Deerfield Healthy Soils Project

Empowering Deerfield to steward healthy soils for a resilient, thriving ecosystem.

The goal of this project was to identify the most impactful actions the Town of Deerfield can take to steward its soils in ways that support core ecological functions, including carbon sequestration and storage, soil fertility, and healthy water dynamics.

Regenerative Design Group led a year-long process that combined high-resolution modeling of Deerfield’s soil resources with hands-on engagement and policy development. The work included presentations, workshops, and targeted conversations with community stakeholders, with particular focus on local farmers; soil sampling across multiple land types to establish a baseline for long-term soil health tracking; a soil health field day engaging 120 high school students; and the development of bylaw recommendations aimed at protecting and strengthening local soil resources.

Completed in 2022, the project was part of Deerfield’s broader Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness action. RDG worked closely with Chris Curtis of Conservation Works, the lead planner for the MVP project and author of the sample bylaws, and reported directly to Deerfield’s Climate Change and Energy Committee.

The project received the 2022 Sustainability & Resilience Award from the Massachusetts chapter of the American Planning Association.

Client

Town of Deerfield Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program
Deerfield, MA, 2022

Team Members

Partners

Chris Curtis, Conservation Works

Services

Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) analysis and modeling by land cover type
Soil-smart planning and management priorities
Stakeholder engagement, with a focus on the agricultural community
Soil sampling across diverse land types to support long-term soil health tracking
Sample bylaws to protect and improve soil resources
Design and facilitation of a soil health field day for 120 high school students