Soil microbiome sampling begins in secondary forest plots

Sampling has begun in eighteen permanent plots across three ages of secondary forest in the Kanuku Mountains, part of a long-term effort to track how soil microbial communities recover after clearing.

Each plot is sampled at four depths, quarterly, with the first round completed this month. Samples are being processed in Georgetown before sequencing.

The study is deliberately slow. Recovery in tropical soils is measured in years, and the team expects the first useful comparison no earlier than 2028.