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Index of Subjects Hi David & Alison, For an excellent overview of the forest calcium issue, see: Soil-Calcium Depletion Linked to Acid Rain and Forest Growth in the Eastern United States By Gregory B. Lawrence and T. G. Huntington available at http://ny.water.usgs.gov/pubs/wri/wri984267/ Related studies have been done in Nova Scotia by Paul Arp & Co. See 2010 poster presentation Quantifying the impacts of biomass harvesting on nutrient budgets across Nova Scotia (Search x Google to bring up PDF) The current government/DNR appears to be sitting on the details which may contain some inconvenient truths related to possible use of SW Nova Scotia forests as chemical feedstocks. Quoting David & Alison Webster <dwebster@glinx.com>: > Hi Dave P. & All, Apr 13, 2013 > Was this effect of Ca on tree productivity established by > experiment, e.g. application of Gypsum, or by association ? Genuine > Ca deficiency is, as I recall, just about unknown apart from extreme > conditions such as Serpentine soils or solution culture. > > In an interesting experiment reported by Reich et al. (Ecology > Letters (2005) 8:811-818),14 tree species were grown for 30 years in > replicated plots of 'uniform' initial soil and a converse effect was > demonstrated; species with high Ca in their leaf litter > significantly increased soil Ca and soil pH. > > [BTW, soil pH usually increases as soil Ca increases (there is > only so much exchange capacity to go around) but the two can be > manipulated independently, e.g. Gypsum will increase soil Ca while > having almost no effect on pH.] > > Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville > ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Patriquin" <patriqui@DAL.CA> > To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>; "Mary Macaulay" <marymacaulay@hotmail.com> > Cc: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca> > Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2013 12:35 PM > Subject: Re: [NatureNS] tree biomass fuel ... calcium loss also > critical in NS > > >> In addition to concerns raised by the Nature article, a >> multi-authored paper published in the Policy Forum of Science in >> 2009 pointed out that there is a critical accounting error in the >> Kyoto Protocol that allows biomass energy to be treated as carbon >> neutral, regardless of the source. The error is very large for >> forest biomass. >> >> Searchinger. T.D. et al T.D. et al., 2009. Fixing a Critical >> Climate Accounting Error Science 23 October 2009: Vol. 326. no. >> 5952, pp. 527-528 >> >> In addition, we should be concerned about calcium losses in NS. NS >> forests are the most or amongst the most intensively harvested in >> Canada, half or more of our soils by area are very calcium poor and >> highly susceptible to soil acidification, and the area is stressed >> by acid rain. There are worrying signs that for large areas of >> Nova Scotia (esp in the SW), significant declines in productivity >> or other effects of low calcium may be only 1 or 2 rotations away, >> if not already beginning to happen. Further, climatic warming can >> be expected to exacerbate these stresses, e.g., because the >> deciduous species expected to be favoured have higher calcium >> requirements than softwood. >> >> Intensive forest harvesting can only exacerbate this problem, both >> by direct removal of nutrients and though increased losses from >> leaching. >> >> Loss of salmon from many of our rivers is attributed to acid rain >> but also reflects reduced levels of calcium in the upland soils. >> >> Birds are also affected, see >> http://news.psu.edu/story/155790/2011/09/15/research-shows-soil-calcium-limits-forest-songbirds >> >> ...we have many reasons to be concerned about continued >> clearcutting in NS, and the obscurification of this issue by the >> current government. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Quoting Mary Macaulay <marymacaulay@hotmail.com>: >> >>> One of The Economist leaders this week warns against the trend >>> toward using forest biomass as fuel (they call it environmental >>> lunacy). It's a great article on page 71 for those who subscribe >>> or at this link >>> http://www.economist.com/news/business/21575771-environmental-lunacy-europe-fuel-future >>> >>> Please circulate this widely. It's nice to see this highly >>> respected journal calling an axe an axe. >>> >>> Mary Macaulay >> >> >> >> >> ----- >> No virus found in this message. >> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >> Version: 2013.0.3272 / Virus Database: 3162/6236 - Release Date: 04/10/13 >> > > >
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