 Land Use Report. To understand the damage, we’ll have to consider many things.įirst is the physical. But just how much damage is now becoming clear. In the end the committee backed council staff who said that Kates Way did not fit within the council's naming policy, as Kate Sheppard did not have an association with the area.We’ve known for aeons that ploughing land can cause damage. The merits of the name Kates Way had prompted disagreement among councillors, some saying people would not make the connection to Kate Sheppard without the inclusion of a last name.Ĭrs Andrew Noone and and Mike Lord felt the street should be able to be named Kates Way.Īt one point, committee chairwoman Kate Wilson joked she would have to remove herself from the debate.Ĭr Neville Peat, who confessed to being a pedant, felt the lack of apostrophe would further contribute to a proliferation of poor punctation. It was frustrating that such ''trivial'' matters had to be discussed at a standing committee meeting.Ĭr John Bezett also welcomed the review, saying he was sick of the ''silly debate'' that happened every time street naming was discussed. Mr Cummings argued naming the street Kates Way would recognise suffragist movement leader Kate Sheppard.ĭunedin Mayor Dave Cull said it was pleasing the bylaw on street names was being reviewed, but the important thing was that future decisions be left to staff. In the end, developer Pat Cummings did not get his way, with councillors voting in favour of a staff recommendation to name the street Kew Place instead. The concern over the amount of time spent on the issue was raised during a debate at Tuesday's infrastructure services committee over whether a street in a subdivision should be called Kates Way. Dunedin City councillors are sick of spending their time on a ''silly debate'' over street names. ![]()
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