A substantial portion of soils in the Amazon has low fertility and high acidity indexes. The low levels of technology used in land management and in the use of fire has been pointed out as the main cause of alteration of areas covered by forests. Inadequate soil management, either while planting forest species or agricultural crops, leads to environmental modifications, such as erosion, water pollution and loss of nutrients and biodiversity. Despite the difficulty to measure the degree of recovery of those areas, we may assume that an altered area, whatever environment or land use type it is submitted, would be in recovery phase when the status of its organic matter is improving. This can be measured through soil biological indicators such as levels of organic matter and nutrients, and activity of the microbiological biomass. It also influences the quality of the planted specimens in terms of tree diameter and height, and aerial biomass. Areas currently under recovery or recovered in their edaphological properties can be compared, through the use of bioindicators, to soils enriched with organic material from organic soil management in the past, such as forest systems planted in areas of black earths. This comparison, besides validating soil quality indicators, will be helpful in studies involving rational use of both natural and planted forests.
Amazon soils; environmental indicators; wood residues; paricá plantations
