Planting Trees and Managing Soils to Sequester Carbon
Deforestation, Global Warming/Climate Change, Rehabilitation, Trees — by Earth Policy Institute
by Lester R. Brown, Earth Policy Institute, Washington D.C., U.S.A.
As of 2007, the shrinking forests in the tropical regions were releasing 2.2 billion tons of carbon per year. Meanwhile, expanding forests in the temperate regions were absorbing 0.7 billion tons of carbon annually. On balance, a net of some 1.5 billion tons of carbon were being released into the atmosphere each year, contributing to global warming.
Comments (2)Posted on: January 2, 2009
Weeds or Wild Nature?
Biodiversity, Food Plants - Annual, Food Plants - Perennial, Medicinal Plants, Plant Systems, Trees — by PIJ
Reprinted with permission from the "Permaculture International Journal" (PIJ) (No. 61,
Dec-Feb 1997).
The world’s striving for racial tolerance doesn’t always extend to plants.
A key criticism of permaculture’s approach to building sustainable organic systems has been its perceived willingness to favour the introduction of exotic species.
Is it better to build systems that include exotics or should reforestation aim only to replace what has been taken away?
Is a rampant exotic a weed, or nature’s most effective first aid treatment?
It is a philosophical divide which has sparked heated debate within the permaculture community and strained relationships between groups that have otherwise much in common.
Comments (2)Posted on: December 10, 2008
Desert Ways
Food Plants - Perennial, Gabions, Land, Plant Systems, Trees — by Bill Mollison
 Mongongo Tree |
Whether it is an issue of conserving water of using suitable plant species, thriving in a desert environment is a masterful act of management. Permaculture co-founder Bill Mollison has spent time in many of the world’s arid regions and here shares his observations on surviving in some of them.
Building Abundance into Sandy Deserts
Why should we garden, when there are so many mongongo trees in the world? - !Kung tribesman
The mongongo tree (Ricinidendrin rautenii) grows in great groves on the crests of sand dunes in Africa’s Kalahari desert. It is a deciduous tree with two sexes. One in every 12 trees in a grove must be male to pollinate the females.
Comments (5)Posted on: November 19, 2008
Adaptable Acacias
Animal Forage, Plant Systems, Rehabilitation, Trees — by Leza Bennetts
by Leza Bennetts and Erika Birmingham
Acacias are evergreen, nitrogen-fixing plants ranging in form from ground covers to tall trees. There are more than 1200 species worldwide.
There are many roles for acacias in permaculture design such as increasing soil fertility through nitrogen fixation, rehabilitation of degraded soils and in reforestation. They are useful for erosion control due to their rapid growth and effective seed dispersal, and many species sucker readily.
Most species are extremely hardy and drought tolerant and some are salt tolerant, making acacias particularly valuable in arid regions as timber, firewood, food and fodder for stock during drought.
Comments (2)Posted on: October 23, 2008
Trees Giving Up Battle, But Sustainable Farming Offers Hope
Food Forests, Food Plants - Annual, Food Plants - Perennial, Global Warming/Climate Change, Plant Systems, Rehabilitation, Trees — by Craig Mackintosh
The silver bullet solution to climate change in many people’s book is to simply ‘plant a tree’. A recent study indicates that it might not be quite that simple…
Comments (2)The ability of forests to soak up man-made carbon dioxide is weakening, according to an analysis of two decades of data from more than 30 sites in the frozen north.
The finding published today is crucial, because it means that more of the CO2 we release will end up affecting the climate in the atmosphere rather than being safely locked away in trees or soil.
The results may partly explain recent studies suggesting that the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is increasing faster than expected. If higher temperatures mean less carbon is soaked up by plants and microbes, global warming will accelerate.
Posted on: October 1, 2008
A Pattern Revolution
Eco-Villages, Health & Disease, People Systems, Society, Trees — by Warren Brush
by Warren Brush, Quail Springs
All over the world, an ancient way of being has combined its elemental forces with the truths gained in the modern age to spark the fires of a new and imperative revolution. It is a subtle revolution of knowing the story of where all that sustains us comes from, and of honoring those things deeply. This revolution’s power draws from an ancient well of knowing that we as humans, with our opposing thumbs, expansive brains, and the capacity for empathy, are destined to draw from as we become stewards and caretakers of the land, and one another. Weaving our story with that of which sustains us not only empowers us to be revolutionaries in an age of rampant capitalism and its resource and culture eating syndromes, but also allows us to take true responsibility for the impacts of our lives. In its sheer humility, this revolution may be the very humus that is formed under the footsteps of the soldiers of capitalism and imperialism. As they pass unaware of us, our way of being becomes the nutrient from which new life will grow in a time beyond our own.
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Nitrogen Fixing Trees - The Multipurpose Pioneers
Animal Forage, Food Forests, Food Plants - Perennial, Fungi, Plant Systems, Rehabilitation, Soil Biology, Trees — by Craig Elevitch
The myths about the wonders of nitrogen fixing trees are many. Craig Elevitch (see bio at bottom) and Kim Wilkinson explain how to use them effectively.
Nitrogen Fixing Trees for Permaculture
 Flowers of the leguminous tree, Kowhai, the national flower of New Zealand |
Nitrogen fixation is a pattern of nutrient cycling which has successfully been used in perennial agriculture for millennia. This article focuses on legumes, which are nitrogen fixers of particular importance in agriculture. Specifically, three legumes (nitrogen fixing trees, hereafter called NFTs) are especially valuable in subtropical and tropical permaculture. They can be integrated in a permaculture system to restore nutrient cycling and fertility self-reliance.
Comments (0)Posted on: September 29, 2008
Food Forest DVDs Being Shipped
DVDs/Books, Food Forests, Food Plants - Perennial, News, Plant Systems, Trees — by Craig Mackintosh
Profuse apologies to all the eager Food Forest customers. We had a slight delay on their arrival. But, they’re here now! We are presently shipping them out to all who have ordered. It’s great to see the interest. There’s never been a better time to establish a Food Forest!
Order here.
Comments (1)Posted on: September 26, 2008
The Development of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration
Aid Projects, Animal Forage, Plant Systems, Trees — by Tony Rinaudo
Editor’s Note: Arguably one of the most successful land regeneration projects in the world, Farmer Managed Natural Regeneraton (FMNR), beginning in Niger during the 1980s, has revegetated three million hectares of arid land in that country alone - bringing back biodiversity in flora and fauna, increasing soil humus (and thus carbon) content, improving water retention and microclimates, and dramatically improving the health and viability of local communities. It is now practiced on over 30,000 km² of land in the Niger Republic as well as Chad, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Mali. It has been written about in many noteworthy publications (the NY Times, for example), and below we hear about its original development from the man who first discovered the ‘underground forest’. In short, trees have returned to Niger, and they’re bringing prosperity with them.
by Tony Rinaudo,
Natural Resource Management Advisor, Integration Team,
World Vision Australia. Originally published on Leisa
 Children helping to source firewood Photo: Author |
Conventional methods of reforestation in Africa have often failed. Even community-based projects with individual or community nurseries struggle to keep up the momentum once project funding ends. The obstacles working against reforestation are enormous. But a new method of reforestation called Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) could change this situation. It has already done so in the Republic of Niger, one of the world’s poorest nations, where more than 3 million hectares have been re-vegetated using this method. Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration involves selecting and pruning stems regenerating from stumps of previously felled, but still living trees. Sustainability is a key feature of the programme which requires very little investment by either government or NGOs to keep it going. The story in Niger can offer valuable insights and lessons for other nations.
Comments (2)Posted on: September 24, 2008
Food Forest DVD - Let the Orders Begin
DVDs/Books, Food Forests, Plant Systems, Trees — by Craig Mackintosh
Next week we’ll be taking delivery of the first batch of the much-anticipated new Food Forest DVD, narrated by Geoff Lawton and produced by our good friends over at Flashtoonz
I had the privilege of seeing an almost-final cut, and know that this will become an excellent educational/inspirational tool for permies everywhere, and a perfect accompaniment to our very successful Water Harvesting DVD.
Watch a sneak preview of Establishing a Food Forest below, and click here to get your order in (we’ll ship once they arrive):
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Posted on: September 12, 2008
Strange Fruit
Consumerism, Food Plants - Perennial, Health & Disease, Processing & Food Preservation, Trees — by George Monbiot
A hard commercial logic dictates that the only way to get good fruit today is to grow your own.
by George Monbiot - journalist, author, academic and environmental and political activist
I feel almost shy about writing this column. It contains no revelations, no call to arms. No one gets savaged: well, only mildly. The subject is almost inconsequential. Yet it has become an obsession which, at this time of year, forbids me to concentrate for long on anything else.
Posted on: September 5, 2008
Geoff Lawton to Launch Food Forest DVD
DVDs/Books, Food Forests, Insects, Soil Biology, Trees — by Craig Mackintosh
In the last half of August Geoff Lawton will be teaching a Permaculture Design Certificate course at Quail Springs in California. In addition to experiencing an excellent course, the lucky students will also view the world premiere of the latest instructional DVD to come out of the Permaculture Research Institute. Titled “Establishing a Food Forest”, this amazing multimedia experience walks you through the process of creating food systems that are not only sustainable, but self-sustaining. Stay tuned to this blog for actual release dates for when the DVD will be available for purchase (expected to be September).
In the meantime, the clip below is another sneak peek at what the DVD has to offer. You can view other promos here and here. “Establishing a Food Forest” will be an excellent companion DVD for the very popular Water Harvesting DVD.
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Posted on: August 8, 2008
Greening the Desert
Food Forests, Fungi, Land, Rehabilitation, Salination, Soil Biology, Swales, Trees — by Craig Mackintosh
This is just one example of how permaculture can transform the environment, and, in so doing, dramatically change lives. By evidencing the dramatic transformation possible in the world’s worst agricultural scenarios, we hope to make people stand up and listen.
Big Agribusiness would convince us that continuing with fossil fuel dependent monocrop systems and genetically modified crops is the way of the future, but with fuel, transport and fertiliser costs skyrocketing, and growing evidence that genetic tinkering is causing far more harm than good, we, instead, advocate tried and tested methods of working with nature for the benefit of man.
Below is a behind the scenes look at Greening the Desert.
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