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>> David W: Your thoughts are pretty much along the lines of those I expressed in a submission to the 2010 Energy Consultation: http://versicolor.ca/biomass/docs/NSEsubmission.html -David P Quoting David & Alison Webster <dwebster@glinx.com>: > Hi Dave P. & all Apr 15, 2013 > Thanks for this but we have got off on a tangent that is not > especially relevant to the original question which is-- What fuel, > given a choice of biofuel, coal, natural gas and oil, is > potentially most desirable from a net carbon emissions per unit > energy released viewpoint ? > If we can agree that the answer to the above is biomass then the > second level question emerges-- As a source of biomass energy, which > is preferable, wild wood, grown wood, grown grass, cultured algae, > peat...? > And clearly, no one of these will consistently be preferable but any > could be depending upon circumstances. Given idle farmland suited > for Miscanthus why not grow Miscanthus for biomass ? Given a > biosolid 'disposal problem' and idle farmland why not grow Hybrid > Poplar for biofuel ? Given Hybrid Poplar windbreaks in need of > renewal why not route the wood to biofuel ? Given overstocked stands > of wild wood why not thin them for biofuel ? Leaving stands to self > thin can generate a fire hazard and what is gained if dead trees, > living trees, litter and the organic layer goes up in smoke ? Given > waste heat why not culture algae for biofuel ? ... > ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Patriquin" <patriqui@dal.ca> > To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>; "David & Alison Webster" <dwebster@glinx.com> > Sent: Sunday, April 14, 2013 10:55 PM > Subject: Re: [NatureNS] tree biomass fuel ... calcium loss x Red > Spruce & Sugar Maple > > >> 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