[Terrapreta] Fw: Durability of charcoal as carbon sink?

[Soilsecrets at aol.com]

Good Day to you David,
 
Thanks for the interesting email concerning the Terra Preta  and Charcoal 
stuff.  
 
The real story of Soil Pedogenesis (soil creation) is not in  the Charcoal 
potential for long term carbon sequestering and storage but is in  the creation 
of the soil's terrestrial biosphere in a sustainable way.  
 
The Humic substances (humus) are powerful biochemical's that  are products of 
soil chemistry that are essential for a healthy  and productive soil, and 
it's humus that has a long chemical half life so  it can accumulate in the soil.  
I've been playing with the Terra Preta  soils and charcoal for 33 years since 
I wrote my Master's Thesis on 'Soil  Ecology and the Soil Food Web' in 1974 
and I'm not convinced of the  applicability of Bio-Char as the means to the 
end.  While granted we've  been using charcoal in the nursery production trade 
for many decades (nothing  new there) and the charcoal does offer many positive 
attributes to a canning mix  or even Terra firma, we must still work on what 
primes or instigates the  formation of humus in soils if we want true  
sustainability.    
 
 
Michael Martin Meléndrez 

Based on the science of mycorrhizae &  humus

Soil  Secrets: Unlocking the Secrets to Healthy Soil
Replenishing your  soil's microorganisms lead to beautiful, healthy 
landscapes----and reduced  carbon in the atmosphere. Healthy soil is an intricate web 
of minerals, humus,  plants, and microorganisms. Depleted soils need and can be 
nurtured back to  health. Soil Secrets soil microbial inoculants and organic 
soil amendments are  natural and approved for use on Organic Certified farms 
nationwide. Make the  choice to respect nature and improve the environment. 
Restore the natural  biology of the soil with indigenous soil microorganisms







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