Willow Plantations Help Reclaim Land

Willow Plantations Help Reclaim Land CROPS New Techniques The normal process of reclaiming coal or mineral mines is to strip off topsoil and subsoil to be collected and stored for later use Once the mining is finished the soils are replaced for reconstitution to their previous state But many abandoned sites were started too long ago and don’t have a soil stockpile for reclamation purposes Sylvis Environmental Services helps with these situations “Step one is finding an efficient and renewable way to essentially manufacture a topsoil or combine the materials required to form a topsoil starter ” says John Lavery Sylvis senior scientist and business development manager “We know it’s not a topsoil yet just a growing medium ” To begin Sylvis contracts with cities municipalities and mine landowners to collect biosolids water treatment residuals manure compost or pulp and paper sludge all with a combination of nutrients and organic matter to address topsoil deficiencies This material is then mixed reconstituted and spread on the targeted land sites Sylvis then plants willow trees that take root and grow over a 30-year cycle Willows are selected as they are extremely fast-growing root to the proper depth and help accelerate soil formation without loss The willow plantations are harvested every 3 yrs using agricultural-style machinery The collected bio and fiber products become usable as renewable biomass cellulosic ethanol fuel or as a composting agent “The value in this type of reclamation restoration perspective is the below-ground processes aren’t being disturbed ” Lavery says “They’re allowed to continue so the natural processes of soil formation that require this biological rooting intervention are happening uninterrupted ” After harvest access to the soil is again available and more organic materials and fertilizer are added to the reconstituted topsoil to allow new willow regrowth at a highly productive rate Lavery explains when the woody biomass is harvested most nutrients remain in the soil After the 30-year cycle a rich and productive agricultural land base will be handed over to cereal crops or other farming systems “The willow plantations also become an oasis for wildlife birds and prairie biodiversity ” Lavery says “Additionally they pump carbon into the soil We’re helping mitigate climate change with carbon sequestration along with the ‘top of ground’ resources harvested Plus we’re helping meet carbon footprint reduction goals by gaining carbon credits from the biosolids used on the land and from the soil root systems ” Sylvis has ongoing willow projects in Alberta and consults with dozens of cities and municipalities in the U S and Canada “It’s a long-term soil building system and a great way to bring non-productive land back into production while generating some revenue with willows The carbon sequestration and positive climate change impacts we achieve are almost unparalleled Our willow projects have shown tremendous promise and incredible resilience ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup John Lavery Sylvis Environmental 427 Seventh St New Westminster B C Canada V3M 3L2 ph 800-778-1377; info@sylvis com; www sylvis com

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