Biochar-based tree seed coatings for climate-smart forest restoration

种子可获得性有限(繁殖体限制)和育苗时不利的土壤条件是北方生态系统重新造林的重要障碍。在偏远地区的大规模骚乱中，用当地适应的遗传种群植树通常是不可行的，或者是昂贵得令人望而却步。从“气候智能林业”的角度来看，森林恢复和管理方面的这一长期挑战具有新的意义：即管理森林以提高森林复原力和碳固存，并以其他方式减轻气候变化的影响。最近有证据表明，从木材废料(“生物炭”)中提取的热解有机物可以极大地提高树木的性能，包括早期苗木发育和随后的树木生长和存活。拟议的项目旨在开发和测试适用于加拿大偏远地区森林恢复的无人机精准播种方法的生物炭种衣剂。本研究的目标是：(1)在实验室和田间研究的基础上，设计和测试基于生物炭的种衣剂，以评估替代生物炭、粘结剂和包衣厚度对颗粒机械特性、种子萌发和早期发育的影响，以及对种子形成至关重要的土壤性质的影响；(2)评估用于种衣剂应用的替代生物炭原料，包括营养引发效果和“主场优势”假说，即火适应树种的树苗将在同种原料的生物炭中表现最好；(3)在不列颠哥伦比亚省北部和安大略省北部有代表性的目标修复地点，特别是大型火灾后和更新较差的类似地点，对替代类型的生物炭种子涂层进行模拟和实际无人机播撒的实地试验，并从建树和碳固存结果方面评估结果。该项目旨在为工业合作伙伴BC BiCarbon和Seed the North，Inc.开发新产品提供科学基础。

Limited seed availability (propagule limitation) and adverse soil conditions at the time of seedling establishment are important impediments to reforestation in northern ecosystems. In large-scale disturbances at remote sites tree planting with locally adapted genetic stock is commonly infeasible or prohibitively expensive. This long-standing challenge in forest restoration and management has taken on new significance from the perspective of "climate-smart forestry": i.e., managing forests to enhance forest resilience and carbon sequestration, and to otherwise mitigate climate change effects. There is recent evidence that pyrolyzed organic matter derived from wood waste material ("biochar") can substantially enhance tree performance, including early seedling development and subsequent tree growth and survivorship. The proposed project seeks to develop and test biochar seed coatings suitable for use in drone-based precision seeding approaches for forest restoration in remote sites in Canada. The proposed objectives of this research are to: (1) Design and test of biochar-based seed coatings based on lab and field studies that will assess effects of alternative biochars, binding agents, and coating thickness on granule mechanical properties, seed germination and early development, and on soil properties important to seedling establishment; (2) Evaluate alternative biochar feedstocks for seed coating applications, including tests of nutrient priming effects and of the "home-field advantage" hypothesis that tree seedlings of fire-adapted species will perform best in biochars from conspecific feedstock; (3) Conduct field trials of simulated and actual drone dispersal of alternative types of biochar seed coatings at sites in Northern BC and Northern Ontario representative of target restoration sites, specifically including large post-fire and similar sites with poor regeneration, and assess results in terms of tree establishment and carbon sequestration outcomes. The project is designed to provide a scientific foundation for new product development by the industrial partners BC Biocarbon and Seed the North, Inc.