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> ----- Hi David & Alison Webster: I am not aware of effects of calcium addition on growth per se, but there is experimental evidence for positive effects of calcium addition on stress resistance, germination, mycorrhizae etc., e.g., for two important species in our Acadian Forest, sugar maple and red spruce: --Tree Physiology 28, 855–862 Calcium addition at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest increases sugar storage, antioxidant activity and cold tolerance in native red spruce (Picea rubens). JOSHUA M. HALMAN,ET AL. "...Our results suggest that low foliar sugar concentrations and APX activity, and reduced cold tolerance in trees in the reference watershed contributed to their high vulnerability to winter injury in 2003." ---Ecology, 87(5), 2006, pp. 1267–1280 2006 RESPONSE OF SUGAR MAPLE TO CALCIUM ADDITION TO NORTHERN HARDWOOD FOREST STEPHANIE M. JUICE, ET AL. "...These results reinforce and extend other regional observations that sugar maple decline in the northeastern United States and southern Canada is caused in part by anthropogenic effects on soil calcium status..." Quoting David & Alison Webster <dwebster@glinx.com>: > Hi Dave P. & All, Apr 14, 2013 > The usgs article reflects an astonishing detachment from reality > by starting the first line of the Abstract with "Since the discovery > of acid rain in the 1970's..". Acidic precipitation was documented > at least as early as 1852 when it was described by Robert Angus Smith. > > The question remains, has anyone demonstrated increased growth of > forest trees in response to application of Gypsum ? Or limestone for > that matter. > > Soil chemistry in natural profiles can be quite baffling because > it can resemble a 4-dimensional marble cake. About 1975 I was > preparing to set up a Ca orchard trial and sampled leaves of 40 or > so trees in three orchards. In one orchard, leaf Ca was all over the > map, making it useless for a Ca trial but conceivably informative > for leaf Ca to soil Ca correlations. So the following year I sampled > soil from 0-100 cm in 10 cm increments and again sampled leaves. For > starters, the soil Ca of few adjacent layers was correlated and the > leaf Ca of years 1 & 2 were poorly correlated ! > > Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Patriquin" <patriqui@dal.ca> > To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>; "David & Alison Webster" <dwebster@glinx.com> > Sent: Sunday, April 14, 2013 12:00 PM > Subject: Re: [NatureNS] tree biomass fuel ... calcium loss also > critical in NS > > >> 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 >>>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> >> >> ----- >> No virus found in this message. >> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >> Version: 2013.0.3272 / Virus Database: 3162/6243 - Release Date: 04/13/13 >> > > >
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