Subject: Salicaceae family trees in sustainable agroecosystems

From: "Michael Miller & Ute Bohnsack" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 02:09:55 -0000

Apologies for cross-posting.

Thought, this looked interesting. 
Source at the bottom.
As it happens I have planted willows, not poplars at the bottom of our
sloping goat field, hence the name of our place: "Sailchearnach" which is
the Irish for goatwillow ... I am very fond of both) to catch nutrients
which try to sneak out of our place. In a few years, they'll be big enough
to feed some branches back to the goats and they will provide shelter.
Now here seems to be proof of the pudding.

Greetings,
UteB

161                                 NAL Call. No.: 99.8 F7623
Salicaceae family trees in sustainable agroecosystems.
Licht, L.A.
Ottawa : Canadian Institute of Forestry; 1992 Apr.
The Forestry chronicle v. 68 (2): p. 214-217; 1992 Apr.  Paper
presented at "Contribution of Salicaceae Family to
Ameliorating our Environment." Joint Popular Council of
Canada/US Popular Council Annual Meeting held Sept. 26-29,
1991, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.  Includes references.

Language:  English

Descriptors: Iowa; Salicaceae; Populus; Sustainability; Strip
cropping; Groundwater; Water quality; Nitrates; Nitrogen;
Nutrient uptake; Ecosystems

Abstract:  Research at the University of Iowa is testing the
ECOLOTREE BUFFER, a prototype wooded buffer strip planted
between a creek and row-cropped land with roots grown
intentionally deep enough to intersect the near-surface water
table. This project demonstrates that Populus spp. trees
cultured by using this technique are both ecologically
sustaining and productive. Measured data prove that nitrate is
removed from near-surface groundwater and that the nitrogen
uptake is present as protein in the leaves and the woody
stems. The tree's physiological attributes contribute to a
harvested value that can "pay its way"; these include fast
wood growth, cut-stem rooting, resprouting from a stump,
phreatophytic roots, and a high protein content in the leaves.
The wooded riparian strip changes the local agroecosystem by
reducing fertilizer nutrients causing surface water
eutrophication, by diversifying wildlife habitat, by reducing
soils erosion caused by wind and water, by diversifying the
crop base, by creating an aesthetic addition in the landscape.
This idea is a potential technique for managing non-point
source pollutants created by modern farming practices.

ISSN:  1052-5378
United States Department of Agriculture
National Agricultural Library
10301 Baltimore Blvd.
Beltsville, Maryland  20705-2351

Nonpoint-Source Pollution Issues
January 1990 - November 1994

Quick Bibliography Series:  QB 95-01

196 citations from AGRICOLA

Joe Makuch
Water Quality Information Center