Benefits of using wood ash waste on harvested sites being explored

Scientists at Natural Resources Canada are exploring the potential of using wood ash as a forest fertilizer. This wood ash is a leftover or by-product of biomass boilers that use sawdust, bark, woodchips and other wood waste products as fuel to supply heat and electricity, and can be good for forests in the same way that ash from a wildfire can help the forest to regenerate. The scientists conducting this research are part of a network called AshNet, which is exploring wood ash application to improve forest soils in field trials across a range of Canadian forest ecosystems. “We are working with research collaborators, industry, government, and people across the country looking at the impact of ash on forest soils,” says Dr. Paul Hazlett, a Forest Soils Scientist at the Canadian Forest Service of Natural Resources Canada. “[This research] has led to new questions about ash application, new trials, and some joint projects.”