STUDY OF THE PHENOMENON IN CLASS

We are students of fifth class in the school year 1999-2000 and we were separated in two sections. One day of November our school teachers George Skountzis and George Pikeas after the ringing of the bell announced to us something important .Our mind began to think different things. Then we heard the important statement. We are told that we would participate in an environmental programme. This programme was called “soil transport through aquatic currents” or with simple words “soil erosion” everybody said “one more subject?”, “More reading and exercises?”. However it was proved that we misunderstood it. The course was proved to be like a game that offered us education. We learned about the importance of superficial soil for the life of plants and its impact on the life of not only the animals but man’s generally.
We started by watching how soil is created by the decomposition of rocks that is their breaking into smaller pieces and their transport in another place by the energy of the air but also by water or it is created by remaining there where it was formed.
During our excursion in Taiyettos (both educational and recreational) we observed in practice the decomposition in nature.
We saw how smaller and smaller rocks formed from the bigger ones until soil was waiting for a mountain torrent to start its trip in winter. We noticed that there were no plants on mountain that didn't have any soil. We had seen an equivalent picture in class when we started our project.
Therefore we remembered that plants retain soil. In order to realize the importance of plants for the holding of soil we performed some experiments that you can see now being carried out, by our schoolmates.
We planted lentils and beans in two swallow flower-pots. In the first one we planted more seeds (densely planted area) and in the second less seeds (thinly planted area). Then we studied the importance of soil for the plants until they were grown.
When they grew at the point they are today, we filled another flower –pot with soil (that was the soil without plants). We placed them sidelong so that we can have a mountainside. We poured one and a half litre water in the densely planted flower – pot. We noticed that the quantity of soil that left was less than 10 cubic centimeters in 300 cubic centimeters of mixture.
We poured the same quantity of water in the other pot. There we noticed that the quantity of soil was more. In 300 c.c. the soil was 20 c.c.
Imagine our surprise when we saw the soil almost disappeared from the flower – pot without plants. By pouring one day a half litre water, the quality of soil that left was 200c.c. in 300 c.c. of mixture.
The same thing happens in nature. However things are totally different there, because the power of water is bigger.
The next stage was to see the role that the roots of plants play for the retaining of soil.
Thus, we planted two deep flowerpots with the same plants and the same arrangement densely planted – thinly planted. When they grew like these we have today, we opened three holes in the side of the pot, so that we can see how much soil can leave the internal part of the pot and not the surface. In this situation we also had a pot without plants. Even here the results were the same. Less soil left the densely planted pot. The results were disappointing for the pot with soil without plants. We also made our measurements here and we found the following results: in 300 c.c of mixture we had 5 c.c. soil for the densely planted pot, 10 c.c. for the thinly planted pot and 50 approximately c.c. for the soil without plants. Consequently we realized the importance of plants for the retaining of soil.
As our schoolmates said before, about the soil erosion, it is caused by the downgrading of forests, by the fires and the exceeding pasturage of burnt forests.
In order to examine the erosion as it happens in nature and to know which are the activities of the state to prevent this phenomenon, we visited the burnt forest of Foloi being helped by the forest inspection of Pyrgos, the chief forester of Pyrgos Mr. Sasalos and by the forester Mr. Barthis.
We visited the area Loukissa that is next to the beautiful village Pothos with Mr. Barthis. He told us about the dams that have been made along the torrents and keep being made in order to retain the fertile soil in the places it should be, after the fires that hit the area recently.
Mr. Barthis told us about the wooden barriers that are made where it is difficult for the big vehicles to have access and make others from cement.
We tried to make an equivalent manufacture at school, by forming a model of the burnt area but also of the area with fertile soil, something that you can see.
You can distinguish the cement barriers that are coloured grey, but also the wooden barrier of an inaccessible area. We can notice the effects of the water on the burnt area but also the flatness of the mountainside when the soil is fertile. Finally we end up at the sea where the brought matters are deposited and form the Delta of the river.
Then Mr. Sasalos was waiting for us in an area near the historical village Lala where they had made a reforestation and told us about the activities of the forest inspection for the upgrading of that specific area but also of other hit areas. We saw the trees that were planted and the hope that started raising up from the ashes.
The forest inspection however doesn’t only care for the reforestations but also for our entertainment. They have made playgrounds and there are tables with splendid view to the plateau of Lala, near the historical place “Pousi” Ahladinis next to the monument of heroes. Everybody can go there and have fun like we did forgetting the troubles and the problems. As you can see in the photo, undeniable witness, there were many sheep and goats that were tasting the goodies of the forest.