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Reforestation

Checking Soil Strength With Hand-Held Electronic Penetrometers

Heavy equipment used during forest management activities can leave ruts and compact the soil, preventing roots from growing freely. Electronic penetrometers collect data that can be combined with information on soil moisture, structure, and texture to provide a more accurate picture of soil properties, such as soil strength and compaction. Forest tree nurseries could benefit from this information, but many high-tech penetrometers designed for environmental and geotechnical investigations are large, expensive, and require two operators.

Hand-held electronic cone penetrometers that can be operated by a single person are available. MTDC went to the Forest Service's Coeur d'Alene nursery to compare three hand-held electronic penetrometers: the CP40, the Field Scout SC–900, and the Penetrologger. The results of the evaluations are in the report, Hand-Held Electronic Cone Penetrometers for Measuring Soil Strength (0524–2837–MTDC).

For more information on hand-held electronic penetrometers, contact Gary Kees, project leader (phone: 406–829–6753; e-mail: gkees@fs.fed.us).

To order the report, contact Cailen Hegman, MTDC publications (phone: 406–329–3978; e-mail: cahegman@fs.fed.us).

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