Re: coppicing promotion

["A.D. Karve" <adkarve@pn2.vsnl.net.in>]

Dear Ron,
This refers to your exchange of messages with Ray. I would like to add that
bamboo is a very high yielding arborescent species.  We are experimenting
with bamboo planted at a spacing of 3m X 1m (about 3300 clumpls per
hectare).  Most bamboo experts consider this to be too high a population
(the scientific word should be phytolation) density.    At this spacing,
each clump has on an average 21 poles, 7 of each age group. The poles that
attain the age of three years are harvested. The clump produces 7 new shoots
every year. Since the main stem of bamboo is an underground rhizome, the
poles that we harvest are really only branches.  It is thus a type of
coppicing.  We get about 25,000 poles every year and if you weighed it along
with the branches, each pole has an average dry weight of 7 kg, which
calculates to an annual yield of 175 tonnes of dry woody biomass every year.
In India, the dead are traditionally carried on a bamboo bier and cremated
along with the bier.  Therefore there is a continuous demand for bamboo
poles, which sell for about Rs. 40 per pole in the cities (1 US$= Rs. 48).
We have persuaded 100 farmers around Phaltan (our field station) to plant
100 bamboo seedlings each.  We provide the seedlings free of cost and we
give the farmers a buy-back guarantee. We expect to get annually 70,000
poles, after a gestation period of about 6 to 7 years. We are not
undertakers,  but want to treat the bamboo poles with a biocide, to increase
their outdoor life to about 20 years.  Such bamboos can be used for outdoor
constructions like scaffoldings for vines, fencing, greenhouses, nethouses,
cattle corrals etc. Such constructions cost just 10% as much as those made
from tubular or angular steel.
Yours A.D.Karve
-----Original Message-----
From: Ron Larson <ronallarson@qwest.net>
To: raywije@eureka.lk <raywije@eureka.lk>; owen@africaonline.co.ke
<owen@africaonline.co.ke>
Cc: stoves@crest.org <stoves@crest.org>
Date: Sunday, September 15, 2002 9:36 PM
Subject: RE: coppicing promotion


>
>Stovers:
>
> On Thursday, Sept 12, Ray Wijewardene gave a nice description and plea for
>more attention to fuelwood plantations.  This is to say a bit more about
Ray
>and then ask some questions.
>
>1.  At the Karves-Arti sponsored stove conference in Pune several years
ago,
>Ray gave a talk rather like his summary on coppicing practices in Sri
Lanka.
>We had a (not-enough) chance to talk on our bus trips around Pune and I
>think I can talk for all there at Pune that we were very impressed by Ray.
>Ray is a retired businessman who I believe (hope Ray will correct me) had a
>successful long-term worldwide business in manufacturing and selling small
>IC-powered tractors and small garden implements.  He stays active being an
>advisor now to a number of Sri Lankan government agencies - especially in
>the energy area.  Ray is probably one of our best experts on manufacturing
>and rural sales - and (I think) our best on fuelwood production.
>
>Question #1:
> You have stated a preference for methanol over ethanol - but I wonder if
>you can state a preference for methanol over wood and/or charcoal (and if
so
>what type of village or user economics are you thinking about?
>
>Question #2 re your national program called GROWING OUR OWN ENERGY:
> a.  You used the term "NF trees"   What "does NF" mean?
> b.  You called for a spacing of about 150 cm between trees.  How critical
>is this distance - and do you stagger the spacings?
> c.  When you lop off branches (coppice) at 40-50 mm diameter - is this
done
>every year?
> d.  What is the annual production in kg per tree or per hectare?  If sold
>per kg in Sri Lanka - what is that price?
> e.  Are these statistics achieved with irrigation?
> f.  How long after planting before production can begin?
> g.  Is it much better or not to start plants in a nursery?
> h.  What are you favorite tree species for different rainfall or
irrigation
>conditions?
> i.  Are there any nut or fruit species that can provide a co-product to
>improve the economics?
> j.  You said "The major new market for fuel-wood is for the
>gasifiers ...."   Is there an "old" market for cookstove use?  What are the
>relative expenses of electricity production from gasifiers and imported
oil?
> k.  Why do we not see more coppice production around the world?  What have
>been the major difficulties in getting it started in Sri Lanka?
> l.  I receive a free e-mail publication from http://agroforester.com
>(and when I just went to look at that site found this:
>http://agroforester.com/overstory/ovbook.html  (a book with a special deal
>that ends today)
> I remember reading a few years ago what is probably now the chapter on
>coppicing.  Do you like this site or have any other favorite websites to
>learn about the benefits of coppicing?
> m.  we have recently talked about bamboo as a stove fuel.  Can we consider
>this a form of coppicing?
>
> n.  Any other things to add - given these questions above? Any aditional
>benefits we should be discussing
>
>One final comment:  Coppiced branches are the perfect fuel in my opiniuon
>for charcoal-making stoves.  As I know such is being produced in Sri
lanka -
>can you add anything on the Sri Lankan stove production?
>
> Ray - Thanks very much for periodically reminding us of this most
important
>aspect of making biomass cookstoves a sustainable activity.
>
>Ron
>
>
>-
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>


-
Stoves List Archives and Website:
http://www.crest.org/discussion/stoves/200209/
http://crest.org/discussiongroups/resources/stoves/
>
Stoves List Moderators:
Ron Larson, ronallarson@qwest.net
Elsen L. Karstad, elk@wananchi.com www.chardust.com

Other Biomass Stoves Events and Information:
http://www.crest.org/articles/static/1/1010424940_7.html Bioenergy
http://www.crest.org/articles/static/1/1011975339_7.html Gasification
http://www.crest.org/articles/static/1/1011975672_7.html Carbon

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