What’s at Stake

The Power of Healthy Soil

Healthy soil is an amazing thing. It’s a living system made from a combination of organic matter—decomposed plants and animals—mixed with minerals from rocks, plus billions of bacteria, fungi, and other microscopic life. It is the product of thousands of years of decomposition and weathering.

Most of us know how important soil is for food production and plants, but soil is also involved in almost every other important ecosystem service that we depend on, like drinking water purification, carbon storage, and biodiversity support. By nurturing and supporting trees and ecosystems, healthy soil also indirectly contributes to air purification and industries like timber, maple syrup, and ecotourism.

Soil is so important that its health and productivity are considered key determinants of a nation’s economic status!

Why Jumping Worms?

We care about jumping worms because we care about soil.

Jumping worms are invasive earthworms from east Asia. They get their name from the unusual thrashing, snake-like behavior they show when disturbed. These worms radically and rapidly transform North American soils in a way that degrades soil structure and ability to provide the natural services we depend on.

These worms are widespread across the Northeast and Upper Midwest, and are creeping into southern Canada, where the last great tracts of intact forest remain in the world.

Jumping worms are not the classic earthworms we’re used to. They live in the top layers of soil, often in dense populations of hundreds of worms per square meter. They rapidly consume soil and other organic material, like fallen leaves, mulch, and compost. Their pellet-like waste, called castings, replaces the soil and accumulates in inches-deep layers on the ground’s surface. Imagine if intact soil were converted into very coarse coffee grounds, or dry, cooked hamburger—it would be loose, unstable, and unable to hold onto water. That’s what happens to the soil.

The reverberations of these effects contribute to all three of the planetary crises we are facing: biodiversity, climate change, and the degradation of natural resources. They also have profound negative effects on important movements in habitat restoration happening right now in backyards and small farms across the region. 

It Is Not Too Late to Act

The Healthy Soil Collaborative is committed to finding ways to stop the spread of these worms and discover biocontrols and restoration strategies that will help us protect and regenerate healthy ecosystems and soil functions for the benefit of everyone. Our approach combines monitoring and experimental science, with collaboration with outside partners to expand the reach of our science.

Learn more about what’s at risk from jumping worm invasions in our habitat: