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Pros and cons of whole orchard recycling

There’s a lot that’s been proven good about whole orchard recycling, putting those almond trees back into the soil where they stood. And there’s plenty to indicate that drawbacks from the practice can be addressed.

Presenters addressed the pros and cons during a workshop on fertility management at California State University-Fresno. Most made the case that the crux of the issue is addressing the ratio between carbon from wood left behind and nitrogen needs, and the importance of balancing those two elements.

Amisha Poret-Peterson, a U.S Department of Agriculture research microbiologist at the University of California-Davis, talked about the issues during the field day.

Orchard trees store carbon in woody biomass over decades, and that carbon leads to a reduction in carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling is an alternative to burning and sending wood to cogeneration plants that are facing closures.

Recycling presents an opportunity for long-term storage of carbon in the soil and overall improvement of soil physical and biological properties. | For the full story, CLICK HERE.