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

有限的种子供应（繁殖体限制）和幼苗形成时不利的土壤条件是北方生态系统重新造林的重要障碍。在大规模的干扰在偏远地区的树木种植与当地适应的遗传股票通常是不可行的或过于昂贵。从“气候智能型林业”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：（b）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，来自木材废料的热解有机物（“生物炭”）可以大大提高树木的性能，包括早期幼苗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生物炭种子涂层，适用于加拿大偏远地区森林恢复的无人机精确播种方法。本研究的主要目的是：（1）在室内和田间试验的基础上，设计和测试生物炭种子包衣，以评估替代生物炭、粘合剂和包衣厚度对颗粒力学性质、种子萌发和早期发育以及对幼苗建立重要的土壤性质的影响;（2）评价用于种子包衣应用的替代生物炭原料，包括测试养分引发效应和“本土优势”假设，即适应火灾的树种的树苗在同种原料的生物炭中表现最佳;（3）在不列颠哥伦比亚省北方和北方安大略代表目标恢复地点的地点进行模拟和实际无人机散布替代类型生物炭种子涂层的实地试验，特别是包括大型火灾后和再生不良的类似地点，并评估树木建立和碳固存结果的结果。该项目旨在为工业合作伙伴BC Biocarbon和Seed the North，Inc.的新产品开发提供科学基础。

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.