A Study on Soil Environment in Highway Cutting Slope and Adjacent Natural Vegetation Area

고속도로 절토 비탈면과 인접 자연식생지의 토양 환경 비교 분석

This study was carried out to estimate the physical and chemical soil characteristics in highway cutting slope areas. The soil was sampled in cutting area and natural vegetation area that was located in the upper areas of the highway cutting slope. The average total soil depth, bulk density, and soil hardness were bad in the highway cutting slope sites. The sandy loam was the most soil texture in the study area. The concentration of soil organic matter and nitrogen were very low in all highway cutting areas. The concentration of exchangeable cations was similar between the highway cutting slope and the natural vegetation sites in each highway. The soil pH was higher in highway cutting slope areas than in natural vegetation sites. In conclusion, chemical and physical properties of soil were bad in the cutting slope than in the natural vegetation area because of the loss of soil by cutting of slope area and less organic matter input by less vegetation in the highway cutting slope area. We should employ possible method to reduce the loss of soil, and compost and fertilization treatment could help to increase soil nutrient content in the cutting slope area.