Great Oak Forest Book II: Living Soil

SOIL RESEARCH LOG The Great Oak Forest contains the richest soil yet discovered anywhere on Drakonus B. The forest floor sustains itself without artificial fertilizer.

Initial testing credited the trees. That conclusion was wrong. The forest’s mushrooms distribute most of its nutrients.

Their underground growth connects nearly every tree within the forest. Dead plants are broken down and returned to the soil before the land can become depleted. Nothing here is wasted.

The mushrooms carry water and nutrients between roots. When one section weakens, the surrounding growth appears to sustain it. The entire forest behaves like one living system.

Soil samples contain exceptionally high levels of natural nutrients. Crops planted in untreated forest soil grow faster and remain healthy longer than controlled samples.

The forest could supply food for every Cowdonia settlement on the planet. Large-scale extraction is not recommended. Removing too much soil may damage the fungal network keeping it fertile.