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A comment on The return of the buffalo is reviving portions of the ecosystem. Parent comment

Re:The return of the buffalo is reviving portions of the eco... by sethammons on Monday February 10, 2025 @04:49PM (#43005666)
you can regenerate soil with these large herds. It is the trampling of soil under hoof. Millions of tilling animals. This builds up soil. Topsoil in the plains used to be 16+ inches. Now it is under 4. Gone on some places. We removed the way it was re-built when eroded (or in our case, farmed away)
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Re:The return of the buffalo is reviving portions of the eco... by throwup238 on Monday February 10, 2025 @05:44PM (#43006251)
In addition buffalo form wallows that collect rain water and support many amphibians and plant species: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_wallow
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Re:The return of the buffalo is reviving portions of the eco... by floatrock on Monday February 10, 2025 @10:38PM (#43008659)
huh, neat. Kinda how beavers made beaver dams all over the place, slowing down water flows and keeping water in the ecosystem instead of washing it downhill. But this is same principle in the plains.

Also reminds me of Zai holes or crescent-dikes for rainwater harvesting and planting. Apparently it's a technique being used to limit and reforest the encroachment of the Sahara. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Za%C3%AF

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Re:The return of the buffalo is reviving portions of the eco... by tastyfreeze on Monday February 10, 2025 @05:20PM (#43006047)
Topsoil in the plains was many feet prior to the dustbowl. Probably not everywhere but many prairie plants have roots down to 15-20 feet.

Topsoil is what we call the upper "living" aerobic portion of soil. It is the portion of soil that participates in nutrient cycling. Roots into subsoil turn it into top soil over time. Tilling kills topsoil. So, its not that all the dirt flew away. Some did, but mostly it just died and turned back into subsoil.

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