Trees for Kurdistan

Quinoa, crop for the future

2008-04-28T23:45:00.000-07:00

Quinoa is a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium) grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal as it is not a grass. Its leaves are also eaten as a leaf vegetable, much like amaranth, but the commercial availability of quinoa greens is currently limited.

Overview
Quinoa originated in the Andean region of South America, where it has been an important food for 6,000 years. Its name is the Spanish spelling of the Quechua name. Quinoa is generally undemanding and altitude-hardy, so it can be easily cultivated in the Andes up to about 4,000 meters. Even so, it grows best in well-drained soils and requires a relatively long growing season. In eastern North America, it is susceptible to a leaf miner that may reduce crop success; this leaf miner also affects the common weed Chenopodium album, but C. album is much more resistant.
Similar Chenopodium species, such as Pitseed Goosefoot (Chenopodium berlandieri) and Fat Hen (Chenopodium album) were grown and domesticated in North America as part of the Eastern Agricultural Complex before maize agriculture became popular. Fat Hen, which has a widespread distribution in the Northern Hemisphere, produces edible seeds and greens much like quinoa, but in lower quantities. Caution should be exercised in collecting this weed, however, because when growing in heavily fertilized agricultural fields it can accumulate dangerously high concentrations of nitrates.
Chenopods were also used in Europe as greens.

Wild distribution
Chenopodium quinoa (and a related species from Mexico, Chenopodium nuttalliae) is most familiar as a fully domesticated plant, but it was believed to have been domesticated in the Andes from wild populations of Chenopodium quinoa.[1] There are non-cultivated quinoa plants (Chenopodium quinoa var. melanospermum) which grow in the same area where it is cultivated, which probably are related to the wild progenitors, but which could instead be the descendents of cultivated plants.[2]

History and culture
Top Quinoa Producers - 2005(thousand metric ton) Peru 26.0 Bolivia 25.1 Ecuador 27.2 World Total 78.3 Source:UN Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO)Actual figures from FAO
The Incas, who held the crop to be sacred, referred to quinoa as "chisaya mama" or "mother of all grains", and it was the Inca emperor who would traditionally sow the first seeds of the season using 'golden implements'. During the European conquest of South America quinoa was scorned by the Spanish colonists as "food for Indians", and even actively suppressed, due to its status within indigenous non-Christian ceremonies.
Quinoa is considered by many Jews to be kosher for Passover, if properly processed.

Nutritional value
Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and followed in third place by maize. In contemporary times this crop has come to be highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete food. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered as a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights.

Saponin content
In its natural state quinoa has a coating of bitter-tasting saponins, making it unpalatable. Most quinoa sold commercially in North America has been processed to remove this coating. Some have speculated this bitter coating may have caused the Europeans who first encountered quinoa to reject it as a food source, since they adopted other indigenous food plants of the Americas like maize and potatoes. However, this bitterness has beneficial effects during cultivation, as the plant is unpopular with birds and thus requires minimal protection. There have been attempts to lower the saponin content of quinoa through selective breeding in order to produce sweeter, more palatable varieties. However, when new varieties were introduced by agronomists to native growers in the high plateau, the native growers rejected the new varieties, despite their 'magnificent' yields. Because the seeds no longer had a bitter coating, birds had consumed the entire crop after just one season.

Preparation
Quinoa has a light, fluffy texture when cooked, and its mild, slightly nutty flavor makes it an alternative to white rice or couscous.
The first step in preparing quinoa is to remove the saponins, a process that requires soaking the grain in water for a few hours, then changing the water and resoaking again, or rinsing it in ample running water either in a fine strainer or in cheesecloth. Boxed quinoa typically has been pre-rinsed for convenience.
A common cooking method is to treat quinoa much like rice, bringing two cups of water to a boil with one cup of grain, covering at a low simmer and cooking for 14–18 minutes or until the germ separates from the seed. The cooked germ looks like a tiny curl and should have a slight bite to it (like al dente pasta). Alternatively, one can use a rice cooker to prepare quinoa. To that end, one volume of quinoa should be combined with two volumes of water.
Vegetables and seasonings can also be added to make a wide range of dishes. Chicken or vegetable stock can be substituted for water during cooking, adding flavour. It is also suited to vegetable pilafs, complementing bitter greens like kale.
Quinoa can serve as a high-protein breakfast food mixed with honey, almonds, or berries; it is also sold as a dry product, much like corn flakes.
Quinoa flour can be used in wheat-based and gluten-free baking. For the latter, it can be combined with sorghum flour, tapioca, and potato starch to create a nutritious gluten-free baking mix. A suggested mix is three parts quinoa flour, three parts sorghum flour, two parts potato starch, and one part tapioca starch. Quinoa flour can be used as a filling for chocolate.
Lastly, quinoa may be germinated in its raw form to boost its nutritional value. Germination activates its natural enzymes and multiplies its vitamin content. In fact, quinoa has a notably short germination period: only 2-4 hours resting in a glass of clean water is enough to make it sprout and release gases, as opposed to, e.g., 12 hours overnight with wheat. This process, besides its nutritional enhancements, softens the grains, making them suitable to be added to salads and other cold foods.

Cultivars
'Cahuil' A medium-size, light green seed with some variation[183]. Suitable for lower elevations, it produces well in Washington State in USA[183] and is therefore potentially suitable for the cooler, damper climate of Britain[K].
'Dave' The medium-size seed is yellow-brown in colour and ripens mid-season[183]. It has very colourful orange and pink seed heads[183]. A very short-season, high-yielding Chilean cultivar, adaptable to high or low elevations[183]. It grows up to 1.8 metres tall[183]. It has produced yields in excess of ½ kilo per square metre on our trial ground in Cornwall[183].
'Faro' A small, yellowish-white seed[183]. The plant grows 1.2 - 1.8 metres tall and has a light-green foliage[183]. A mid to long-season type, it performs well at lower elevations[183]. A good-yielding, adaptable cultivar - coming from southern Chile, it should be suitable for growing in cooler temperate climates and was the highest-yielding of 16 cultivars tested in northwestern USA[183].
'Isluga Yellow' Medium-size yellow seeds produced in attractive golden-yellow to pink seed heads[183]. An early maturing, high-yielding, somewhat taller variety, it has grown consistently well in a variety of Western mountain and coastal sites in the USA[183].
'Linares' A golden-yellow, medium-size seed, its coat is high in saponins and it has a distinctive flavour from commercial cultivars[183]. It ripens mid-season[183]. Plants grow to 1.8 metres tall, they yield well and have performed consistently well in both maritime and Rocky Mountain sites in western USA[183]. It originated in Chile at sea-level around a latitude of 36° south[183].
Multi-Hued' Produces flowering heads ranging in colour from red through orange and yellow topurple and mauve[183]. The plants grow to 1.8 metres tall and are very productive in northern latitudes[183].
'Temuco' Very palatable small white seeds, ripening in mid-season]183]. The plant has yellow-green seed heads (with some golden)[183]. The plant grows to 1.8 metres tall and bears abundant crops[183].Coming from a latitude of 38° south in Chile, it is one of the best choices for maritime sites in the Pacific Northwest of the USA[183], and should therefore also be suitable for growing in Britain[K]. It also grows well in the southern Rockies[183].

Links
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/quinoa.html
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19940015664_1994015664.pdf

Koldioxidkompensation?

2008-03-16T22:48:00.000-07:00

Koldioxidkompensation innebär att man binder samma mängd koldioxid i växter som man har frigjort i atmosfären genom andra aktiviteter, en sk. kolsänka. Idag finns ännu ingen erkänd standard för att beräkna en sådan kompensation, bara ungefärdiga mått.

Att köpa träd för att kompensera koldioxidutsläpp är inget avlatsbrev med absolution för alla utsläpps-synder och ingen lösning på alla problem. Det är bara ett av många sätt att minska atmosfärens koldioxidinnehåll – men en mycket bra komponent i en åtgärdsmix!

Ingen åtgärd påverkar så direkt människors liv på ett positivt sätt som trädplantering därför ska den definitivt ingå i ert åtgärdspaket - om ni tar den globala uppvärningen på allvar! I

Dina träd betyder något för dig imorgon och för dem redan idag.

Den första koldioxidneutrala staten

2008-03-16T22:44:00.000-07:00

I omvärlden har Vatikanstaten under de senaste potifikaten kommit att förknippas med utpräglad värdekonservatism. Därför kom 2007 års deklaration om att göra Vatikanstaten till det första koldioxidneutrala landet i världen oväntat för den som förknippar traditionella kristna värderingar med ointresse för miljöfrågor.

Åtagandet skall, från Vatikanstatens sida, ske genom koldioxidkompensation. Vatikanstatens Klimatskog finns inom Bükk National Park i Ungern och är dimensionerad för att kompensera Vatikanstatens koldioxidutsläpp. Man ser det som en rent symbilsk handling i syfte att uppmuntra jordens dryga miljard katoliker att göra mer för att skydda vår planet. Dessutom kommer Paulus VI:s audienshall att få taket täckt med solpaneler. I sin adress inför det nya milenniet betonade den tidigare påven Johannes Paulus II nödvändigheten av miljöskydd: ”Hur kan vi förbli oberörda inför hotet om en ekologisk kris som kommer att göra vidsträckta områden av vår planet obeboerliga för mänskligheten?”

We challenge you!

2008-02-17T01:21:00.000-08:00

200 trees have been planted this week! I did a security planting around the boundary of a possible goal for assault. These trees act as an extra wall, far more attractive than the usual walls and fences. This technique has been used in several countries with similar security problems, with good result. One Acacia from Australia is called Wait-a-little-bush: If you get stuck there. you stay for a while!
Due to many factors is a cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture not possible. But since the administration provides many other ways to proceed I believe that we have during January and February planted more trees than the dept. of Forestry has done under this period.

In this noble competition for the well fare of Kurdistan: I hereby challenge the dept. of Forestry to with their own resources plant more than 10.000 trees this year and to have a survival rate over 80% at the end of 2009. We will certainly try to achieve this goal at Trees for Kurdistan.

Just simple physics

2007-11-21T22:27:00.000-08:00

There is nothing mysterious about the ability of the Green Belt to clear the air. It´s just simple physics. Look at the animated gif to the left!

The brownish shape in the middle is a dust particle and the blue shapes are water vapour.

When dust particles blow in at a normally low altitude they become condensation nucleii:

Air borne vapour condensates as water on the surface of the dust particle. The particle attracts more and more vapour. The particle becomes heavy and sinks. Vapourized water from the trees in the Green Belt bind dust.

It´s that easy: just simple physics.

A win - win project

2007-11-14T23:34:00.000-08:00

Of special interest for the Green Belt project are the hills south of Hewler, on the road to Kirkuk. They are marked green on the map – green for forests. These hills are today used for oil production and pasture. Both industries can successfully be combined with the tree plantation.

The oil industry is today concerned with their environmental reputation: They are the fact the motor of global warming! To be able to show that they are involved in massive tree planting projects is to somehow counterweight the negative effects, both environmentally and concerning status. The oil business can, a bit farfetched but still, claim to be a green commerce!

Due to the high percentage of protein in the leaves of the tree legumes – up to 35% - will the browsing cattle, and certainly their owners benefit from the tree plantation! It’s a solid fact, confirmed by numerous international studies that tree legumes contribute to a faster growth rate, higher progeny (more kid and lambs) and an improved animal health.

If there ever has been a win-win project, a project that everybody will benefit from, it is this! So what are we waiting for?

A Green Belt for new life

2007-11-06T23:32:00.000-08:00

There has been a long going talk about creating a Green Belt south of Hewler. The question has been raised and dropped in periods. The interest of the oil companies, conservative environmentalists and other more pressing issues have this far hindered the project. I hereby suggest a model that enables the establishment of the Green Belt that will attract interest, money and expertise from abroad – among other positive effects.
Why a Green Belt?
· Every summer Hewler is covered by desert dust, carried by winds from the south, a yellowish filth cover streets, cars and laundry. It penetrates the houses and covers furniture.
· People with respiratory problems suffer during this period.
· At the same time is the growing city lacking recreational areas: simply, good healthy nature.
· To the picture must also be added that the city is creating its own problems. All the cars are producing green house gasses that are giving us a hotter climate. The desert is moving north.
Examples from abroad show that this can be addressed by planting massive green belts. A dense forest in the direction of the ruling winds can filter the air, diminish the winds, give good recreation, bind green house gasses and stop desertification and land degradation.
Today we have the techniques and trees for this climate. We only lack the decision, the organization and the means for this endeavor.
Non-profit NGO
I suggest that a large area of the Zurgazraw hills is managed by a non-profit, nongovernmental organization for 25 years. After this period the land is handled over to the government, now as a lush park covered with trees and filled with wild life.
How?
1. 2007/2008 Selection of suitable area
Together with representatives for the general directorate of forestry, oil wells, planning and other authorities in concern, should a suitable area be selected for Project Green Belt. It must have a depth of at least 10 kilometers to make any kind of impact on the climate. Concerning the width it shall be as large as possible. I guess that some 40 kilometers would be great. We might have to accept areas of national economic interest within the Green Belt.
2. 2008 Pilot project
I project of this dignity must be tested concerning species, organization and logistics. Let’s begin with a minor pilot project of 1 000 trees. This Pilot project will start immediately as the proposal of the Green Belt is accepted. During December 2007 to February 2008 is a selected area planted within the Green Belt of about 12 – 16 000 m2. A valley surrounded by ridges is to prefer since it can create a climatic pocket. The area shall be fenced by the ministry to stop browsing cattle. It can be simple fencing like double barbed wire.
The ministry should place a minor post for the Green Belt Pilot project in its budget for 2008:
· 1,6 km simple fencing (double barbed wire) (1 000 USD)
· 1 person clearing around the plants and maintaining the fencing.( 6000 USD)
· Watering twice a week during the dry season ( 1 000 m3 water)
· I guess that the total costs will be less than 20 000 USD or 20 USD/plant, year one. After the first dry season is no watering needed and the cost per tree is maybe 1 USD/tree/year, or less.
· The project evaluation shall be in December 2008. The evaluation shall consider the performance of the plants as well as the cooperation.

3. The Green Belt Project start
In the end of 2008 should both the ministry of Agriculture and the Green Belt Trust have acquired a good picture of:
· Suitable species for the area
· Methods of plantation, maintenance and watering
· Organization on both sides for a well working cooperation
It is now time to write the Green Belt proposal. Based on experiences gathered from the Pilot project should the goal be to:
· 2009 plant 1km2,
· 2010 plant 10 km2
Every year coming should the goal be to plant 10 km2. This area is possible to plant by traditional methods while larger areas call for other means. This will be discussed later in this sketch.
4. Organization
The Green Belt Trust should be organized in a manner that attracts donators. The chairman shall be a well known Kurd, with broad international contacts and ability to communicate in several languages. This person shall have a strong personal interest in environmental issues. As the representative of the Green Belt Trust he shall attract sponsors and act as spokesman for the project. Without the right person here the project will dwindle.
The organization shall invite expertise from renounced universities working with semiarid forestry as the University of Auburn and the University of Arizona. There is also solid expertise at the Danish Agricultural University (Skov og Landskab). It is of course beficial to join the UN Billion Tree program. The Green Belt trust is open to every person interested in the issue. The organization is not related to any certain party or religious group. All cherishing environmental thinking and democratic values are welcome.
All documentation from the organization shall be in English in order to make it transparent and trust worthy in the eyes of foreign interests and to allow non-Kurdish board members and international economical revision.
The board and the council are to be formed according to international democratic rules.
If the organization is not formed and working within one year after the foundation, the area is handled back to the government.

5. The Government and the Green Belt Trust have different roles
The Government enables
I suggest that in the Green Belt project shall the Ministry of Agriculture supportive role, thus enabling the Green Belt. The ministry of Agriculture should contribute with:
· Infrastructure like fencing, roads and electricity, buildings, transportation for persons involved and for material to the project.
· Manpower to nurse the growing trees, maintain the fence and Park Wards to guide the visitors and protect the wild life.
· Resources at the nurseries to grow bulk plants (that will be bought by the Green Belt)
The Green Belt Trust plants
By the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Green Belt Trust can focus entirely on the trees. This will attract donators from near and far. The contributors shall be able to buy a certain amount of trees for a fixed sum per tree. From 50 trees or more shall a plate commemorate the givers of a certain lot. In fund raising it is important to have simple tangible goals. We welcome of course donations from the Ministry buying 1000 trees of more per year! Every square kilometer is planted with 70 – 100 000 trees so contributions are needed.

6. Coming years
I expect radically decreased costs for the yearlings planted coming years. By smart planting of drought hardy species should the costs/tree/year never exceed 1, 50 USD. The Green Belt shall have as its goal to increase the plantings as much as practically possible. Limiting factors are available funds, plants and methods. The trust shall initiate tree planting campaigns and popularize environmental thinking in the country as whole.

7. Species used
The world offers several climatic regimes comparable to the Kurdish setting. In all of these trees grow, adapted to the climate. Many belong to the Fabeace family like Prosopis and Acacia but also Jacaranda and Paulownia will be useful.
In the Pilot Project we intend to plant:
Prosopis alba, Prosopis glandulosa torreyana, Prosopis flexuosa, Prosopis chilensis, Acacia aneura, Acacia nilotica, Acacia brachystachya, Geoffroea decorticans and Jacaranda mimosifolia.
These species have already proven to grow well in Kurdistan. Since many of them live in symbiosis with certain bacteria, special care has to be taken during the germination to ensure healthy growth. We are of course open to others suggested by the ministry of Agriculture.
So, we ask you Sir, to call for a pre study in which an area is selected as members of your staff that shall cooperate with us.
After that a proper proposal for the Pilot Project is written during the end of November.

What would a Green Belt do?

2007-11-03T10:08:00.000-07:00

Pict 1. 100 sq km grass steppe, almost withouthigher life

Pict 2. Land degradation caused by little herbs able to buffer flows and few roots bilding soil.

As I mentioned before there are plans on planting a green belt south of Hewler/Erbil. What effects would it have on the environment - if it becomes big enough?

From studies made abroad there are some effects that we can expect after planting a massive Green Belt on the Makhmor hills:
A. Less accentuated seasonal changes outside the Green Belt.
The seasonal changes considering water run-off, humidity in air and (if the belt is massive enough) temperature, will be less accentuated.
1. Precipitation and water run-off
Barren, grass covered hills have a very limited ability to store larger quantities of water. With a pronounced seasonal rain as in Kurdistan and with a cattle-packed surface is the absorbsion only a few percent. The waters moving in high speed downhill excavate the hillside in a flood of mud. The result is advanced land degradation, see picture. It is common knowledge that a slope with trees and sub-vegetation has a totally different ability to buffer and store water. Water remains long enough to be absorbed by the underlying layer to finally reach the water table. A Spanish study shows that water is lead by pole roots to deeper levels than otherwise. This larger intake of water compensates the used later in the season by the trees for evaporation. We can expect less rapid floods and less land degradation and a deeper penetration of larger amounts of water.
2. Evaporation in dry periods
As said above the trees not only contribute to the absorbsion of precipitation. They consume water for evaporation. That is, the trees ooze out soil stored water and thereby increase the humidity. Data suggest that evaporation from a pasture-mesquite vegetation is an important component in the water balance considering the limited rainfall occurring.[1] The moisture wills condensate on air bore dust that will descend in the direction of the ruling winds. In our case with desert winds it should normally happen on the plain between Makhmoor and Hewler, place depending on the velocity of the winds and the altitude of the dust. We can expect an increasing humidity that is dust binding. and changes in the sub-vegetation, from steppe grasses to herbs and other kind of grasses.
3. Wind break
Another factor that diminishes the air-borne dust is the wind break. As the Green Belt slow down the wind, the ability of the air masses to transport dust will decrease. Behind the Green Belt, and even within it, we can expect downfall of dust. As the velocity of the winds slows down will also the drought of the land behind the Green Belt, caused by hot and dry winds diminish. We can expect higher yields on the fields behind the Belt, maybe hampered by dust shading the photosynthesis.
B. Dramatic changes within the Green Belt
The introduction of shade, humidity and available nitrogen will rather dramatically change the biotype in the Green Belt, over time.
1. In a first stage higher grass
In the beginning the areas will be exposed to sun and drought. With the addition of nitrogen from the growing trees the grasses will grow taller and denser. They have to be held back around the trees by mechanical means. We can expect higher grass in the beginning and increasing amount of insects living on the grass steppe.
2. Replacement of grasses
The increased humidity and shade will benefit a lot of herbs depending on these factors and change the composition and amounts of grasses in the area. We can expect a succession of species were each and every has a golden period with optimal conditions.
3. Stable shade/glade biotype, many microclimates
Within, maybe seven years we will see the development of a shade biotype. Under the trees will grow herbs with little demand on sunlight but high on nitrogen. In the glades between with more light and less nitrogen will grasses have their chance. Instead of the ruling steppe monoculture we can expect a high diversity in microclimates depending on light/shade, humidity and available nitrogen.
4. Insects!
As the biotype changes and the differentiation of microclimates increases, the specialists will colonize different niches and the grass steppe insects will diminish. Species seldom seen before will settle in the Green Belt. We can expect a change in the insect population and a rapid increase in the number of species but less individuals of each and every.
5. Higher wild life
Comparing with the grass hills of today will the change be dramatically. Birds, reptiles as well as mammals will colonize the Green Belt. This will be especially evident if we dig water holes that contain water some months after the rain. We can expect a wealth of animals in the Green Belt!
C. The Green Belt and the surrounding areas
There will be an interaction between the Green Belt and the surrounding areas that I have already briefly treated in climatical terms.
1. The Green Belt leaks life
The borders between the Green Belt and the zone around will not be that sharp. Depending of type of organism we can expect life leaking: Animals moving, birds flying outside the Green Belt will in some cases cause irritation from the farmers around. Some of the species will try to colonize the hills around by themselves. Shall we let the Green Belt grow? We can expect the leaking out of life to influence the areas around the Green Belt.
2. Game and poachers
The wealth of wild life will attract poachers. This is a no man’s land with a long history of hunting, except for the restrictions during the Saddam years. There are several ways of treating this issue that will stop or restrict to a controlled hunting. We will for instance see flocks of wild dogs chasing that we simply must kill. We can expect an increased interest from poachers and from wild dogs that has to be handled in an intelligent way.
3. Visitors
As obvious for everybody that has seen a Kurdish or even more, Arabic picnic area, there is a most irresponsible attitude to nature. Go to the picnic sites in Shaqlawa if you don´t understand what I mean! We can expect human impact that contradicts our intentions with the Green Belt that simply have to be controlled and restricted by Park Wards.

4. Claims of ownership and use
As the park grows in every dimension, concerning beauty and number of visitors and thus its economical value increases all kind of demands will be raised: from families that claim that they have ownership to parts of the Green Belt to business people who want to open a restaurant in the park. This has to be regulated by
a. handling over the rights for 25 years in a legally impeccable manner to the Green Belt Trust.
b. restrict the commerce to business zones by the entrances
c. restricting all entrance to parts of the Green Belt zone that are havens for wild life.
We can expect claims of ownership and use that contradicts the intentions of the Green Belt. This has to be controlled by the Green Belt Trust.
[1] http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2004AGUFM.B51A0932S

Visiting the Minister of Agriculture

2007-10-31T09:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I visited the Minster of Agriculture, mr. Abdul Aziz Tayeb. Among other things I briefly presented a plan for a Green Belt south of Hewler. The idea was very well recieved and the Minister expressed his gratitude for my work.

Later I discussed the technicalities with the General Director of Agriculture and he also expressed his full support.

"We totally agree on the necessity of this project"

The General Director and I shaking hands.

Explosive growth

2007-10-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

It was a joy to return to the plantation and to see the growth. The trees had reached some amazing three meters or ten feet in a few months. These are really trees for this climate! They all look very well. On the pictures you see my wife standing by them for comparision. (Our pumpkins are also doing well but they were suffering intense exposure of sun so they are rather small.) 10 000/65 000

Harvest time!

2007-10-09T08:44:00.000-07:00

Dear readers

It is now time to havest the trees. They are at a length of 1 - 2,5 meters with well developed root systems. They are versatile trees well suited to survive in and contribute to the Kurdish environment.

News

2007-05-23T05:37:00.000-07:00

Roots may promote infiltration and thus reduce runoff and soil erosion; they may also serve as pathways for water to move to the groundwater, facilitating groundwater recharge. By increasing our knowledge of these processes we hope to make recommendations for the better management of vegetation in arid lands of the Mediterranean. (http://www.silsoe.cranfield.ac.uk/iwe/medalus.htm)

In the semi-arid grassland on the Arid Lands Ecology Reserve on the Hanford Site in south-central Washington State, three legume flushes occurred in the past decade.Estimates of leguminous nitrogen in both native and disturbed vegetation after a flush showed that nitrogen in the legume (above-ground) doubled the amount of nitrogen associated with vascular plant tissues.( http://www.osti.gov/energycitations/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=6444278)

The environmental impact of Nitrogen fixing trees

2007-05-23T05:35:00.000-07:00

The usage of Nitrogen fixing trees will change the environment. The addition of moist, shade, mulch and nitrogen will create zones of different properties.

“We found a higher number of shrubs under canopies, whereas that of grasses and perennial forbs increased in intercanopy areas. Concentrations of organic matter, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, factors limiting biological productivity in Monte desert soils, were significantly higher under than outside P. flexuosa canopies. Electrical conductivity and concentrations of Na+, Ca++, Mg++ were higher in the northern than in the southern microhabitats. …… We conclude that P. flexuosa modifies the spatial pattern of plant species in the shrub and herbaceous layers and the chemical conditions of the soil, generating spatial heterogeneity on different scales.”
(Journal of Vegetation Science Article: pp. 543–550 Effects of Prosopis flexuosa on soil properties and the spatial pattern of understorey species in arid Argentina RossiBertilde E.A, VillagraPablo E
If we translate the scientific gibberish to ordinary English the article simply states that Nitrogen fixing trees create a biological diversity that was not there before. They also enrich the soil in areas of scarcity.

Trees and climate change

2007-05-23T05:34:00.001-07:00

Forests could be used to combat climate changeIn addition to preventing forests from being turned into other land-uses, new forest-based carbon stores should be created through afforestation (new plantings) and reforestation (replanting of deforested areas), FAO says.Carbon stocks in forest biomass reach the highest values per hectare in Western and Central Africa and Central and South America, according to FRA 2005.Particularly in the tropics, where vegetation grows rapidly and therefore pulls carbon from the atmosphere more quickly, planting trees can remove large amounts of CO2 from the air within a relatively short time. There, forests can fix as much as 15 tonnes of carbon in their biomass and wood per hectare per year.FAO and other experts have estimated that global carbon retention resulting from reduced deforestation, increased forest regrowth and more agroforestry and plantations could make up for about 15 percent of carbon emissions from fossil fuels over the next 50 years. http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2005/1000176/index.html

Proposal on a Reforestation Plan for the Hewler District, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

2006-11-22T03:54:00.000-08:00

Background
T he climate and the ecology of Kurdistan have changed. The global warming is pushing the Sahel belt northward in Spain, southern Italy, and Greece as well as in the Middle East generally and maybe Kurdistan specially. The historians telling about the huge forest covering a belt from Turkey to the ridges of the Himalayas are long gone as well as the forests of their songs and poems. Today only a few percent of the Kurdish soil is covered by forests, mainly in the northern parts of the Iraqi Kurdistan. Only in some pockets of this area is the natural forest still able to reproduce and flourish. In others the mature trees survive while the seedlings don’t. This forest is not able to regenerate itself; it’s especially evident in the outskirts of the Barzan region.
Several factors can be added that have accelerated the transition to a drier regime:
The huge oil burns during the recent war probably made the relatively slow change toward a drier climate to take a huge leap forward.
The cutting of previously planted forests, also during the war may have altered the climatic patterns or at least the soil regime.
The overgrazing by ruminants as well as the compacting of the surface by hoofs and cloves has made it harder for seeds to establish as well as in has made the run-off of precipitation faster, resulting in less water left in the soil and an even more severe erosion.
The scenario with the huge flood that undermined the bridge in Bestora this winter and set villages under water would have been different with a dense biomass upstream able to store transients of water. This is a worldwide experience, described in scientific literature from Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Tanzania, Nepal and Australia. (Literature list provided on request)
In short:
The carrying capacity of the land is dwindling, leaving the rural population poor and hungry in a land full of possibilities. The trees previously covering the country are nor able to provide sustenance to cattle, not to man: The result an increased migration to the towns, first and foremost to Hewler. We have to look for other species adapted to the changed conditions and able to provide the inhabitants of the land with a living and incentive to stay.
After a first positive meeting with the major of Hewler and his assistant about the forestation of Kurdistan generally and Hewler specially, I promised to return with a plan.
Before this I have been doing extensive traveling in Kurdistan to study the status concerning soil types and depth, trees and shrubs, and during early spring; the impact of rain. I have not found data about the water table but it’s of minor importance for the moment being.
I have also consulted the experts at the arid, semi-arid and continental climate research units at the major American universities and their counterparts in New South Wales, Australia. I have also extensive contacts with three NGO:s that work with forestation projects globally. Together we have tailored an action plan that covers the alternatives we can see, this far.

Proposal
For the wealth of the nation I hereby propose a forestation plan for Hewler district, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. The objectives of this plan are:
To increase the carrying capacity of the land for both man and animal by introduction of new species and new techniques of agroforestry. Thereby making it possible for the people to continue living in the rural areas with an increased income and quality of life.
To reclaim degraded land and stop erosion.
To reintroduce the forests from the past, as far as possible.

Mechanism
In this proposal I have outlined the full plan. Altering the plan in either direction will of course change the quotation and will be subject to discussions.

Phaze 1
Propagation and provenience test: Comprises 60 species and varieties and more than 300.000 seeds. Duration: February 2007 – Mars 2008. This will go on every coming year with new varieties found and tested. Irrigation techniques that promote a deep root system as well as different planting methods will be tested and evaluated. But first and foremost is the survival under the extremes of the Kurdish climate tested: frost tenderness and drought hardiness.
(Stage 3) Establishment of a Rural Development Center (RDC) with staff and nursery. Duration: May 2007 – December 2008. The objective of this center is the promotion of the economy in the rural areas in such away that it enables people to stay in their villages instead of migrating to Hewler and a sure poverty.
Education of staff at the RDC in agroforestry techniques. Duration: 1 day / week (except for the busy seasons) June 2007 – June 2008.
Planting a genetic park of elite plants by the Nursery. September 2007 –
Start a close cooperation with similar units worldwide.
Build a mathematical model for the most effective patterns of plant distribution.
Plant an educational park within an ordinary park in Hewler in which the different species are described and their benefits, displaying how they can be used.

Phaze 2
Train staff in the ordinary nurseries in propagation of Tree Legumes. Duration: September 2007.
Send 1.000.000 seeds of selected varieties to the nurseries for propagation. Duration: February 2008 – April 2008.
Employ and train extra staff for planting. Duration: April 2008.
Develop logistics at the nurseries that enables extensive planting during a short period: Duration January 2008 – March 2008. (The tree week: During this week, the children supported by the military with logistics plant as many trees as they can. They do the country a favor and gain environmental awareness. This is just an example of the possibilities.)
Develop a system of plant protection. Duration: In effect March 2007 – March 2010.
Inoculation test with Kurdish acorns (like Q. libani) and strains of truffle mycelium with high water absorbing capacity. Duration: April 2007 – September 2008. This might make reintroduction of oak possible and might give the rural population a stable income by collecting spring truffles.

Phaze 3
Send 2.000.000 seeds of selected varieties to the nurseries for propagation. Duration: February 2009 – April 2009.
Establish demonstration farms all over the Hewler region using different agroforestry techniques. Duration: May 2009 – May 2010.
Employ and educate agroforestry informers at the demonstration farms. Duration: March 2008 – May 2010.
Support the establishments of modern forest industry like saw mills, fiber board plant and wood furniture. Duration 2009 –
Establish an investment fund (the Rural Development Fund) from which initiatives in the rural area can apply for micro loans.
Make it to a standing paragraph in every business agreement that companies establishing in Hewler must plant a number of trees according to size of agreement – or contribute to the Rural Development Fund with a sum equal.

Facts and figures

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1.9% of Iraq's land area, or about 822,000 hectares (3,174 square miles / 2,031,206 acres / 8,220 square kilometers [km]) is covered with forest according to FAO figures from 2005.
FAO estimates that around 0.0% of Iraq's forest cover consists of "primary forest" which is relatively intact.
About 80% Iraq's forest is classified as "protected" while about 20% is "conserved" according to FAO.
An insignificant percentage Iraq's forests are classified as "production forest."
Between 2000-2005, Iraq gained about 4,000 ha of forest. Iraq's 2000-2005 total reforestation rate was about 0.1% per year meaning it gained an average of 1,000 ha of forest annually.
Iraq's total reforestation rate from 1990-2000 was 1,000 ha or 0.2% per year.
The 2000-2005 true deforestation rate in Iraq, defined as the loss of primary forest, is defined as the loss of primary forest, is not available from FAO data.

Land Degradation

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Definitions of Land Degradation
A common definition of desertification is as land degradation in the drylands (" 'Desertification' means land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas."), yet the two terms are often used as if they are distinct (e.g., "Land degradation and desertification in desert margins" by Reich et al. 2000). The CCD also defines "land" by its primary productivity service (" 'land' means the terrestrial bioproductive system.") and "land degradation" as an implicit loss of provision of this service (" 'land degradation' means reduction or loss of the biological or economic productivity .'). The definition of biological productivity and economic benefit depends on users' priorities - transforming woodland to cropland may decrease biological productivity, degrade the economic benefit of firewood production but increase the economic benefit of food production. With respect to the mechanisms of land degradation - changes in the properties of the land (soil, water, vegetation) do not correspond linearly to changes in productivity. Loss of productivity can also be attributed to non human-induced factors such as rainfall variability and human factors such as low labor input. Thus, a range of interacting variables that affect productivity should be addressed in order to assess objectively and unambiguously land degradation.Commonly considered degradation processes are vegetation degradation, water and wind erosion, salinization, soil compaction and crusting, and soil nutrient depletion. Pollution, acidification, alkalization, and water logging are often important locally (Oldeman, 1994; Lal, 2001; Dregne, 2002). Field experiments, field measurements, field observations, remote sensing, and computer modeling are carried out to study these processes. The higher the aggregation level in each of these study approaches, the more problematic each of the methods becomes, either because of upscaling issues or because of questionable extrapolations and generalizations.

Causes, Drivers and Types of Land Degradation
Desertification is caused by a combination of factors that change over time and vary by location. These include indirect factors such as population pressure, socioeconomic and policy factors, and international trade as well as direct factors such as land use patterns and practices and climate-related processes. Desertification is taking place due to indirect factors driving unsustainable use of scarce natural resources by local land users. This situation may be further exacerbated by global climate change. Desertification is considered to be the result of management approaches adopted by land users, who are unable to respond adequately to indirect factors like population pressure and globalization and who increase the pressure on the land in unsustainable ways. This leads to decreased land productivity and a downward spiral of worsening degradation and poverty. Where conditions permit, dryland populations can avoid degradation by improving their agricultural practices and enhancing pastoral mobility in a sustainable way. On the whole, the interaction between climatic factors and human responses can create a range of different outcomes. To counter the problems effectively, it is important-but difficult-to distinguish between those resulting from the natural conditions of dryland ecosystems and those caused by unsustainable management practices as well as broader economic and policy factors.

Impacts of Land Degradation
Desertification has environmental impacts at the global and regional scale. Affected areas may sometimes be located thousands of kilometers away from the desertified areas. Desertification-related processes such as reduction of vegetation cover, for instance, increase the formation of aerosols and dust. These, in turn, affect cloud formation and rainfall patterns, the global carbon cycle, and plant and animal biodiversity. For example, visibility in Beijing is often adversely affected by dust storms originating in the Gobi Desert in springtime. Large dust storms emanating from China affect the Korean peninsula and Japan and are observed to even have an impact on North American air quality. ...The societal and political impacts of desertification also extend to non-dryland areas. Droughts and loss of land productivity are predominant factors in movement of people from drylands to other areas, for example (medium certainty). An influx of migrants may reduce the ability of the population to use ecosystem services in a sustainable way. Such migration may exacerbate urban sprawl and by competing for scarce natural resources bring about internal and cross-boundary social, ethnic, and political strife. Desertification-induced movement of people also has the potential of adversely affecting local, regional, and even global political and economic stability, which may encourage foreign intervention.

Indicators of Land Degradation
Desertification is the consequence of a set of important degradation processes in the Mediterranean environments, especially in semi-arid and arid regions, where water is the main limiting factor of land use performance on ecosystems. Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs) to desertification around the Mediterranean region exhibit different sensitivity to desertification for various reasons. For example there are areas presenting high sensitivity to low rainfall and extreme events due to low vegetation cover, low resistance of vegetation to drought, steep slopes, highly erodible parent materials, etc. High sensitivity can be also related to the type of land use for the cases that it promotes desertification in climatically and topographically marginal areas. For example cereals cultivated in hilly areas with soils formed on marl present a serious threat for desertification. Furthermore, there are areas which are sensitive to desertification for special reasons, such as fire risk, which is likely to generate runoff and erosion problems for some years; rambla and flood plain environments, where fluctuating phreatic levels may show salinization and toxicity problems; and exotic tree plantations, where poor ground cover and autotoxicity may lead to higher runoff and sediment yields. The various types of ESAs to desertification can be distinguished and mapped by using certain key indicators for assessing the land capability to withstand further degradation, or the land suitability for supporting specific types of land use. The key indicators for defining ESAs to desertification, which can be used at regional or national level, can be divided into four broad categories defining the qualities of soil, climate, vegetation, and management (stressor indicators). This approach includes parameters which can be easily found in existing soil, vegetation, and climate reports.