Making forest soil carbon count: Tree diversity increases decadal forest soil carbon and nitrogen accrual

[Tom Goreau]

Increasing forest biodiversity increases soil C by 32% and soil N by 50% according to detailed Canada-wide forest inventories (Chen et al., 2023). Abstract below. Canada has the world’s largest area of forest after Russia and Brazil.

They point out the need to conserve biodiverse forests, but don’t discuss how to regenerate degraded forests to be biodiverse and productive again, the point of this comment.

The greatest biodiversity and highest carbon storage is on soils with balanced and high mineral nutrition.

Remineralization of mineral deficient soils, like those that cover much of Canada,  with rock powders and biochars would greatly further increase soil carbon storage beyond regenerating biodiversity.

The widely touted reforestation/climate strategy known as BECCS trumps soils, waters, biomass, and the atmosphere; destroying biodiversity with monoclonal plantations, sapping soil nutrients, and wasting carbon by burning it and pumping waste into holes!

BECCS’s the most destructive excuse yet made to continue burning fossil fuels, all about destroying natural ecological services and divvying up carbon credit money.

Forest management must be part of the solution, not part of the problem!

Tree diversity increases decadal forest soil carbon and nitrogen accrual

• Xinli Chen, 
• Anthony R. Taylor, 
• Peter B. Reich, 
• Masumi Hisano, 
• Han Y. H. Chen & 
• Scott X. Chang 

Nature volume 618, pages94–101 (2023)

 

Abstract

Increasing soil carbon and nitrogen storage can help mitigate climate change and sustain soil fertility^1,2. A large number of biodiversity-manipulation experiments collectively suggest that high plant diversity increases soil carbon and nitrogen stocks^3,4. It remains debated, however, whether such conclusions hold in natural ecosystems^{5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12}. Here we analyse Canada’s National Forest Inventory (NFI) database with the help of structural equation modelling (SEM) to explore the relationship between tree diversity and soil carbon and nitrogen accumulation in natural forests. We find that greater tree diversity is associated with higher soil carbon and nitrogen accumulation, validating inferences from biodiversity-manipulation experiments. Specifically, on a decadal scale, increasing species evenness from its minimum to maximum value increases soil carbon and nitrogen in the organic horizon by 30% and 42%, whereas increasing functional diversity enhances soil carbon and nitrogen in the mineral horizon by 32% and 50%, respectively. Our results highlight that conserving and promoting functionally diverse forests could promote soil carbon and nitrogen storage, enhancing both carbon sink capacity and soil nitrogen fertility.

Thomas J. F. Goreau, PhD
President, Global Coral Reef Alliance

Chief Scientist, Blue Regeneration SL
President, Biorock Technology Inc.

Technical Advisor, Blue Guardians Programme, SIDS DOCK

37 Pleasant Street, Cambridge, MA 02139

gor...@globalcoral.org
www.globalcoral.org
Skype: tomgoreau
Tel: (1) 617-864-4226 (leave message)

 

Books:

Geotherapy: Innovative Methods of Soil Fertility Restoration, Carbon Sequestration, and Reversing CO2 Increase

http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466595392

 

Innovative Methods of Marine Ecosystem Restoration

http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466557734

 

No one can change the past, everybody can change the future

 

It’s much later than we think, especially if we don’t think

 

Those with their heads in the sand will see the light when global warming and sea level rise wash the beach away

 

Geotherapy: Regenerating ecosystem services to reverse climate change

 

 

[Michael Hayes]

Hydrogen Airship Forestry:

I have industrial timber land and spreading Biochar and Olivine dust would be my call, along with spreading seeds and spores. However, it is the transport of the material into the forest where foresters run into a wall. Air lifting such mass is not practical using today's aircraft due to costs, speading from just roads is highly limiting, and building roads just for soil/diversity issues is not an option the industry will support also due to the cost.

Forests are huge H2 storage facilities, and H2 airships would be able to use the H2 that forest Biochar stoves generate. Below is a video of helium-based balloon logging that was used here in the PNW back in the 60s/70s. 

https://youtu.be/ZgvXDyyfnWg

Balloon logging failure is typically attributed to fast moving storm systems blowing them down, yet most were simply shot out of the sky by the locals. Going high solves the gun play issue and can solve the H2 flammability issue due to the lack of O2 at higher altitudes. High H2 balloons that use long cables/hoses to work at the surface level will likely be needed for any large scale CDR related forestry projects, and likely some marine CDR projects that use long distance transportation of bulk materials. Below is an example of a high heavy lift airship design:

https://newatlas.com/skylifter-flying-saucer-airship/16611/

Getting past the Hendenburg airship disaster will be tough when discussing H2 as a lifting gas, yet we likely need to do so for many CDR and non-CDR reasons.

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[Tom Goreau]

There was no hydrogen explosion on the Hindenberg, that safely vented, but the flammable blimp cover caught fire.

[Michael Hayes]

Agreed, moreover, the electrical grounding was nothing more than the string holding the panels and bags together. High tethered airships have highly complex atmospheric electrics to deal with, yet 19th century high weather kites, using piano wire, showed that the electrics are manageable.

Accepting forests for their H2 value, accepting marine biomass for it's H2 value, addresses the need for renewable energy production within the CDR definition(s). Using H2 as a lifting gas can be viewed as an enhancement of a global reach H2 fuel network. Transporting H2 to any place on this planet, the smallest most remote community, with high H2 airships is well within our current technical abilities. 

[Jim Baird]

The Diverse Energy Potential of the Water Carrier Hydrogen, Climate CoLab

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/CarbonDioxideRemoval/CABjtO1dwa_RStQQvCkhcWH2N4pqNLN8w0y6SAA8gUWKK_3WP4A%40mail.gmail.com.