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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0220.022 2008-2010 PWt4m 2009 JUL 1 PO 8 41 The Waiawi Project 'c'~9v'' w ti%,,t Dear Councilman Yoshimoto, Soon the State and County must make a critical decision with regard to control of strawberry guava. Researchers have proposed experimental release of a non-native insect that would impact both public and private trees statewide, an action they concede would be irrevocable and permanent. Before this drastic step is taken, we ask your consideration of an alternate plan. A group of Big Island farms and nurseries have partnered with UH Hilo College of Agriculture in a pilot program to demonstrate an economic model for use and control of strawberry guava. Rather than viewing the trees as weeds to be wasted, this program will examine the worth of the unwanted trees as an abundant source of raw material which, when processed, can create jobs and products that directly benefit the state's many agricultural businesses. Our project will harvest and process strawberry guava to make biochar and planting media that local farms and nurseries must currently import from the mainland, increasing self-sufficiency while turning the invasive trees to a positive use. Biochar has opened up a new field in soil science. Crop studies of this substance have shown remarkable results, and its production has even been endorsed by the U.N. Not only does biochar enrich depleted soils, but it is carbon- negative, removing carbon from the atmosphere. Many local farms and nurseries have already signed up to use and study these materials in cooperation with the UH, and the DLNR has contributed a plot of land for the demonstration site. One focus of our project is to demonstrate that harvest of strawberry guava is a sustainable strategy for invasive tree control on conservation lands. Harvest with stump treatment has shown a 90% success rate in permanently eliminating strawberry guava. Forest areas at greatest risk could be targeted for invasives to be cleared, and desired species could be re-planted on these sites within a year's time. Profitable products created from unwanted trees will fund sustained labor, and this new local industry will support jobs for harvesters and processors. We thank you for your interest. Please feel free to contact us. Dr. William Steiner, Dean, UH Hilo College of Ag. 808.974.7393 / steiner@hawaii.edu Shelley Hanaoka, Farm representative 808.968.8078 / hanaoka@hawaiiantel.net Comm. No. 212'0. ZZ Ref. To, W L Ref. Data JUL / 4 SS _1 0 Qi i? C 1 Biochar Ion taative , ~ 1 JH Biochar Combats Climate Change The carbon in biochar resists degradation and can se- quester carbon in soils for hundreds to thousands of years. Blocher is produced through pyrolysis or gasification - processes that heat biomass in the absence (or under re- duction) of air. Oils and gases co-produced with biochar, in well-designed pyrolysis or gasification equipment, can be used as fuel, pro- viding clean, renewable energy. When the biochar is buried Biochar Is a Valuable Soil Amendment in the ground as a soil amendment, the system can become "carbon negative." B lochar is a fine-grained, highly porous charcoal that helps Biochar and bioenergy co-production can help combat global soils retain nutrients and water. climate change by displacing fossil fuel use and by seques- Biochar is found in soils around the world as a result of veg- tering carbon in stable soil carbon pools. It may also reduce etation fires and historic soil management practices. Intensive emissions of nitrous oxide. study of biochar-rich dark earths in the Amazon (terra preta), In the next few decades, the use of biochar should be able to has led to a wider appreciation of biochar's unique properties offset carbon emissions by 1 gigaton per year - an amount as a soil conditioner. which could increase in subsequent years. Biochar can be an important tool to increase sustainable food production in areas with severely depleted soils, scarce or- ganic resources, and inadequate water and chemi- cal fertilizer supplies. Biochar also improves water quality and quantity by increasing soil reten- tion of nutrients and agrochemicals for, plant and crop utilization. More nutri- ents stay in the soil instead of leaching into groundwater and causing pollution. n Above: Jatropha seedlings grown without and with _a - biochar. _ Left: Blocher ready to apply. (Photos courtesy of C.C. 1p f Chang, Julie Major and A z~ Robert Flanagan.) i . ii. po: - uNmmNsnOM CUWTF CHANCE CONFFYFNCE Field trials in Colombia demonstrate the longev-- I B I POZNAN 2000 ity of biochar added to soil. International Biochar Initiative ro"Ne BIOCHAR-INTERNATIONAL.ORG oeeember 140 ~CAKI"n: Cornell University Department of Crop and Soil Sciences Crop and Sall Sciences O ~Q J. Cornell A _ ^3d / J _ f Soil Fertility Management & Soil Biogeochemistry Home I Staff I Teachings I Publications I Research I Links I News Recent Projects Biochar Soil Management Tema Preta de Indio Biochar Soil Management Basic Concepts Projects Work by others Pictures References Site into Content: J. Lehmann Biochar - The new frontier Bost: Cornell University Inspired by the fascinating properties of Terra Preta de Indio, biochar was identified as Layout: V. Jauss a soil amendment that has the potential to revolutionize concepts of soil management. For optimal viewing: While 'discovered' may not be the right word, as biochar or bio-char (also called This website is best viewed charcoal or biomass-derived black carbon, in the context of agricultural application in a resolution of 1024 or sometimes called agrichar or agrichar, which we do not adopt due to the wider higher, 32 bit color.. and in applicability of biochar for environmental management beyond agriculture) has been Mozilla Firefox. Javascript, used in traditional agricultural practices as well as in modem horticulture, never before CSS and Tables. has evidence been accumulating that demonstrates so convincingly that biochar has very specific and unique properties that make it stand out among the opportunities for Disclaimer sustainable soil management. © All original content The benefits of biochar rest on two pillars: belongs to Cornell University. This is a non- 1. The extremely high affinity of nutrients to biochar (adsorption) profit website for 2. The extremely high persistence of biochar (stability) educational purposes that claims no ownership of copyright material. Other images and text belong to Beneficial effects of biochar on both soil microbial functions and soil water availability their respective owners. No are highly likely but not yet sufficiently quantified to be effectively managed. copyright infringment intended. These two properties (which are truly extraordinary - see details below) can be used effectively to address some of the most urgent environmental problems of our time: 1. Soil degradation and food insecurity 2. Water pollution by agro-chemicals 3. Climate change Biochar is not a silver bullet that will solve environmental problems without a much wider and far reaching strategy. But it can provide an important tool that contributes to a comprehensive approach that must include policy guidance. http://www.ess.comell.edu/faculty/lehmann/research/biochar/biocharmain.html 6/6/2009