[Terrapreta] Tree planting -- a bit more

[lou gold]

Nope. I think we disagree.

Most of the world does not build houses with wood. This is a pattern only in
regions -- such as North American -- where abundant forest lands permit
wastefulness and the full costs of industrial forestry are not factored into
the equation.

Taking CO2 out of the atmosphere is not merely a possible side benefit. It
is part of a full life cycle loop that has gotten very out of balance by
dumping waste where it cannot be seen -- primarily in the atmosphere and in
the ocean.

The abundance that we dream of can come in a sustainable way only if all the
parts are considered and kept in balance.

all best,

lou

On Dec 4, 2007 3:28 AM, Duane Pendergast <still.thinking at computare.org>
wrote:

>  Thanks Lou,
>
>
>
> I may sound a bit flippant, but I think you are helping me make a point.
> We are already cutting forests, making them into houses, and thus creating a
> temporary carbon sink. That is the way we are going and I don't think it
> will stop. Sure there is paper produced from trees too, and there are
> "waste" materials. Some would burn those waste materials to generate
> electricity. The houses and paper become "waste" at some time too. I think
> the essence of the terra preta concept is to use those so-called "waste"
> forest biomaterials and other "waste" biomass in a different way to actually
> help Mother Nature build soil. A potential side benefit is to take carbon
> dioxide from the atmosphere.
>
>
>
> Duane
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> *From:* lou gold [mailto:lou.gold at gmail.com]
> *Sent:* December 3, 2007 10:03 PM
> *To:* still.thinking at computare.org
> *Cc:* Terrapreta
> *Subject:* Re: [Terrapreta] Tree planting -- a bit more
>
>
>
> Duane,
>
> You are part right. Saw timber that becomes house and furniture do
> constitute a carbon sink. BUT I'll bet that no more than 20% of the original
> forest biomass ends up in these uses. Most goes to paper products,
> co-generation and plain old waste. Cutting forests with the presumed goal of
> a home carbon sink is not the way to go.
>
> all best,
>
> lou
>
>
>  On Dec 4, 2007 2:54 AM, Duane Pendergast <still.thinking at computare.org>
> wrote:
>
> Lou,
>
>
>
> I guess Mike has not noticed yet that Canada 's dead trees become houses
> in Canada and the US . There's your carbon sink. The renewing forest keeps
> on removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.  The missing link here is to
> turn any dead houses into charcoal and rebuild the soil with them. Keep up
> the good work.
>
>
>
> Duane
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> *From:* terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org [mailto:
> terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org] *On Behalf Of *lou gold
> *Sent:* December 3, 2007 9:45 PM
> *To:* Terrapreta
> *Subject:* [Terrapreta] Tree planting -- a bit more
>
>
>
> Kelpie Wilson over at TruthOut as juxtaposed two recent articles on tree
> planting, soils, etc.
> They reveal the issues. http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/120307EA.shtml
>
> There's tremendous misunderstanding and I suspect lots is reported without
> full context. Here's an example:
>
>     "Forests are a band-aid," said Mike Flannigan, a research scientists
> at the Canadian Forest Service. "Eventually, forests die, releasing all that
> stored carbon into the atmosphere."
>
>     "Forests are carbon-neutral over the long term," Flannigan told IPS.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> http://lougold.blogspot.com/
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/visionshare/sets/
>



-- 
http://lougold.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/visionshare/sets/
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