- Slash-and-char
Slash-and-char is an alternative to
slash-and-burn that has a lesser effect on the environment. It is the practice of charring thebiomass resulting from the slashing, instead of burning it as in theslash-and-burn practice.In that context, charcoal can be made by numerous and varied methods, from the simplest (an earth cover on the pile of wood, with strategically-placed vents) to the most sophisticated (a modern plant that recuperates and recycles strictly all exhaust gases). The article on
biomass explains a few of these methods, as well as the advantagesSlash-and-char offers considerable benefits to the environment when compared to
slash-and-burn .It results in the creation of
biochar , which can then be mixed withbiomass such ascrop residue s,food waste ,manure and / or other, and buried in the soil to bring about the formation ofterra preta .Terra preta is one of the richest soils on the planet - and the only one known to regenerate itself although how this happens precisely is hotly debated within the scientific community.It moreover sequesters considerable quantities of carbon in the safest and most beneficial fashion, as opposite to the negative effects of the
slash-and-burn . Switching to slash-and-char can sequester up to 50% of the carbon in a highly stable form. [ Lehmann – Biochar sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems," supra" note 11 at 407 (“If this woody abovegroundbiomass were converted into biochar by means of simple kiln techniques and applied to soil, more than 50% of this C would be sequestered in a highly stable form.”)] The nascentcarbon trading market that sponsorsCO2 sequestration projects, could therefore help supplement the farmers' income while supporting a decrease in the pace ofdeforestation and the development of a moresustainable agriculture .ee also
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Biochar
*Carbon trading
*CO2 sequestration
*Slash-and-burn Reference
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