*CA-CoP* *CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE* *for sustainable production intensification* A self-explanatory message from Menno Houstra at the Foundation for Nomad Farmers in Netherlands regarding Bois Rameal Fragmenté (BRF) in French or Remial Wood Chips in English. *Amir Kassam* *Moderator* ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Menno Houtstra <[log in to unmask]> Date: Wed, Apr 9, 2014 at 8:02 PM Subject: soil carbon sequestration, the case for woody soil ammendments To: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]> Dear Amir, I am member of a French internet forum that is dedicated to the use of ramial wood chips as a soil amendment in agriculture, in French: Bois Rameal Fragmenté (BRF). This technique was firstly introduced by a Canadian forestry scientist Lemieux, who did a lot of experiments and analysis especially concerning its properties, notably its tannin and lignin molecules, to decompose into more stable humus than heavy material does. Especially in the frame of the discussion of carbon farming, this has the potential to be a game changer. Basically you can build up soil humus 10x faster with woody material than you can do with non woody plants. Now before everybody says "fresh wood on an agricultural field, no way!", in all experiments, and since more than 10 years there has been a lot in France, Belgium and a lot of African countries there were no major problems with nitrogen and certainly not with acidification. A research promotion paper that explains it quite well, in French, is attached, from a former student of Lemieux, a belgium guy Benoit Noel. http://www.ctastree.be/BRF/Brochure%20BRF%20plus%20de%20C.pdf (page 24) English articles of Lemieux have become scarce on internet... http://www.dirtdoctor.com/view_org_research.php?id=69 So I attach a lecture of him from my own library....... some interesting theoretical insights for all of us I think , and and the same time very practical! Menno Houtstra Ing. Tropical Engineering / Rural Development Foundation for Nomad Farmers www.nomadfarmers.weebly.com IJdoornlaan 34 1024 KV Amsterdam The Netherlands 0031 68595405 ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the CA-Cop-L list, click the following link: &*TICKET_URL(CA-Cop-L,SIGNOFF);