Science Daily is Confused on Some Issues

I was actually going to write a whole article (and may still) on the many uses of willow.  But I came across all these articles that just had my head spinning by the time I was done reading them.  Evidently, Science Daily is very confused about both African savannahs and bio fuel.  I could go on posting other links, this is just the tip of the iceberg.  

What are your thoughts on this matter?  My guess is probably that fuel wood is being depleted in Africa and biofuel, while more than possible, is a trojan horse which will cause far more damage than good.  Isn't it time we move past combustion as an energy source anyway?  

Perhaps its time they stopped being so damned impartial and actually do a little investigation and research of their own!  Its not like I expect you to be out there with test tubes and sample jars.  Just explain how these articles relate to each other! 

I realize these summaries are from different viewpoints, timelines, dates, regions, and data.  I don't doubt that there is evidence to support all of these arguments.  But wow, if you are going to do a summary of each one, can we at least get a little bit of consensus?  Can we refer to other articles that WE have posted and perhaps explain their relevance to the subject in the light of the new data WE are presenting now?

At least I know that I can trust them to be impartial.  Really, really, impartial..... 

Savanna Study Highlights African Fuelwood Crisis

Africa's Savannas May Become Forests by 2100, Study Suggests

Savannas and Forests in a Battle of the Biomes

Photovoltaics Beat Biofuels at Converting Sun's Energy to Miles Driven

Wind in the Willows Boosts Biofuel Production: Trees Grown Diagonally Produce Five Times More Biofuel

Cost-Effectiveness of Biofuels and Their Ability to Cut Fossil Fuel Use Questioned

Environmental Benefit of Biofuels Is Overestimated, New Study Reveals

Algae Biofuels: The Wave of the Future

Portland State University Using BSF To Process Organic Waste

Evidently Portland State University is experimenting with using black soldier fly larvae aka 'BSF' to process organic waste on a large scale.  They really offer so many benefits its difficult to understand why this has not happened long ago.  We have posted about BSF before.  They are amazingly efficient and produce incredible amounts of protein.

Ladies and Gentlemen - The Amazing Black Soldier Fly

Beavers are Engineers of Structural Complexity and Biodiversity

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beavers_work.jpg

I find the link to the article below interesting since it seems to concentrate on how we can restore streams by mimicking beaver behavior.  Why not just bring beavers back into the landscape and they will take care of the job themselves?  This is a fundamental flaw in our way of thinking.  Even conservationists can fall into this trap.  If something has to be managed, then there is probably a better way of doing it.  Better to engineer an environment fit for the engineer, than to do the engineering yourself.  Humans should be the administration, not the labor.

Either way the article does stress how important beavers can be in the landscape.  This is something that anyone interested in nature knows to a certain degree.  They create ponds, braided channels, log jams, and add huge amounts of woody debris to streams and rivers.  Their actions create environmental complexity which greatly increases aquatic biodiversity.  They play a fundamental part in hydrology and recharge the water table.  They also play a fundamental role in riparian forest dynamics, creating structural diversity and keeping the forest in a state of flux.  There are entire ecological communities that depend almost completely on the actions of the beaver, making them a cornerstone species.

The fact that broad scale ecology-based agriculture tends to rely so heavily on retention ponds just stresses this fact even further.  Keyline design relies heavily on the retention of water in the landscape.  The idea is to keep it there as long as possible so it can percolate into the ground, recharging aquifers and smoothing out flood regimes.  These ponds and channels are often used for fish and plant aquaculture and to provide water for livestock.  Recharging the aquifers also increases plant growth and can create perennial water ways out of seasonal ones.  Biodiversity and micro climates are increased along with drought resistance. 

These are all benefits provided by beavers but even Keyline cannot provide all the services that beavers do.  Ultimately, Keyline is static while beaver activity is constantly in flux.  Keyline does not include the organic component of wood in the process, a major part of structural diversity and nutrient cycles.  It also does not include the forestry activities of beavers.  We can continue to try and engineer our way out of our problems, but isn't that what got us into them in the first place?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110103110331.htm

Permaculture Introduction by Jack Spirko

Jack is a dyed-in-the-wool survivalist in the truest sense of the word.  He has all the traditional values of a American survivalist.  Even if you don't agree with all of his themes, you will find his Podcast and his Video Series to be a very informative on ecology based farming methods and land use.  His pragmatic approach can appeal to those of all persuasions.  He is extremely intelligent, articulate, and has an incredible wealth of information.  This is the first of a series of many videos on his youtube site.  Please check out his podcast as well.  Its has many survivalist themes but hundreds of references to permaculture, ecology, and land developement.  With over 1000 podcasts, he has something for everyone and you can easily search for what you are interested in.   So don't let politics deter you from using this guy as a resource!

Here is the video:

Here is his podcast:

http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/

The search field is in the top right hand corner.

EU considering ban on major pesticides

This is good news to everyone because it sets a great precedent.  I am not going to elaborate too much.  The title of th actual article is more sensationalist than reality.  The EU is considering a ban on neonicotinoides.  These are only a portion of the pesticides in use but are some of the most harmful.  Lobby action has prevented this for a long time and Europe is ahead of us on this issue.

http://phys.org/news/2013-01-eu-hints-insecticide-threat-bees.html

More on Forest Death vs Logging and Nutrient Cycling - Hugelkultur?

More on dead forests versus logging and Nitrogen runoff.  These Eastern forests have suffered extensive die off from the wooly adelgid.  They are seeing they same kind of nitrogen uptake by the surrounding plants as in beetle killed forests in the west.  In this scenario the nutrients leaching out of the dead wood are allowing the surrounding plants to take up the excess Nitrogen.  Since the dead wood is being left in this case just as beetle kill, is this scenario playing out in Western forests as well?  Just another part of the puzzle. This just goes to show that there really is more than one reason for this Nitrogen uptake and why leaving behind woody biomass is so important.  Logging can be very extractive and non-renewable if done incorrectly.  I cannot help but think that the remaining wood is also taking up Nitrogen as it decomposes just as it does in hugelkultur.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121220143949.htm

See original and more extensive commentary on the beetle kill article here..

http://agroregeneration.blogspot.com/2013/01/lessons-in-hugelkultur-and-nutrient.html

Lessons in Hugelkultur and Nutrient Cycling - Beetle Kill harms far less than Logging

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bayerischer_wald_kahlgefressen.jpg

This article shows how much natural disturbance a forest can actually take.  With an intact understory, forests can be extremely resilient.  When logging takes place, adjacent streams show up to a 400% increase in Nitrogen runoff.  However, a stand replacing beetle infestation shows very little increase in nitrogen in adjacent water ways.

Research shows that even though the entire over story may be killed off, the understory remains relatively undisturbed along with soil conditions.  Lack of competition releases understory vegetation and smaller trees left over from the initial die off.  Growth accelerates and nutrient runoff is utilized by the plants instead of washing into streams.

This all makes perfect sense and I have no arguments with their assessment.  But I think there is a larger scenario playing out here.  It is quite obvious that beetle kill leaves behind ALL woody biomass.  This wood may remain standing at first but will soon fall prey to wind throw.  Since logging removes most of the woody biomass and what remains is insignificant or burned, there is no wood left to absorb the Nitrogen.  Not only is all woody biomass removed, the understory is heavily damaged as well.

In forests affected by beetle kill, damage happens more slowly.  Structural diversity on the forest floor in unaffected.  Hillsides are stabilized and runoff patterns remain mostly unchanged.  Since this water is still moving through downed woody debris, does it not make sense that the influx of dead, woody biomass is also absorbing a portion of this Nitrogen?  If the understory is not taking up all this remaining Nitrogen, maybe the dead wood is.  Or maybe the wood is taking up the majority of the Nitrogen and releasing it to the understory as it decays.  Just as in Hugelkultur!

More information is required to make this assessment but it is an intriguing possibility.  Nutrient cycles are incredibly complex and other factors could play into it as well.  It could be that the intact soil bank is absorbing some of this Nitrogen.  Or it could be the huge increase in fungal mycelium which is likely to colonize all the newly available dead wood.  Even fungal mycelium in standing tree trunks can absorb nutrients from the ground.  But these trees won't remain standing for long and no doubt begin falling almost immediately.  All these are forms of bioremediation which are useful to ecological farmers and those working in natural resources. This information could be incredibly useful in adjusting logging practices to alleviate water quality issues.

http://phys.org/news/2013-01-beetle-outbreak-buffers-watersheds-nitrate.html

Honey bee behavior changes in the presence of endemic pollinators

Research shows that with no additional inputs, pollination and fruit set were increased in the presence of endemic pollinators.  This much makes perfect sense and is what one would expect to hear.  But the more intriguing discovery was that domestic honey bee behavior also changes in the presence of other pollinators.

The studies findings showed that honey bees normally spend the majority of their time in the upper crown of the tree.  However, when other pollinators were present they moved into the lower portion of the canopy.  In this respect the overall efficiency of the honey bees was increased.

They also found that endemic pollinators were commonly able to operate in lower temperatures and in higher winds than honey bees.  This makes overall pollination services more resilient in the face of less than optimum weather conditions.  This is extremely important in early flowering crops such as almonds, which may bloom when weather conditions are not as favorable for honey bees.

The inter-species relationships and population dynamics of insects are extremely complex and fragile.  This is a little understood area of agricultural science and is one that we have posted on before.  Ultimately, species diversity is the key to agricultural resilience.  In all studies fruit set and yield were increased with no additional inputs or agricultural intensity.  An intact ecology provides the most benefit for the least work, while providing habitat as well.  Insect diversity is a cornerstone part of this and without healthy insect populations, the local ecology suffers greatly.

The study was conducted by researches at 3 different universities: UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and Leuphana University of Lüneburg.

http://phys.org/news/2013-01-biodiversity-important-pollination-california-almond.html

The study by researchers in Germany at Leuphana University of Lüneburg and California at UC Berkeley and Davis

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-biodiversity-important-pollination-california-almond.html#jCp

This honey bee behaviour changed and their pollination effectiveness was greater than in orchards where other bees were absent. Furthermore, orchards with wild bees had a greater proportion fruit set. These findings show that wild pollinators not only contribute directly to almond pollination, but also indirectly through increasing the pollination service provided by the honey bees. A second study in the same system published in Global Change Biology (27 Nov 2012)2 found two other mechanisms by which pollinator diversity improved pollination service to almond. Firstly, they found that honey bees preferred to visit flowers in the top parts of the almond trees. Where wild pollinators were present, they often visited the lower parts of the trees, filling the gap in pollination service left by the honey bees. Secondly, in high winds, orchards with only honey bees present had almost no pollination service as the honey bees were not flying. In orchards with a diversity of pollinators, pollination service was buffered to an extent by the wild bees. Two new studies show why biodiversity is important for pollination services in California almond This image shows honey beehives in an almond orchard. Credit: C. Brittain During high winds, the wild bees were still observed visiting almond flowers. Wild pollinators can therefore help sustain pollination service under extreme weather conditions, when the service by honey bees declines. This is particularly important in almond as it flowers early in the year when the weather conditions can be unfavourable for bee flight.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-biodiversity-important-pollination-california-almond.html#jCp]\l;kjfdksahf

honey bee behaviour changed and their pollination effectiveness was greater than in orchards where other bees were absent. Furthermore, orchards with wild bees had a greater proportion fruit set. These findings show that wild pollinators not only contribute directly to almond pollination, but also indirectly through increasing the pollination service provided by the honey bees. A second study in the same system published in Global Change Biology (27 Nov 2012)2 found two other mechanisms by which pollinator diversity improved pollination service to almond. Firstly, they found that honey bees preferred to visit flowers in the top parts of the almond trees. Where wild pollinators were present, they often visited the lower parts of the trees, filling the gap in pollination service left by the honey bees. Secondly, in high winds, orchards with only honey bees present had almost no pollination service as the honey bees were not flying. In orchards with a diversity of pollinators, pollination service was buffered to an extent by the wild bees. Two new studies show why biodiversity is important for pollination services in California almond This image shows honey beehives in an almond orchard. Credit: C. Brittain During high winds, the wild bees were still observed visiting almond flowers. Wild pollinators can therefore help sustain pollination service under extreme weather conditions, when the service by honey bees declines. This is particularly important in almond as it flowers early in the year when the weather conditions can be unfavourable for bee flight.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-biodiversity-important-pollination-california-almond.html#jCp

Plant Diversity is Key to Maintaining Productive Systems

This is something we all know as proponents of ecology-based agriculture. Unfortunately, economies work on instant gratification and developing productive systems can take decades. Because of this, short term studies have yielded results saying that 6 or 8 species is the maximum needed to achieve this benefit. These studies lasted a paltry two years. This new study is in its 14th year and counting. The most biodiverse plot carries 16 species and shows that on a longer time scale, maximum biodiversity yields maximum benefit. Much of this may have to do with insect and bird biodiversity as well.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120503142638.htm

Non-beneficial insects help attract predators for pest insects

A healthy insect population is a cornerstone component of a balanced ecology. With healthy, sustainable insect populations we cannot pick and choose the insects that we keep and those we discard. We must do what we can to attract as many and as large a variety as possible. Simply attracting or releasing a few predators and ignoring their food source is not a solution. This article shows how insect 'tourists' and even plants which trap insects and prevent them from leaving, can have incredible results on particular pest populations. The experiment they performed is great evidence.

phys.org/news/2013-01-insect-tourists-good.html

We have posted on insect population dynamics before. Population dynamics in insect communities are EXTREMELY complicated and our simplistic view of them can be very can be very harmful to our inteded outcome.

agroregeneration.blogspot.com/2012/08/study-demonstrates-that-one-extinction.html

Biodiversity crowdsourcing helps countries map useful species

After losing their sturgeon fishery, the Romanian town of Sfantu Gheorghe turned to biodiversity crowd sourcing in an attempt to find other means of maintaining their economy. What they found is Sea Buckthorn, a plant we are all familiar with. This type of technology could be used in conjunction with community activism to locate areas that need protection, restoration, or have the potential for agriculture and forestry. Its not only a way of of locating environmental potential, but also economic potential. All the while one can cross reference other species in the area and find out how they may affect or be affected by this process. What a wonderful tool! Does North America have anything like this?

The European crowd sourcing site is http://www.naturalliance.eu/home.aspx?selectculture=true

Here is an article on the Romanian town phys.org/news/2013-01-naturalliance-crowdsourcing-solutions-riches-nature.html

Marginal habitat can provide a refuge from competing species

As long as islands of marginal habitat can remain (or be) connected, threatened or introduced plants can coexist with their competitors.   Ecology based agriculture is based in part on biodiversity and this is the type of insight that can help one maintain it. Not only can survival of natives be insured, but also the survival of introduced species.  Who would have thought that marginal habitat could be a haven for species persistence?   The important part is that these islands of habitat must remain CONNECTED or they become vulnerable to local extinction events.

http://phys.org/news/2013-01-invading-species-extinguish-native.html

Ancient desert city of Petra practiced sustainable terrace farming for 1000 years

Petra was a rich city and an important strategic conquest for Rome. They practiced food forestry with terraces for a 1000 years. They used intelligent water harvesting methods to irrigate their crops and supply the town with drinking water. Many of their techniques used gravity feed, keyline style methods. Their long term success in a hyper arid environment shows how sustainable keyline design and foood forestry can be. Some of the terminology used in the article reminds me of Geoff Lawton, the man who greened the Jordan desert.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130102140443.htm