Woods Soil

Find a stand of old growth trees in or near the survival site. By old growth I mean 50+ years old. Obtain some soil from in and around this grove of trees. Plan to obtain firewood from this grove of trees as well. Acquire some river bottom top soil as well. Now you will not be assured of having all the trace elements needed, but you can be sure that this combination of soil is not from commercial farmland. If the trees are of sufficient age, then you can be fairly certain that they have stored a large supply of the trace elements you seek. If they grow along a creek or river bed, then the land they grow on was not likely farmland at any time in the past.

Cutting a few of these trees for firewood will provide you with wood ashes that are mineral rich to use in your fertilizer. As far as how mineral rich, is there a chemist among us that can provide information about which minerals are likely to combine with oxygen and escape in gaseous form? My recollection is that primarily carbon and sulfur oxidize and escape in a slow (low heat) fire. Metals (like iron, manganese, selenium, etc.) need a 'really' hot fire to combine and escape as a gas. I'm considering that a slow cooking fire (you know, the coals) and a banked heating fire (the ole' pot-bellied stove) have very little smoke and mostly radiate heat while recombining their elements into 'ashes.'

An old stand of trees is likely to have not been farmed and if it is near a creek or river, then it has probably never been farmed! Also, near a creek or river, you have the added component of soil erosion and runoff. Don't fear the likelihood of chemical runoff, as most of this is in the creek or river itself and the top 8 or 10 inches of soil has already leached out the chemicals. The top several (8 to 10) inches of soil near the bank of a river is safe to use as a source of nutrient-rich soil. There is information about soil leaching available, and the University of Minnesota has a more in-depth explanation about soil leaching properties (though the tables may be helpful, they are for Minnesota). My personal experience is that soil on a river bank has a high amount of sandy silt. Soil of this nature would be considered medium to high permeability.

Offered by Roger.