Innovation Anthology #676:
Weeds and tall grasses are tough competition for young aspen seedlings, making it hard for them to survive.
As part of his forest reclamation effort at the Genesee coal mine and power plant, Eckehart Marenholtz compared different techniques for suppressing weeds.
That involved spreading four different types of mulch around the tree seedlings, each on half hectare plots.
ECKEHART MERANHOLTZ: The first one is using wood mulch and the wood mulch Is working very well to suppress the weeds. We also are using a paper mulch, so it’s a 40 centimeter square pulp matt that is placed around the tree. We also tried a new horticultural film that is like a plastic film except that this product called Bio 360 is completely biodegradable. And the final treatment is we’re taking a wood fibre mix in a water slurry. And this one is looking very promising because not only could we suppress weeds with it, but there’s also the potential to deliver seeds onto the site that we want.
Eckehart Marenholtz also tested the effectiveness of the mulches when applied at different thicknesses.
Thanks today to Capital Power
FOR INNOVATION ANTHOLOGY,
I’M CHERYL CROUCHER
Guest
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Sponsor
Capital Power
Program Date: 2015-03-26