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Index of Subjects
Index of Subjects --089e082bf660e9d325056130cfac Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Regarding terra preta, our daughter Thea did both a Masters & a Ph.D. on biochar at Cornell, under Johannes Lehmann. She is now at the Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, as a Soil Microbiologist. She evolved into a soil microbiologist while researching microbiological aspects of biochar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biochar Our youngest daughter, Ellen, is doing a Ph.D at the Univ. of Alberta in forest fire science. Most of her field work has been in northern Alberta and the NWT. Her sister has joined her on some fieldwork there to study microbiological aspects of burned soils. They expect to publish at least one paper jointly on that work. So it seems, even to me, that I'm boasting here, but it might interest some here that young ladies from NS have research careers in both of these rather relevant fields. Regards, Rick Whitman On 25 December 2017 at 10:35, David <dwebster@glinx.com> wrote: > Dear All, > As the year end approaches on this windy Christmas day I wish to extend > some greetings. > May you all be blessed with long life, happiness, a well maintained > crap detector and thereby the ability to distinguish uncomfortable fact > from comfortable fiction. > According to an article in the Chron. Hrld. (Dec 22, Climate change > next year's major issue); a reported 5.4% of Canada's forest was lost to > bugs and fire while 0.2% was harvested in 2016. Some of that harvested wood > will store carbon until rot or fire releases it. All of that carbon in > burned or dead wood will be released in time. > And woodland, left untouched and unaffected by harvesting, fire or > pest soon reaches a steady state in which carbon captured per year equals > carbon released by biological activity in and above soil. So woodland, as a > means to store carbon, while no doubt better than barren roads and parking > lots, is effective only as a reservoir which may sometimes drain more > rapidly than it fills. > But charcoal does not decay and charcoal buried to depths of 2-3 > metres is potentially a way to store atmospheric carbon permanently while > vastly increasing the growth potential of woodland soils. This is > illustrated by terra preta; much inert carbon stored at depth and fertile > soil in a region noted for rapid soil degradation. > This is already too long. Later today I hope to describe the forest > potential of good soil based on experience in one small patch. > YT, DW, Kentville > --089e082bf660e9d325056130cfac Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr">Regarding terra preta, our daughter Thea did both a Master= s & a Ph.D. on biochar at Cornell, under=C2=A0<span style=3D"font-famil= y:sans-serif;font-size:18px">Johannes Lehmann. She is now at the Univ. of W= isconsin, Madison, as a Soil Microbiologist. She evolved into a soil microb= iologist while researching microbiological aspects of biochar.</span><div><= font face=3D"sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><a href=3D"https://en.wikipe= dia.org/wiki/Biochar">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biochar</a><font face= =3D"sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face=3D"sans-serif"><br></font>= <div><span style=3D"font-family:sans-serif;font-size:18px">Our youngest dau= ghter, Ellen, is doing a Ph.D at the Univ. of Alberta in forest fire scienc= e. Most of her field work has been in northern Alberta and the NWT. Her sis= ter has joined her on some fieldwork there to study microbiological aspects= of burned soils. They expect to publish at least one paper jointly on that= work.</span></div><div><span style=3D"font-family:sans-serif;font-size:18p= x"><br></span></div><div><span style=3D"font-family:sans-serif;font-size:18= px">So it seems, even to me, that I'm boasting here, but it might inter= est some here that young ladies from NS have research careers in both of th= ese rather relevant fields.</span></div><div><span style=3D"font-family:san= s-serif;font-size:18px"><br></span></div><div><span style=3D"font-family:sa= ns-serif;font-size:18px">Regards,</span></div></div><div><span style=3D"fon= t-family:sans-serif;font-size:18px">Rick Whitman</span></div></div><div cla= ss=3D"gmail_extra"><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On 25 December 2017 at 10= :35, David <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a href=3D"mailto:dwebster@glinx.com" targ= et=3D"_blank">dwebster@glinx.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class= =3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padd= ing-left:1ex"><u></u> <div><div>Dear All,</div>As the year end approaches on this windy Christmas= day I wish to extend some greetings.<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 May you all be bles= sed with long life, happiness, a well maintained crap detector and thereby = the ability to distinguish uncomfortable fact from comfortable fiction.<br>= =C2=A0 =C2=A0 According to an article in the Chron. Hrld. (Dec 22, Climate = change next year's major issue); a reported 5.4% of Canada's forest= was lost to bugs and fire while 0.2% was harvested in 2016. Some of that h= arvested wood will store carbon until rot or fire releases it. All of that = carbon in burned or dead wood will be released in time. <br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 A= nd woodland, left untouched and unaffected by harvesting, fire or pest soon= reaches a steady state in which carbon captured per year equals carbon rel= eased by biological activity in and above soil. So woodland, as a means to = store carbon, while no doubt better than barren roads and parking lots, is = effective only as a reservoir which may sometimes drain more rapidly than i= t fills. <br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 But charcoal does not decay and charcoal buried = to depths of 2-3 metres is potentially a way to store atmospheric carbon pe= rmanently while vastly increasing the growth potential of woodland soils. T= his is illustrated by terra preta; much inert carbon stored at depth and fe= rtile soil in a region noted for rapid soil degradation.<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 T= his is already too long. Later today I hope to describe the forest potentia= l of good soil based on experience in one small patch.<br>YT, DW, Kentville= =C2=A0 </div></blockquote></div><br></div> --089e082bf660e9d325056130cfac--
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