Soil compaction negatively affects soil functions and the ecosystem services soils provide. It can reduce crop productivity and increase the environmental impacts of arable farming. At EU level, upcoming soil monitoring legislation identifies topsoil and subsoil compaction as key indicators of soil health. This project fills a national knowledge gap by characterising the variability of bulk density in Finnish agricultural topsoils and subsoils and identifying the soil properties that explain it, using soil datasets collected in previous projects. The results will also support assessment of how proposed EU threshold values apply under Finnish conditions. Using targeted sampling and experimental research, the project quantifies compaction caused by farming practices, examines how land use and management history influence compaction, and evaluates impacts on subsoil water storage capacity—and thus on broader ecosystem services. The project will deliver practical, easily visualised evidence on the physical state of soils and on factors that drive or prevent compaction, supporting farmers’ decisions on the choice and timing of field operations. Findings will be communicated throughout the project to a wide range of stakeholders.
