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<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p><FONT size=3>Hello, I have current references from francophone Europe on this subject, but is anyone in Canada using or studying this approach? Would love to know. </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman">Have you ever heard of Gilles Lemieux of Laval University and his research in the 80s and 90's on Ramial Chipped Wood? Bois Raméal Fragmenté ? <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Ramial Chipped Wood (RCW) is hardwood chipped branches and twigs lay down as top mulch on a variety of landscapes at that, only every 3 years. There are claims that RCW can boost soil fertility and replace fossil fuel inputs (fertilizers and pesticides)</FONT><A style="mso-endnote-id: edn1" title="" href="#_edn1" name=_ednref1><SPAN class=MsoEndnoteReference><SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN style="mso-special-character: footnote"><SPAN class=MsoEndnoteReference><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">[i]</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></A><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman">. There could be potentially be markets in horticulture, agriculture and silviculture. An introduction to RCW is "raw material consists of the twigs and branches of </FONT><A title=Tree href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree"><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext; TEXT-DECORATION: none; text-underline: none"><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman">trees</FONT></SPAN></A><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"> and woody </FONT><A title=Shrub href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrub"><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext; TEXT-DECORATION: none; text-underline: none"><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman">shrubs</FONT></SPAN></A><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman">, preferably </FONT><A title=Deciduous href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deciduous"><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext; TEXT-DECORATION: none; text-underline: none"><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman">deciduous</FONT></SPAN></A><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman">, including small limbs up to 7 cm. in diameter. It is processed into small pieces (5-10cm) by </FONT><A title=Woodchipper href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodchipper"><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext; TEXT-DECORATION: none; text-underline: none"><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman">chipping</FONT></SPAN></A><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman">, and the resulting product has a relatively high ratio of </FONT><A title="Cambium (botany)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambium_(botany)"><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext; TEXT-DECORATION: none; text-underline: none"><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman">cambium</FONT></SPAN></A><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"> to </FONT><A title=Cellulose href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellulose"><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext; TEXT-DECORATION: none; text-underline: none"><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman">cellulose</FONT></SPAN></A><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"> compared to other chipped wood products. Thus, it is higher in nutrients and is an effective promoter of the growth of soil </FONT><A title=Fungi href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungi"><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext; TEXT-DECORATION: none; text-underline: none"><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman">fungi</FONT></SPAN></A><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"> and of </FONT><A title=Pedogenesis href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedogenesis"><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext; TEXT-DECORATION: none; text-underline: none"><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman">soil-building</FONT></SPAN></A><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"> in general." Wikipedia.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman">I got this from the Permaculture side. Peter Bane says that "Young growth on woody plants (up to about finger size) is very rich in enzymes, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients…with all species where this ramial wood (or what the English coppicers call brash) is cut and applied as mulch it breaks down into humus fairly rapidly. Rates of decay are of course influenced by moisture and the degree of soil contact but we should see woody plants as a prime source of fertilizer and mulch to maintain our garden farms and fields.</FONT><A style="mso-endnote-id: edn2" title="" href="#_edn2" name=_ednref2><SPAN class=MsoEndnoteReference><SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN style="mso-special-character: footnote"><SPAN class=MsoEndnoteReference><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">[ii]</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></A><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman">" </FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoEndnoteText><A style="mso-endnote-id: edn1" title="" href="#_ednref1" name=_edn1><SPAN class=MsoEndnoteReference><SPAN style="mso-special-character: footnote"><SPAN class=MsoEndnoteReference><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">[i]</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></A><FONT face="Times New Roman"> Lemieux, Giles, Laval University. "Fundamentals of Forest Ecosystem Pedogenetics ", British Columbia Ministry of Forestry, Victoria, BC.</FONT></P></DIV>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoEndnoteText><A style="mso-endnote-id: edn2" title="" href="#_ednref2" name=_edn2><SPAN class=MsoEndnoteReference><SPAN style="mso-special-character: footnote"><SPAN class=MsoEndnoteReference><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">[ii]</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></A><FONT face="Times New Roman"> Bane, Peter, The Permaculture Handbook, New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>BC, 2012, Pg. 314</FONT></P>
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