[Terrapreta] Forestland management

[Greg and April]

Let's take that one step at a time.

Interspaced in Blue.


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Sean K. Barry 
  To: Terra Preta ; Greg and April 
  Sent: Saturday, April 19, 2008 18:21
  Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Forestland management


  Hi Greg,

  What if you put charcoal into that soil (lots of it, like a big investment worth) before you planted the coppice plantation?  

  1st)    I would have to find that char as I have no local source to begine with.
  2nd)    If I bought land, its a sure bet that I'm probably going to have to build a home and out buildings to go with it and I'm not going to have a lot of discretionaly funds left.


  Then, every time you coppice, you put in not just more sunlight, but more plant nutrients (just the ones Salix need) and more water, too.  

  3rd)    I'm not going to have any more of anything to add, other than what passing animals leave. 

  You could even put grow flood lights on it at night during the summer (powered from solar cell renewable energy, of course).  

  4th)    Major investments such as this are way out of the question, and is anything but maintnance free - something that is not going to happen.    

  5th)    Such an instaltion would be anything but low impact - a must for any farm I own, due to medical issues.    


  This could boost those coppice plantation yields up in a big way, right?  

  6th)    Not interested in a coppice plantation ( sorry if I gave you that impression ) nor is that in anyway self sufficent, as that relies on major technical items that have to be produced elsewere.

  Now, harvest the woody biomass (coppice), make charcoal, harvest some bio-energy, and sell all of that which you you can.  

  7th)    While I will harvest woody biomass and make char, selling bioenergy requires more technical equipment that I have no intrest in investing in. 
  It would also require that I have to produce it at a level that I have no interest in achieveing to make it pay.


  This is an energy crop, grown with high yields, boosted by the use of Terra Preta technology and designed to build more raw material for TP soils (a "carbon negative" activity) along with harvesting "carbon neutral" bio-energy.  At re-plantings (if these occur?) and/or new plantings, charcoal could further be invested into the soil ahead of the plantings, to insure higher yields over the "coppiced" life of that plantation.

  If the "coppiced" crops have any annual leaf fall and it is onto TP-like soils, then perhaps these plantations, because of the large carbon investment in them, will soon be able to hold of the nutrients that you apply (by digesting it from the fallen leaves) and you will be able to apply less nutrients in the future.  You'd need to only apply the nutrients you took of in the coppiced product.

  Again it sounds like you misunderstand my intent and I apologize for the misunderstanding.    

  I do not intent to plant large plantations of coppice woods.    I intent to plant a series of small mixed wood lots that can be harvested in the coppice style.    These woodlots are intended to furnish fuel and food.    

  They are also intended to create a series of micro climates to furnish shade for animals in the summer, and act as oversize snow fences to harvest more snow in winter ( for moisture later in the year ), not to mention break the wind during blizzards making them more survivable for the animals on my farm.

  While I intend to own a small tractor ( probably an late model Farmall, pre 1980 Massey Ferguson, or even a pre 1985 Ford ), and have a greenhouse to provide for my family ( by way of aquaculture ), I have no interest what so ever in owning large amounts of equipment, nor having to rely on some international agency for what ever revenue that comes my way.    

  With my migraines the name of the game HAS to be simplicity and low cost.

  While I may ( and I repeat MAY ) get a wind gen for use during the less sunny periods - it's isn't for a major power production effort - it is so I can take my self further off the grid.


  That being said, I will be putting char in the ground regardless, and if a true believer wants to pay me for what I'm already going to be doing - far be it for me to complain.


  Greg H.
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