Debilitated Devbhoomi: First Of Its Kind Soil Testing Unearths Vast Imbalance In Key Nutrients In Uttarakhand Forests
The first of its kind forest soil testing was jointly carried out between 2020 and 2025 by the Uttarakhand Forest Department and FRI Dehradun.
Published : June 4, 2025 at 5:55 PM IST
By Naveen Uniyal
Dehradun: A first of its kind forest soil test has unearthed vast imbalance in key nutrients in the woods of Uttarakhand.
According to officials, the soil testing carried out by the Uttarakhand Forest Department and Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, lasted from 2020 to 2025 while the report was submitted to the Uttarakhand Forest Department in the year 2025.
First Of Its Kind Soil Testing In Forest Area
Soil testing is usually carried out in the agricultural sector so that the farmers know the health of the soil and accordingly replenish the fields for deficient nutrients. This is for the first time that the health of the soil of the forest area has been tested.
Forest Research Institute Dehradun is preparing a record of soil health in many states across the country with Uttarakhand one of them.
Soil Sampling Of 24 Territorial Divisions Done
Scientists of Forest Research Institute have done soil sampling of a total of 24 territorial divisions in Uttarakhand, and prepared a record of the nutrients present in it. Mainly the presence of nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, carbon, iron, copper and manganese in the soil was observed during laboratory testing. These various nutrients have their own importance and hence all of them have been measured comparatively with the standard value. Significantly, the various nutrients were recorded very high in some and very low in other forest areas.
Significance
For tree plantation, health of the soil is as important as favorable weather, better seeds and sufficient water. That is, the soil on which the full responsibility of the trees lies, should also be full of nutrients for better plantation.
Chief Forest Conservator Half Dr Dhananjay Mohan said that soil testing is an important process before plantation, through which plantation can be made successful.
Worrying pH Levels
One of the key findings in the maiden forest soil testing report is the vast imbalance in the pH(Hydrogen ion concentration of power of hydrogen), which is effectively the measure of the acidity or basicity of the soil.
Generally the standard value of pH is taken as 5.9. But the soil testing report in Uttarakhand revealed much lower pH in Mussoorie Division, Tons, Nainital, Haldwani, Upper Yamuna, Almora, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Badrinath and Pauri Garhwal Division. Similarly, the pH value was higher than the standard value in Dehradun, Chakrata, Haridwar, Kalsi, Ramnagar, Narendra Nagar, Tehri, Terai West, Terai Center, Champawat, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar and Lansdowne Division. In Nainital Division, pH was found to be 5.02, while it was 7.32 in Terai West Division.
The soil testing report has also revealed an imbalance in terms of organic carbon among these divisions. Organic carbon is one of the various components found in the soil, and it plays an important role in the better health of the soil. Against the standard value of organic carbon of 1.81, Haldwani division recorded 0.38 percent organic carbon while it was 2.79% for Badrinath Forest Division.
Iron, Potassium Deficiency In Forest Soil Of Haldwani
In a worrying finding for the Forest Department, the first soil testing report has revealed deficiency of iron in the soil samples taken from Haldwani division where the iron value was 0.83 ppm, which was much less than the standard value of 3.35. The highest iron value of 5.07 ppm has been recorded in the soil sample taken from Pithoragarh division in the state.
The forests in Haldwani division have also been found deficient in potassium as per the soil testing report. The value was found to be 308.32 (kg/ha), against the standard value of 418.18 kg/ha. On the other hand, the soil samples in Tons division in the state had a potassium value of 664.85 (kg/ha).
Besides iron and potassium, here are the findings of the first forest soil testing report with regard to other nutrients:
Nitrogen
The soil testing found much less nitrogen in the forests of Haldwani Forest Division than the standard value. As per the test report findings, 175.62 (kg/ha) nitrogen was found in Haldwani Division, while the value of nitrogen was 415.49 (kg/ha) in Terai West Forest Division. The standard value in the case of nitrogen is 282.63 (kg/ha).
Phosphorus
Likewise, the amount of phosphorus in the soil sample of Pithoragarh division was found to be 23.55 (kg/ha), while the soil samples of Terai East Forest Division were found to be very rich in phosphorus availability with 54.46 (kg/ha) value, much higher than the standard value of 40.93 kg/ha.
Sulphur
For better growth of the plant, sulphur is required in high quantities in the soil. The standard value of presence of sulphur in the soil is 3.98. But much less sulphur than this standard value has been found in the soil of Bageshwar division where its value was 2.56 ppm. Likewise, the value of sulphur in Haldwani Forest Division was 5.53 ppm.
Zinc
The value of soil sampled from Haldwani division was found to be 0.09 ppm, which was much less than the standard value of 0.87. On the other hand, the value of zinc in Badrinath Forest Division was 3.78 ppm, which was much more than the standard value.
Manganese
The forest soil in Haldwani Forest Division has also been found to be deficient in the quantity of manganese with 0.50 ppm manganese against the standard value of 3.24 ppm. On the other hand, the highest manganese in Uttarakhand was recorded in the soil of Champawat Forest Division, where the manganese value was 6.25 ppm.
Copper
The first forest soil testing found 0.23ppm copper in Dehradun Division, while 3.58 ppm copper was available in Narendra Nagar Division. The standard value of copper is considered to be 1.18 ppm.
Apart from Uttarakhand, the Forest Research Institute Dehradun has taken soil samples from the forest areas in states like Himachal, Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh to check the availability of nutrients and remedial measures.
Emphasis On Organic Manure
Scientists at the Forest Research Institute have recommended the use of organic manure to replenish the forest soil in key nutrients. It has been advised to use cow dung manure in places where the nutrients in the soil are low with the measurement of 3.361 tonnes/hectare or vermicompost of 1.05 tonnes/hectare.
Over the cause of nutrient deficiency, scientists believe that human activities can be the reason behind the lack of nutrients in the soil. The presence and quality of stones in the soil can also be the reason for the excess or deficiency of various nutrients.
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