Healthy soils are foundational to healthy landscapes, resilient infrastructure, and thriving communities.
This Earth Month, we’re highlighting the completed Roseville Soils project along the Twin Lakes Trail, where our environmental specialists applied research-driven soil health strategies to demonstrate how small, intentional interventions can deliver lasting environmental benefits.
The Opportunity
Alliant employee-owner testing the soil infiltration using an amoozemeter (constant head permeameter)
Alliant was given a three-year contract working with the City of Roseville to test and monitor newly constructed soils, focusing on improvements through compost topdressing and long-term soil analysis. Our team evaluated organic matter, fertility, infiltration, soil structure, and carbon storage across compost‑amended and control areas. The results reinforced what soil science predicts: compost-amended soils consistently outperformed untreated areas by supporting healthier vegetation, developing stronger soil structure, sequestering more carbon, and improving infiltration rates critical for stormwater management.
Over the course of the project, composted areas saw dramatic increases in organic matter, exceeding ideal levels for plant establishment, while also improving nutrient balance and soil resilience. Most notably, the project demonstrated measurable climate benefits, with compost applications sequestering an average of more than four tons of carbon per acre per year. These improvements were achieved using practical, repeatable methods, including thin compost applications and carefully coordinated implementation, underscoring how achievable soil health solutions can be when guided by data and expertise.
Soil organic matter is migrating through the soil, improving soil health. (Left) Area receiving two annual compost topdressings. (Right) A soil core that lacks organic matter and is taken from an adjacent area that did not receive the compost topdressing.
strength in soils
Now expanding to other areas, the Roseville Soils project serves as a model for how thoughtful soil management can support environmental goals long after construction is finished. For our team, it reflects a broader commitment to protecting natural systems, improving performance from the ground up, and helping communities invest in solutions that benefit both people and the planet.
Examples of fall compost topdressing on sod, showing how the material is no longer visible by the following spring as it migrates into the sod and soil profile.
This Earth Month, we’re proud to highlight work that proves lasting impact often starts just beneath the surface.