Does planting Trees actually deliver carbon capture

[Y Fan Wen]

So if you chop them down they just grow again ?

I think I'm right in saying that every native tree will coppice except Scots Pine.
I'm sure someone will be along to correct me.
Read Thomas Hardy's 'The Woodlanders' to see how our tree stock should be managed properly.

 

[wanton dwarf]

No plants return carbon to soil, if Incas used charcoal for fertiliser it would be the Potash doing the good work.
some soils are very high in potash but many are deficient. One reason many garden soils are very rich is the amount of ash having been spread on it for aeons. It is of course where the term Potash came from

One size does not fit all when exploring how carbon in soil affects the climate

Scientists from Stanford University are opening a window into soil organic carbon, a critical component of the global carbon cycle and climate change.

phys.org

"Soil organic carbon occurs naturally and is part of the carbon cycle. Through photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. As plants and their roots decompose, they deposit organic carbon in the soil. Microorganisms, decomposing animals, animal feces and minerals also contribute to the organic carbon in the soil. In turn, plants and microorganisms "eat" that carbon, which is an essential nutrient."


I'd be surprised if plants didn't use all minerals available in soils. After all roots bring in other minerals so there is no reason why Carbon should not be taken in.

The reason why Charcoal was used by Incas was to retain minerals in the soil that is otherwise washed away in due to leaching. BUT it loks as though it needs to be treated in the first place otherwise the effect is not beneficial.

Terra preta - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"Fresh charcoal must be "charged" before it can function as a biotope.[42] Several experiments demonstrate that uncharged charcoal can bring a provisional depletion of available nutrients when first put into the soil, that is until its pores fill with nutrients. This is overcome by soaking the charcoal for two to four weeks in any liquid nutrient (urine, plant tea, etc.). "

 

[Exfarmer]

You do realise that the bulk of this carbon in the form of charcoal would be the result of slash and burn.
the rest, the ash from cooking fires.
carbon is an important soil nutrient to organisms which cannot obtain it from other sources, but green leaved plants have no shortage

 

[Chris W]

Am I right to think the carbon sequestered by a hedgerow would be minimal ..? As soon as its cut the trimmings rot and release the carbon back into the atmosphere?

 

[Chris W]

Has anyone got any data on how much carbon can be sequestered by a catch crop and/or over winter cover crop ? vs a more Greta friendly option

 

[Hilly]

I think I'm right in saying that every native tree will coppice except Scots Pine.
I'm sure someone will be along to correct me.
Read Thomas Hardy's 'The Woodlanders' to see how our tree stock should be managed properly.

Yes , just threw me as sycamore is not native.

 

[Y Fan Wen]

Yes , just threw me as sycamore is not native.

I do wonder how strong the evidence is for that.

 

[Hilly]

I do wonder how strong the evidence is for that.

I always thought it is American ?

 

[farmerm]

Has anyone got any data on how much carbon can be sequestered by a catch crop and/or over winter cover crop ? vs a more Greta friendly option

If you somehow bury the crop in some way that prevents the carbon ever being released then about 50% of the dry weight... anything else and you are sequestering nothing, only temporarily capturing carbon that will be soon released again...

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

If you somehow bury the crop in some way that prevents the carbon ever being released then about 50% of the dry weight... anything else and you are sequestering nothing, only temporarily capturing carbon that will be soon released again...

Deep rooting species will create more stable carbon as the deep roots may decompose but the carbon will remain buried.

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

If you somehow bury the crop in some way that prevents the carbon ever being released then about 50% of the dry weight... anything else and you are sequestering nothing, only temporarily capturing carbon that will be soon released again...

Problem is that by burying you expose som to the air which then oxidises. Better to leave on the surface and let the worms take it downstairs for free

 

[Exfarmer]

Problem is that by burying you expose som to the air which then oxidises. Better to leave on the surface and let the worms take it downstairs for free

Except if you leave all the brush etc on the surface, you run the risk of fire which will instantly undo all the good work you have done over the. Last 20 - 50 - 100 years

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Has anyone got any data on how much carbon can be sequestered by a catch crop and/or over winter cover crop ? vs a more Greta friendly option

Only our own data, which doesn't mean a great deal to the grand scheme of things.
The big thing is, "where are we putting it" as @holwellcourtfarm said.
Putting it in the surface or at depth?

We're managing to increase our total soil C by about 10-11% per annum to 45cm, the biggest change is from 15 to 45cm as we "farm deeper" and this represents about 25T of Carbon per hectare.
(Give or take, each acre is different and they can only take so much soil away to be tested).

It's very difficult to burn it at that depth, say we decided that we want to grow crops and burn a bit away with N fertiliser and/or tillage, what is at depth is really rather safe compared to that top 6".

I think this is pretty crucial to answering your question as a large % of what's temporarily sequestered by a cover can be quickly released when it's terminated or tilled in. We need to plan for permanence!

Maybe slightly applicable is how we go about increasing sequestration, we're grass farmers so our initial decision was to leave a lot of grass behind (photosynthesis-driven recovery) as it helped to boost how water is cycled and held in the soil.
Now that we've done that, we need to go towards higher utilisation of grass (root-driven recovery) and increase the time between grazings by an appropriate amount, this means the roots have that time to go even deeper into the subsoil to nourish it.

 

[Y Fan Wen]

I always thought it is American ?

I think you are confusing it with the maple. Some blame the Romans for importing it and other historians claim evidence for its introduction in the 15C.