permaculture

[B Hardy <rhubarbs@hotmail.com>]

Thank you Dieter for expressing this perspective, I share your concerns.

Barbara

On Thu, Nov 17, 2011 at 5:40 AM, Dieter Brand <diebrand@yahoo.com> wrote:

> My objection is that we can use a given biomass only once: we either
> return it to the soil to maintain humus and feed the microbes and other
> soil organism or we turn it into charcoal.
>
> Humus is capable of providing both the living environment and the food for
> microbes.  There is no reason to assume that the microbes and other soil
> organisms in my soil would suddenly want prefabricated charcoal “apartment
> buildings” after having evolved without them for billions of years.
>
> I live in a semi-arid climate on heavy clay soil.  The positive effect on
> fertility of adding biomass to the soil is immediately visible.  According
> to a figure I came across recently, there can be 10 tons or more of soil
> organisms in 1 hectare of rich soil.  These organisms need to be fed!  I
> return every ounce of biomass available in my place to the soil.  To turn
> biomass into charcoal would reduce the food I can provide to the soil
> organisms.
>
> The last 100 years have seen an unprecedented destruction of biomass.
>  Many of our environmental, health and other problems can be directly or
> indirectly traced back to this destruction of biomass.  Not aware of the
> importance of biomass for maintaining humus and soil fertility, the public
> is likely to favor any plan to destroy even more biomass - considered a
> waste by most – that, like biochar or biofuel, promises a quick fix to our
> environmental problems and allows us to continue the wasteful lifestyle
> made possible by industrial methods.
>
> On a global scale it doesn’t matter if someone wants to try out charcoal
> in his backyard.  However, to have the effect on global warming that is
> claimed by biochar advocates, we need to turn biomass into charcoal on a
> large scale.  Added to the destruction that is already ongoing and the
> devastation caused by biofuel production, this will greatly reduce the
> future prospects for organic farming, which relies on feeding the soil with
> biomass.
>
> Dieter
>
> _______________________________________________
> permaculture mailing list
> permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> Subscribe, unsubscribe, change your user configuration or find out more
> about this list here:
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
> Garden Hand Tool Sourcelist and Biointensive Gardening Guide
> http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/documents/gardening-hand-tools.faq
> permaculture forums http://www.permies.com/permaculture-forums
> Market Farming Mailing List
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/marketfarming
>
>


-- 
Barbara Hardy, Co-Director
Sustainable Keweenaw Resource Center (SKRC)
Jutila Center,  Suite 316
200 Michigan Street
Hancock, MI 49930
www.skrconline.net