Forest soils after the storm

By José Manuel Bellalta, general manager of Grupo GB CINCO

The recent intense rainfall recorded in various regions of the country has exposed challenges that go beyond the isolated collapse of roads, strips, bridges, or drainage systems at forestry operations. One of its most critical but least visible effects occurs beneath the surface: erosion, water saturation, and the transport of sediments or substances in the root zone of plantations and forest lands. This phenomenon raises a key question for contractors and sector stakeholders: in what condition are the soils and the road network of operations left once the immediate emergency has passed?

Although the rainfall ceases, the operational and environmental impacts can be prolonged. Accelerated surface runoff and the movement of water through saturated profiles not only destabilize access roads and critical infrastructure, but also displace nutrients, salts, and even contaminants (from industrial or storage areas) through leaching and transport processes. On forest properties, this movement directly affects soil structure and quality, compromises the network of adjacent surface and groundwater courses, and generates significant risks both for operational continuity and for surrounding ecosystems.

Faced with this scenario, the traditional response—focused solely on clearing roads, repairing logging roads, or cleaning damaged infrastructure—is insufficient to guarantee sustainable management. It is necessary to go one step further and rigorously assess what is happening beneath the soil. The implementation of environmental monitoring and characterization programs makes it possible to determine with accuracy the presence, extent, compaction, and levels of degradation or impact on the intervened lands.

This scientific and preventive diagnosis is indispensable for forestry service companies to precisely define the appropriate strategy to follow. On the one hand, recovery applies to soils affected by severe compaction resulting from machinery use, water erosion, or saturation from waterlogging, with the explicit purpose of restoring their physical functions, productive capacity, and suitability for reforestation or operations. On the other hand, remediation becomes a fundamental measure when the presence of substances or contaminants is detected at levels that represent a direct risk to watercourses, forest biodiversity, or the health of workers in the field.

Moving toward a preventive strategy grounded in technical data—going beyond simply reacting to the emergency—not only protects the long-term productivity of the forest heritage. It also constitutes a key decision to safeguard water sources, guarantee safety in operations, and reinforce the forestry contractor sector's commitment to a productive and truly sustainable activity.