Soil & Mulch Producer News Nov/Dec 2012

Vol. VI No. 6

November-December 2012

Serving Soil, Mulch, Compost, & Biofuel Professionals www.SoilandMulchProducerNews.com

NEWS

Attention Readers !

Are you looking for Products, Equipment or Services for your business?

If so, please check out these leading companies advertised in this issue:

Bagging Systems

Amadas Industries – pg 5 PremierTech Chronos – pg 23 Rethceif Packaging – pg 14

Buildings & Structures

State Yard Waste Bans Pit David vs. Goliath

ClearSpan – pg 21

Compost Equipment Farmer Automatic – pg 9 HCL Machine Works – pg 19

Mulch Blower Trucks Express Blower – pg 16

Mulch Coloring Equipment/ Colorants Amerimulch – pg 10 Colorbiotics – pg 7 Nature’s Reflections – pg 12

Mushroom Compost

Hy-Tech Mushroom Compost – pg 19

Shredders, Grinders, Chippers & Screening Systems Allu Group Inc – pg 10 CW Mill Equipment Co. – pg 20 Doppstadt – pg 13 Morbark Inc. – pg 2 Orbit Screens Inc – pg 4 Peterson – pg 11 Premier Tech Chronos – pg 23 Rotochopper Inc. – pg 15 Screen USA – pg 21 West Salem Machinery – pg 15

Transport Trailers Travis Trailers – pg 8

Used Equipment

EarthSaver Equipment – pg 19

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By P.J. Heller

n what appears to be a David and Goliath battle, the compost industry is continuing to square off with the nation’s largest trash hauler over state laws banning yard wastes being sent to municipal landfills.

The compost industry views the bans — currently in effect in 24 states — as vital to diverting organic resources to what it describes as the “highest and best use.”

“Putting this resource in a landfill is not the best and highest use,” a spokesman for the U.S. Composting Council (USCC) says. “Recycling it back to the soil is. These bans are effective by raising the consciousness level of the public.

Composting is the ultimate product with cradle to cradle life cycle.”

Waste Management, the largest trash hauler and disposal company in North America, sees things differently.

A company executive, in an effort to get Michigan officials to rewrite its yard waste ban, called the state law a subsidy for the composting industry and nothing more than “corporate welfare.”

Asked to elaborate on its efforts to rewrite or overturn yard waste bans in several states, including Florida and Georgia, a company spokesman softened that stand, saying that any state that mandates an organics diversion program needs to have the infrastructure in place to support it.

“While some communities have banned yard waste from landfills, many do not impose bans once this system is in place,” notes Barry

Caldwell, a senior vice president at Waste Management. “When regulations and sufficient infrastructure is in place, Waste Management supports yard-waste bans as an additional method to bolster strong organics management programs.

“Our goal,” he adds, “is to extract the most value from the organics — and other — waste streams we manage. We also want to offer our customers and communities we serve sustainability solutions where they want them.

Sometimes, that means the material goes to a landfill. Other times it means skipping the landfill and composting the material as a soil amendment. And yet other times we believe it will mean converting the organic material into energy (fuel or electricity) or even specialty chemicals.”

JD Lindeberg of Resource Recycling Systems in Ann Arbor, Mich., dismisses Waste Management’s arguments, contending that the company’s focus, as well as those of other large waste haulers and landfill operators, is strictly on the bottom line.

“It absolutely comes down to money,” he insists. “This is about greed.”

Peter Anderson, executive director of the nonprofit Center for a Competitive Waste Industry in Madison, Wis., agrees.

Anderson notes that the recession resulted in a substantial drop in construction and demolition materials being hauled to landfills.

That decline, coupled with organic diversions Continued on page 3

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Soil & Mulch Producer News November / December 2012

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State Yard Waste Bans Pit David vs. Goliath

PUBLICATION STAFF Publisher / Editor Rick Downing Contributing Editors / Writers P.J. Heller Production & Layout Barb Fontanelle Christine Pavelka Advertising Sales Rick Downing Subscription / Circulation Donna Downing Editorial, Circulation & Advertising Office 6075 Hopkins Road Mentor, OH 44060 Ph: 440-257-6453 Fax: 440-257-6459 Email: downassoc2@oh.rr.com www.SoilandMulchProducerNews.com

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Continued from page 1

and a shift from printed materials to digital, all contributed to a drop in business for landfills, he says.

Anderson also argues that there is an overcapacity of landfills — “We have two to four times more capacity than we need,” he estimates — and that those landfills have high fixed costs.

“If you have excess capacity, high fixed costs and volumes going down the tubes in an industry which already had overcapacity . . . not only does it hurt their revenues today but it eviscerates all the structural things they’ve been trying to do for 20 years to get market power,” he says.

“Waste hauling and disposal companies are looking for revenues just like all companies in a down-turned market,” notes the USCC. “‘Waste’ in general is down in volume . . . Corporations spend millions of dollars each year on programs like ‘Lean Management’ and ‘Six Sigma’ to reduce waste. Couple this with an increase in the demand for recycled materials going to China and you start to see tipping revenues of these companies sliding.

“The large waste companies cannot continue to put waste in a hole and expect to be sustainable businesses in the long run,” the USCC adds. “Consumers are demanding that products be manufactured with a cradle to cradle mentality.”

Waste Management reported third quarter earnings in 2012 of $3.46 billion, down from $3.52 from the same period one year ago.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that nearly 250 million tons of waste were generated in 2010, of which slightly more than 34 percent, or 85 million tons, was recycled.

Yard trimmings made up 13.4 percent of the total waste stream; food scraps accounted for 13.9 percent while paper generated 28.5 percent of the total.

Lifting the bans and allowing yard trimmings back into landfills is a way for the hauling and disposal companies to make more revenue. Not only would they increase profit on the front end through tip fees when collecting the yard wastes, but would also make money on the back end by using or selling to energy producers the methane gas produced when the wastes begin to rot and decompose.

Increasing that methane production is one way for landfills to recoup some of the high costs of having to install mandated gas collection systems.

“While the air pollution reduction that the gas collection addresses is a good thing, it unfortunately provides a perverse incentive to increase landfill input of organics, since they are the source of methane,” the USCC says. “ T h i s i s i ro n i c because most of the green or vegetative waste degrades and emits methane before the landfill can close the cell and capture the gas and the woody materials are high in lignin and cellulose that are not good producers of gas.”

Lindeberg, in testimony before the Michigan Senate, put it more bluntly.

“Landfills are not the place for organics,” he stated. “They are inefficient producers of methane and worse, they create fugitive methane which contributes to global climate change.”

The EPA has argued against changes to state yard waste bans, saying that it sees them as “essential to ensuring that yard waste continues to find its way into reuse markets, such as composting.

“Federal and state environmental agencies have long supported adoption of a preferred waste management hierarchy, starting with source reduction of materials throughout design and production, recycling/composting of materials that can be reused, and finally, landfilling or combusting the materials that cannot be effectively managed,” the EPA says.

“Reversing Michigan’s yard waste landfill ban would be inconsistent with the preferred waste management hierarchy since the yard waste would not be recycled into potentially higher value products but only partially converted to methane for energy use, leaving residual materials in the landfill.”

Lindeberg, along with the EPA, USCC and others, notes that gas collection systems do not capture 100 percent of the methane generated inside a landfill. The methane released to the atmosphere is some 20 to 25 times stronger a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

“The U.S. Composting Council is firmly opposed to landfilling yard debris and Continued on page 4

November / December 2012 Soil & Mulch Producer News

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State Yard Waste Bans Pit David vs. Goliath

Continued from page 3

other source-separated organic wastes,” the organization says. “From both energy and resource conservation standpoints, this is a wasteful use of resources, decreasing recycling and the life of our landfills and potentially increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Yard trimmings should be recycled into mulch and compost that can be used to enhance the health of our soils and plants and protect our water resources.”

Waste Management operates some 110 landfill gas-to-energy projects which it says generates enough energy to power 400,000 homes every day, offsetting almost two million tons of coal per year. It says those efforts also reduce emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

“To be clear, we support and, indeed, already participate in environmentally-protective means to handle organics around the U.S.,” Caldwell says. “Through our own facilities and those of our partners, Waste Management composted more than 2.5 million tons of organic material at more than 36 sites in 2011. We built two new

organics facilities in Florida in 2011, among others, and we intend to expand our organics management footprint.”

Caldwell defends efforts by Waste Management to revise yard waste ban laws in Florida and Georgia, both of which he says lacked the infrastructure to handle organics.

In Florida, 3.4 million tons of yard wastes were collected in 2010, the majority of which ended up in unlined Class III and construction and demolition landfills, where there was no requirement for the capture of methane or other greenhouse gases, he says. In Georgia, he

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Info Request #117 4

Soil & Mulch Producer News November / December 2012

reports a similar situation, with a “significant portion” of yard wastes being dumped in unlined construction and demolition landfills.

“Keeping material out of landfills resulted in minimal growth of composting infrastructure,” Caldwell says. “Clearly, this was not the intent of the yard-waste bans in those and other states.”

Modifying those existing yard waste laws “gave communities the option of disposing of organic material in Class I landfills only if they have gas capture systems in place that beneficially use methane to generate electricity

Continued on next page

Soil Continued from previous page and follow state agency standards,” Caldwell says. “Many of our landfills have this capability.

But at its core, this is a very narrow exemption to bans, and one that recognizes local control in shaping an organics program reflecting the desires of their citizens.”

Massachusetts, which is developing an organics recycling plan — part of an effort to reduce its overall solid waste stream by 30 percent by 2020 — has recognized the need for a yard waste ban if its diversion effort is to succeed.

“Public and private investment in collection systems and processing capacity of organics is contingent on these entities having confidence that a sufficient amount of organic material will be available,” according to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. “While some generators have established programs without a ban, a waste ban is necessary to drive widespread adoption of organics diversion.”

Anderson, of the Center for a Competitive Waste Industry, dismisses Waste Management’s arguments and its “Think Green” campaign, saying they are nothing more than a way to appeal to shareholders and customers who want companies to have a greener footprint.

“Their trucks don’t have a sign on them saying which landfill they’re going to,” he says.

“So it’s really just a scam . . .

“How they are going to keep that [Think Green] campaign going as a viable advertising campaign while they’re very visibly doing things that are palpably bad for the environment will depend on whether they can fool people or not,” Anderson adds. “Whether they can fool people or not will depend on how aggressive the composting and recycling and environmental communities are to educating the public about what the realities are of what’s going on. You can’t viably say we ‘Think Green’ when you’re trying to undermine one of the most critical diversion programs we have.”

The USCC is willing to cut Waste Management some slack when it comes to its Think Green campaign. Waste Management is the largest composter in the U.S. and is a member of the Composting Council.

“We believe that they want to get there but just like any large corporation, turning the ship is not an easy or fast task,” it says.

The USCC also predicts that efforts to repeal or revise yard waste bans in the future will decline.

“We think that attempts to repeal existing bans will lessen over time as the large waste companies begin to move toward a different business model: more of a focus on organics recycling rather than landfilling. We are already seeing signs of this,” it says.

“Yard waste landfill bans are important because they divert this organic resource to the highest and best use,” it adds. “We as a society must rethink how we categorize wastes and by-products. It’s not yard waste it’s a carbon resource.”

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Mulch Producer NEWS

Seattle Composting Takes a New Turn

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eattle, WA—Seattleweekly.com reports that Seattle Public Utilities has contracted with two new composting companies, PacifiClean and Lenz Earthworks.

Cedar Grove, the company that held the city’s composting contract for years did not bid on the work, but will act as an advisor to PacifiClean.

Neighbor complaints and lawsuits related to the odors emanating from Cedar Grove’s two composting operations have been ongoing for some time. The plants, which handle a combined 350,000 tons per year, had scaled down operations due to decreased demand from homeowners and housing developer customers.

PacifiClean, through agreement with Cedar Grove, is also building a new composting facility near Cle Elum, near Eastern Washington’s agricultural lands. The company says that farmers represent a steady market and the rural location is expected to draw few complaints.

Meanwhile, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency will begin conducting a study of the odor problem related to urban composting operations.

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Darren Finlay, Michael McCusker, Kris Snyder, and Lauren Reese to Join Team at Doppstadt US

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oppstadt US, a manufacturer of organic processing and waste-toenergy equipment, based in Avon, Ohio, recently added four new people to its staff. According to Doppstadt, Darren Finlay, Michael McCusker and Kris Snyder will play a key role in the growth of new business and the development of customer relations for the company. Lauren Reese will serve as the company’s new Marketing Manager.

Darren Finlay is a veteran material processing sales professional with more than 10 years of market experience. In his new position he will be responsible for handling all sales responsibilities in the states of New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.

Michael McCusker, a veteran in the material handling business, joins Doppstadt with over 17 years of experience. His sales responsibilities will be conducted in the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Montana, Wisconsin, and Illinois.

Kris Snyder is the new sales manager for the Midwest, handling sales in the states of Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

Finally, Lauren Reese previously studied marketing at Ohio University and will take over responsibilities in the home office as Marketing Manager.

U of M Researchers Study Fracking

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nn Arbor, MI—A two-year research project overseen by the University of Michigan’s Graham Sustainability Institute is underway to study potential environmental and societal effects of hydraulic fracturing, the controversial natural gas drilling process known as fracking, ScienceDaily.com reports.

Focusing on fracking in Michigan, the scientists are collecting data on the perceived lack of transparency, potential chemical contamination, water availability, waste water disposal, and impacts on ecosystems, human health and surrounding areas which are issues of public concern.

“Hydraulic fracturing has been around for decades, but with horizontal drilling now coming into play, people are increasingly questioning and scrutinizing the risks involved,” said Andrew Maynard, professor of environmental health sciences and director of U-M’s Risk Science Center.

Early in 2013, the U of M scientists, along with government regulators, oil and gas industry representatives and environmental groups, will be publishing their initial findings on seven critical areas: human health, the environment and ecology, economics, technology, public perception, law and policy, and geology/hydrodynamics. The detailed technical reports will be open for public comment.

The study’s second phase will draw on these findings to help shape hydraulic fracturing policies and practices. Overall findings and policy recommendations will be presented in 2014.

The timing for the study is key because only a small number of active drilling sites in Michigan use high-volume horizontal drilling in conjunction with hydraulic fracturing. By making assessments now, policy issues and public concerns can be worked out early on. Stakeholders such as the Michigan Oil and Gas Association, envision Michigan as “a national model when it comes to regulating hydraulic fracturing and ensuring proper safeguards for keeping water, air and land protected.”

As part of the investigation, research teams are soliciting input from the public through an online comment form on the Graham Institute website. To learn more about the study or to provide input via the online comment tool, visit the “Problem Solving” section of the Graham Institute website.

For more information: www.graham.umich.edu/ia/hydraulic-fracturing.php or contact John Callewaert at (734) 615-3752 or jcallew@umich.edu. http://www.ns.umich.edu/new/multimedia/videos/21001-fracking-inmichigan-u-m-researchers-study-potential-impact-on-health-environmenteconomy.

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NRA and USCC Announce Partnership

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he National Restaurant Association and the U.S. Composting Council are teaming up to raise awareness about food waste diversion, composting education, and other sustainable activities nationwide.

The two organizations will share educational resources and identify collaborative opportunities that promote awareness of the role composting plays in waste reduction, improved soil and water quality.

“We are pleased to join with the U.S. Composting Council to better serve our members by providing resources on composting, waste reduction, and other sustainability efforts they can adopt to strengthen their businesses,” said Scott DeFife, the NRA’s executive vice president of policy and government affairs. “Our work together will also help better inform policy initiatives aimed at encouraging the expansion of composting services and facilities.”

Michael Virga, the U.S. Composting Council’s executive director, said he and his group are excited to work with the NRA and look forward to sharing information on best industry practices for composting and landfill diversion of food waste.

“The USCC and NRA, two esteemed associations, are teaming up to share resources and promote our complementary objectives of diverting organic residuals away from disposal and into good use.” Virga continued, “These efforts will help NRA members’ improve their environmental bottom line while helping our members’ secure new sources of raw material for their compost manufacturing.”

DeFife agreed, adding, “As local governments increase their efforts to manage their environments, composting organic residuals can significantly reduce landfill impacts while creating a healthier ecosystem.

This partnership represents a win-win for our communities and the environment.”

As part of the partnership, the NRA will develop projects in concert with the USCC during the coming year. One goal both groups plan to tackle is the expansion of the Conserve Sustainability Education Program, the NRA’s online resource that initiates and inspires foodservice companies to participate in environmentally-friendly actions that also can improve their bottom lines.

Both groups said that expanding the program’s reach would not only increase the number of restaurateurs that participate in food recovery and recycling programs, but also stimulate growth of available composting facilities for restaurant operations, a move that would create more jobs in the composting industry.

Partnership Converts Food Waste into Compost

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ormal, IL—Illinois State University officials say they credit a strong partnership and smart business management with the success of their food waste composting program, according to an article on the school’s website.

Although it began two decades ago, ISU’s food waste recycling is now in high gear. Teaming up with a full-service recycling firm, Midwest Fiber, helped make expansion and budget-neutral operations possible, notes retired director of ISU’s Ground and Fleet Operations, Mike O’Grady.

The campus diverted a million pounds of food waste from landfills during the first year of its composting partnership with Midwest. Both the school and the company applied for grant money to upgrade the school’s composting site and purchase a grinder. The funds came from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

In addition to Illinois State, Midwest collects waste from local hotels, corporations, schools, and retailers and will continue growing its customer base. The university charges the company $20 per truckload to dump waste at the university-operated farm—about half the cost of landfill tipping fees. Program participants have seen their trash bills go down, too, another positive impact of recycling.

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Info Request #116 November / December 2012 Soil & Mulch Producer News

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Cities, Rural Areas Battle Over Waste

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os Angeles — Battle lines are again being drawn between some California’s metropolitan areas and the state’s Central Valley over the shipment of thousands of tons of urban waste — including sewage sludge, yard waste and food scraps — for recycling and composting, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The paper reports that 39 of California’s 58 counties shipped more than 5 percent of their trash and waste across county lines in 2011.

Much of it ends up in the Central Valley, a major agricultural region covering 22,500 square miles stretching some 450 miles from the Sacramento Valley in the north to the San Joaquin Valley in the south.

City officials contend that they do not have the space to handle tons of waste. They argue

that processing waste regionally, by shipping it to the Central Valley and other rural areas where it can be composted or recycled, is essential to meeting the state’s goal of cutting waste going to landfills by 75 percent by 2020. Los Angeles has set a goal of zero waste by 2025.

Residents in the Central Valley and other rural areas have been raising objections to the tons of trash coming into their area. The Times says officials complain that some recycling facilities don’t always sufficiently protect the environment and neighbors’ quality of life.

“A lot of these disposal facilities don’t want to use the most modern technology because it costs more,” Kern County Planning Director Lorelei Oviatt told the Times. “Our residents want to know why they have to endure the impacts merely to save money for some people

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in Los Angeles.”

“You get up and the smell is horrible, and you have no idea why,” Sal Partida, an Arvin tax preparer, told the Times in discussing the 190-acre Community Recycling facility near the town in southern Kern County.

Community Recycling has been the target of complaints from both residents and county officials. It faces the revocation of its license as well as fines of more than $2.4 million from county and state officials for land use violations and the death of two brothers at the facility last fall. The Times says the brothers, 16 and 22, died of exposure to hydrogen sulfide, a byproduct of composting. Community Recycling has sued and has been allowed to keep operating. A hearing is scheduled for early next year.

One of the major issues between metro and rural areas involves sewage sludge, with Kern County officials expressing fears that it will contaminate groundwater and that metals and pharmaceuticals will leach into the soil.

Los Angeles officials, who purchased 4,600 acres in Kern County in 2000 and grow corn, alfalfa and oats on the site, counter that putting biosolids on the land or composting it as fertilizer is good for the soil.

“To me, it’s completing a circle, putting back to the earth what came from it, and doing it very protectively and beneficially,” Greg Kester, biosolids program manager for the California Association of Sanitation Agencies was quoted in the Times. “Biosolids do enrich the soil in Kern County.”

Kern County residents voted overwhelmingly in 2006 to ban the import of sludge from outside the county. Los Angeles sued in federal court; the case was dismissed in 2010 on technical grounds.

Los Angeles refiled the suit in state court, where it is pending. A judge has allowed the sludge shipments to continue.

The Times notes that the case is being closely watched nationwide, since a sludge ban could result in other jurisdictions imposing similar bans.

Los Angeles also purchased additional acreage in the Central Valley — 14,500 acres in Kings County — where it could ship hundreds of thousands of tons of sludge and yard waste by early 2013.

Rayco Announces Tree Care Equipment Auction

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Soil & Mulch Producer News November / December 2012

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ayco Mfg. will be holding a Tree Care Equipment Auction at its facility in Wooster, Ohio on March 15, 2013.

Auction items will be machinery related to the Tree Care Industry such as brush chippers, stump cutters, horizontal/tub grinders, mulchers, etc.

Anyone interested in consigning equipment that can be sold in the auction should contact Alan Chenevey at Rayco by calling 1-800‑392‑2686.

Soil

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Mulch Producer NEWS

2010 Olympics “Home” Weighs Composting Issues

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emberton, BC—The Resort Municipality of Whistler, site of the 2010 Olympics, is seriously into sustainability practices. The town even operates its own composting facility. Recently, however, a local soil producer raised issues about the commingling of biosolids and food waste at the facility, according to the website, WhistlerQuestion.com.

Sea to Sky Soils, a soil producer says that biosolids, the final product of processing raw sewage, are unacceptable to the company’s organic farming customers. Company representatives asked the municipality’s administration to consider sending Whistler’s food waste to the Sea to Sky Soils facility instead, and thus, allowing Whistler’s composting facility more capacity to process biosolids. They stressed this would solve overcapacity problems, such as those that occurred last year during the resort’s peak season, which forced the facility to truck the waste 600 kilometers away to Washington State.

Sea to Sky representatives told RMOW officials it would be cheaper for the municipality to compost just the biosolids. To effect the change, it would be necessary to include Sea to Sky Soils’ facility as part of the Solid Waste Management Plan and consider the environmental impacts.

The municipality administration is considering market demand, competition, pricing and comparisons of RMOW and Sea to Sky composting methodologies before making a final decision. Until the matter is settled, RMOW continues to expand its operations to include food waste from local restaurants, as well as accept agricultural waste.

Ohio Drilling Waste Disposal Multiplies

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olumbus, OH—Waste from oil and gas wells is becoming big business in the state as oil and gas drilling activity in Ohio pumps up, reports the Columbus Dispatch. Approvals are being granted weekly for disposing of “brine” and ‘fracking’ waste that result from wells drilled not only in Ohio, but in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

In the first half of 2012, more than 12 million barrels of fracking waste and brine were injected into disposal wells. By the end of the year, more than 200 disposal wells will have been approved and activated.

Brine consists of water that contains salt and metals produced during the drilling process. Fracking waste has the same content, but includes various proprietary chemicals.

Concerns about groundwater pollution due to earthquakes and spills have been voiced statewide by environmental groups and others who say localities have too little say in where the disposal wells are drilled. The state Department of Natural Resources contends it has competent experts who review all applications.

Urban Wood Recycling Starts in Indianapolis

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ndianapolis, IN — According to a report posted on Agrinews.com, Indianapolis has a new urban wood recycling program that’s green for the environment and the accounting books. Faced with the problem of what to do with tons of woody debris after successive years of storms, as well as managing more than 120,000 street trees, the city worked with Purdue University to create the solution.

Under the new program, Indianapolis can reduce the amount of woody material going into landfills and, at the same time, produce much-needed materials, such as lumber, mulch and compost for use in parks and other municipal locations. Good timber will be recycled into lumber to make into split-rail fences. Shredded wood will be used for playgrounds and landscaping mulch. To control equipment expenses for the program, the city is partnering with local forest production companies to use their machinery.

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Nature Takes Toll on New Mexico Pines, Soil

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Info Request #120

os Alamos, NM—Persistent drought and the dieback of more than 2.5 million acres of pinyon pine and juniper trees in the American Southwest are alarming signs that can’t be ignored, according to a new study, reports ScienceDaily.com.

Researchers from the Oregon State University College of Forestry and the Conservation Biology Institute in Oregon, who looked at the effects of drought and pine bark beetle on these species, recently published their study findings in the journal, Ecohydrology.

Fragile ecosystems are threatened, as are the already critically reduced water supplies in the Colorado River basin, the study points out. Losses of naturally drought-resistant conifers throughout Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona are significant, the scientists observe, because without living roots to stabilize the soil, blowing dust can blanket snowpacks.

This causes over-absorption of heat from the sun leading to rapid snowmelts and eroding runoff.

In some places up to 90 percent of pinyon pine and juniper have died, many of them perishing during a major drought in 2003 and 2004. Wendy Peterman, an OSU doctoral student and soil scientist with the Conservation Biology Institute notes that the 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projected warmer and drier seasons for the American Southwest. She thinks the region’s major droughts, and the tree losses, are consistent with those climate change projections.

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Info Request #127 November / December 2012 Soil & Mulch Producer News 11

Soil

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Mulch Producer NEWS

Nashville Urban Food Waste Recycling Grows

Yard Waste Site Proposed by Heartland Recycling Offshoot

G

ary, IN — An Illinois company with ties to Northwest Indiana wants to open a 37-acre yard waste composting site in a residentially zoned area, according to an article on the Post-Tribune website.

Heartland Recycling LLC has sought a variance in order to process yard waste on a residentially zoned parcel. The company, which has filed for a permit from Indiana Department of Environmental Management estimates annual intake of organic waste for the site would be 14,000 to 15,000 tons.

Depending on the economy and weather, the operation would be running eight months of the year and employ a staff of ten employees. The new enterprise would be named Greenland Farms & Compost Supply.

Heartland’s plans specify an existing asphalt parking area for grinding and screening equipment. A house and outbuildings would remain standing and would be used for offices and equipment storage. The site would be excavated to convey runoff to a 60-by-60-foot holding pond and the runoff would be drawn back out to irrigate the compost.

According to the permit application, Heartland plans on selling the compost to area nurseries and landscape contractors and to Gary, Lake Station and other Lake County municipalities for urban beautification.

Heartland operates two municipal solid waste transfer stations in the Chicago area. One of the company’s managers, Thomas Volini, headed Continental Waste Industries, a solid waste and environmental services firm that operated Gary’s municipal landfill throughout the 1990s. The landfill operated without a state permit and was under pressure from the state to shut down.

N

ashville, TN — According to an article in the Tennessean, the community volunteer nonprofit, Hands On Nashville, is expanding its barley and hops recycling efforts to support its urban farm.

Starting with a local distillery and microbrewery, collections began last spring. Most of the grains came from Jackalope Brewing Company, which generates about 3000 pounds per week. Three other firms have contracted with Hands On Nashville to donate their leftovers to the composting operation.

In the past, Jackalope, like most other breweries, gave or sold the grains to farmers for livestock feed, but partnering with Hands On Nashville has turned out to be a win-win arrangement. The brewery doesn’t have to keep the grains stored onsite for very long before pick up and the non-profit can count on a steady flow of organic waste. The composting operation is located on five acres of urban farm land that Hands On Nashville leases from the city.

During its first growing season, the farm harvested 1,100 pounds of produce, including beans, tomatoes, squash and kale, which is donated to educational groups or local nonprofits. The group plans to double its growing space next year with the addition of a second farm plot and has planted 150 fruit trees.

Plans are underway to increase collection services and encourage more businesses to compost. Right now, costs for pick up discourage some firms, although a number of coffee houses and even the Nashville convention center have signed on.

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Info Request #168 12 Soil & Mulch Producer News November / December 2012

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Soil

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Mulch Producer NEWS

Go Native in Florida

Alaska Proposes Local Control of Timberland

T

ampa, FL—As reported by an article on Tampa Bay Online, Florida residents can purchase native seedlings at drastically reduced prices for a limited time.

To encourage more native plantings, Florida Forest Service’s Reforestation program is selling plant pine seedlings, such as longleaf pines, Choctawhatchee sand pines and slash pines at discounted prices until its supply is gone.

According to Steve Gilly, nursery manager for the FFS, there are 3 million seedlings remaining for sale out of the 12 million produced. This includes bare root seedlings and containerized seedlings.

Although the seedlings are generally sold in lots of one thousand, they may now be ordered in much smaller quantities. Prices vary slightly by the type and the amount ordered.

More information is at the FFS website: www.floridaforestservice.com/field_operations/county_foresters/index.html.

J

uneau, AK—Alaska is examining the merits of trusts as a way to transfer forest management to state and local governments and revive its battered economy, according to news posted on Alaskapublic.org.

About two million acres of Tongass National Forest are the prime focus of a nine-member task force appointed by Governor Parnell. Also under consideration are the Copper River Valley State Forest, Kenai State Forest and Icy Bay State Forest.

The Timber Jobs Task Force is made up of representatives from the Alaskan Departments of Natural Resources, Fish and Game, and other state agencies, the federal government, the public, and Alaskan timber industry.

Along with reviving the state’s logging and milling industry through timber sales, administering federal forest management practices at the local level is seen as an effective streamlining strategy.

The Tongass National Forest covers about 17 million acres, more than 80 percent of Southeast Alaska. The panel also proposes exchanging about a quarter-million acres of state land outside the region for parcels in the Tongass.

Conservationists are watching with interest, but according to Bob Claus of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, the task force’s plans “appear to be entirely unrealistic” and past attempts at similar moves have failed because environmentalists and citizens see tourism as a better way to spur economic growth.

Also at issue are conflicts between state and federal jurisdiction and regulatory issues, as well as clarification of specific land selections being considered for transfer.

For additional information see: http://www.wvmcconnell. net/?page_id=591.

Need for Black Hills National Forest Timber Sales Discussed

D

eadwood, SD—A presentation at a recent meeting of The Society of American Foresters held in Deadwood, South Dakota focused on how to best manage Black Hills forests and stimulate local economies.

The effects of the pine bark beetle infestation and economic recession have been harsh in many ways in this part of the United States. The drastic decline in housing starts from two million in 2006 to fewer than 450,000 last year has been a blow to Black Forest sawmills. More than two-thirds of them decided to shut down. The remaining sawmills say they need Forest Service approval and support to survive.

The conference participants discussed how industry, government and the environmental community must work together to restore the Black Forest and the local economy to health.

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Soil

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Mulch Producer NEWS

Compost – Natural Medicine for Sick Soil

C

ollege Park, MD—Compost’s benefits as a soil amendment are well documented. Now, however, study findings support its use as a promising solution for mining reclamation projects.

According to a report by Inside Science News, cow manure compost may help neutralize the acidity of soil – and do so sufficiently to halt erosion, which is an eventual result of toxic chemicals.

Once soil can be stabilized, it could be seeded with covers such as switchgrass.

Research was conducted at experimental plots in Oklahoma and Missouri in areas that had been mined for a century, starting in the 1850s. The study consisted of applying beef cattle manure to 3-by-6 foot plots, seeding them with switchgrass and then sampling the soil over a two-year period.

The scientists wanted to see whether the compost could reduce lead and zinc that were leftover from mining operations.

They found that the soils in the plots that got the highest amount of compost showed dramatically reduced acidity levels, increased phosphorus, nitrogen, carbon, and available water, thus creating favorable growing conditions for the switchgrass. Areas where the most compost was used had the lowest lead and zinc content. This indicated that the soil had improved enough to resist some nutrient runoff from rains. Another finding was that heavy metals had attached themselves to the organics in the compost. The researchers say that while the land will remain infertile, the experiment proved the compost treatment can work.

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Deodorizing Manure Process Has Multiple Benefits

C

ollege Park, MD—Inside Science News reports that United States Department of Agriculture scientists have applied for a patent on a process that reduces or removes ammonia from animal waste. Ammonia is what makes manure smell bad. The process, which was tested at chicken and pig farms, uses gaspermeable membrane filters to extract nitrogen from manure pits. The scientists say the nitrogen could be recycled and sold as fertilizer.

Proposed Willamette Valley Timber Sale Tests Ecological Forestry Theory

M

onroe, OR—Following on the heels of study findings that support the theory of “variable retention harvesting” in Southern Oregon’s dry forests, a proposed timber sale could test the strategy in the moist Coastal Range forests of the Willamette Valley.

Academics, some conservationists and the Bureau of Land Management agree that this new approach is a good alternative to traditional or restoration forestry. The idea is to create large openings for habitat while preserving areas of older trees for species that depend on the forest.

Based on the research conducted by Norm Johnson of Oregon State University and Jerry Franklin of the University of Washington, the Obama Administration is working to increase timber harvests on federal lands. Johnson and Franklin say the Northwest woods needs more thinning and clearings, which will benefit both local economies and wildlife.

Conservationist groups, such as Oregon Wild and American Forest Resource Council are watching developments cautiously.

Senators Urge Timber Thinning Approval

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Info Request #113 16 Soil & Mulch Producer News November / December 2012

yoming Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso have sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack asking him to consider approving timber sales in western forests. The letter was prompted by devastating wildfires and the concerns about overgrown forests and ones that have suffered beetle kill damage. They believe that their idea will reduce the risk of wildfires, restore forest health, and help businesses in their state create revenue and jobs.

The letter was signed by U.S. Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet of Colorado; Mike Enzi and John Barrasso of Wyoming; and Tim Johnson and John Thune of South Dakota.

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November / December 2012 Soil & Mulch Producer News 17

Product/Equipment Profiles

Bandit Introduces Model 200UC 12” Disc Chipper

T

he Model 200UC “Utility Chipper” brings low cost with reliable per formance and p ro d u c t i o n to t h e popular 12-inch capacity disc chipper segment. It’s similar to Bandit’s popular Model 200XP, but features a lightened frame and chipping disc along with a plastic fuel tank. These changes allow the Model 200UC to ride comfortably on a smaller 6000-pound axle with 15-inch wheels, making this machine easier to tow and maneuver. It shares the same 14 x 17-inch chipper throat opening and feed system with the Model 200XP, and it can be equipped with engines from 48 to 97 horsepower.

The Model 200UC is especially well suited for utility clearing, thanks to its combination of weight, size and large throat opening. It’s an inexpensive, no-nonsense 12-inch disc chipper with the ability to compress and chip large, limby branches without sacrificing maneuverability. Companies that need the larger capacity of a 12-inch chipper but cannot justify the higher cost of a typical 12-inch machine will find the Model 200UC to be a perfect fit.

For more information contact your nearest Bandit authorized dealer, contact Bandit direct at 800-952-0178, or visit Bandit online at www.banditchippers.com.

Buffalo Turbine Adds Monsoon Compact Fan Assisted Misting System to Product Line

B

ased on the popularity of the BUFFALO TURBINE D e b r i s B l owe r s a n d Sprayers, BUFFALO TURBINE LLC recently announced the newest addition to their product line the BUFFALO TURBINE Compact Fan Assisted Misting System.

The Compact Fan Assisted Misting System can be utilized to control airborne fugitive dust and mist odor neutralizing inside recycling facilities, waste transfer stations, wood recycling, composting and other similar applications. This compact misting system can also be used for evaporative cooling for employees and company events.

The Monsoon Compact Fan Assisted Misting System utilizes a proprietary high speed rotary atomizer and can distribute a fine mist of water in excess of 50 feet. The Misting System does not utilize small nozzle tips and is not prone to plugging. Requiring very little maintenance this compact system is lightweight, portable and has a standard 110 volt power source along with a ¾” garden hose connection.

This system is very affordably priced and is very easy to maintain. Dealer inquires for these products are welcome.

For more information visit www.buffaloturbine.com or e-mail us at info@buffaloturbine.com.

18 Soil & Mulch Producer News November / December 2012

Vecoplan Introduces VTH 55/15/2 VU Horizontal Wood Waste Grinder

T

he VTH 55/15/2 VU is one of Ve c o p l a n’s comprehensive line of continuous feed, horizontal wood waste grinders for lineal scrap. The VTH 55/15/2 VU features an 22” wide x 6” high in feed opening, a continuous feed 16’ vibratory feed conveyor and is designed specifically for shredding strips, mouldings, siding, window or door profiles, wood or composite lumber, wood rippings, slabs or any long waste.

The VTH 55/15/2 VU’s high output, “Torsion Point” cutting rotor is 20” in diameter, and powered by a 60-100 HP drive motor depending on application parameters. 30 (40x40mm) cutting inserts are recessed into, and bolted onto the rotor.

Each insert features four points that can be quickly and easily rotated to extend cutting life. Developed and patented by Vecoplan, the “U” cutting rotor is engineered for durability.

Standard features on Vecoplan’s VTH 55/15/2 VU shredder include: built-in tramp metal protection, easy accessibility to all wear parts, heavy duty construction, stress-free robotically welded frame, oversized drive train, heavy spherical roller bearings, and powerbelt rotor drive.

For more information contact Vecoplan at 336-861-6070, info@vecoplanllc.com or visit www.Vecoplanllc.com.

Fecon® Introduces the FTX400 Mulching Tractor

F

e co n ® I n c. re ce nt l y introduced the FTX400 as the latest addition to their Fecon line -up of mulching tractors. This tractor brings a solid combination of cutting performance, track power and serviceability in the 400hp class of mulching machines.

Equipped with the Cummins QSM11 400hp engine, the FTX400 delivers aggressive hydraulic flow to the variable speed mulching head and solid power to the hydrostatic all steel oscillating undercarriage. Fitted with the Fecon BH300 Bull Hog®, the FTX400 can achieve 98” effective cutting height and 32” below grade reach, giving the operator unparalleled range of motion. Fecon’s Power Management® system optimizes torque and rotor speed; allowing the FTX400 to tackle tough material, rough terrain and demanding schedules.

The FTX400 features a spacious comfortable cab with outstanding visibility through Lexan windows. Coupled with large compartment doors, tilting cab and efficient component layout, the FTX400 offers easy maintenance and serviceability.

The FTX400 is ideal for a wide range of applications, including pipeline and power line right-of-way clearing, large scale vegetation management and site preparation.

For more information about Fecon’s FTX400 call Courtney Shafer at 513-696-4430 or e-mail at cshafer@fecon.com.

Soil

Calendar of Events Western Nursery & Landscape Association 2012 National Green Centre January 6-7, 2013 America’s Center, St Louis, MO www.nationalgreencentre.org / 888-233-1876 Montana Nursery & Landscape Association 2012 Montana Green Expo January 9-10, 2013 Holiday Inn – Grand Montana, Billings, MT www.plantingmontana.com / 406-755-3079 Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS 2012) January 9-11, 2013 Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD www.mants.com / 800-431-0066 Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association CENTS 2013 Marketplace January 14-16, 2013 Greater Columbus Convention Center, Columbus, OH www.onla.org / 614-899-1195 North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association 2012 Green & Growin’ Trade Show January 14-18, 2013 Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC www.ncnla.com / 919-816-9119 Mid-America Horticulture Trade Show January 16-18, 2013 Navy Pier, Chicago, IL www.midam.org / 800-300-6103 2012 Gulf States Horticultural Expo January 16-18, 2013 Mobile Outlaw Convention Center, Mobile, AL www.gshe.org / 334-502-7777

Florida Nursery Growers & Landscape Association Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition (TPIE) January 23-25, 2013 Greater Ft Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center Ft Lauderdale, FL www.fngla.org / 800-375-3642 New England Grows!

February 6-8, 2013 Boston Convention and Expo Center, Boston, MA www.NewEnglandGrows.org / 508-653-3009 Northwest Flower & Garden Show February 20-24, 2013 Washington State Convention Center, Seattle, WA www.gardenshow.com / 253-756-2121

Mulch Producer NEWS

EarthSaver Equipment Adds Paul Elias to Their Sales Team

E

arthSaver Equipment, Inc. recently announced the addition of Paul Elias to its nationwide sales team. With two and a half decades of industry experience, Elias joins EarthSaver as their Western Region Sales Manager for Used Equipment; representing Earthsaver Equipment in the states of California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii. Within this region Elias’s responsibilities will include the purchase or consignment, and sale, of all equipment used for recycling wood and greenwaste materials, specifically; tub grinders, horizontal grinders, screening equipment and composting equipment.

Canadian Lumber Industry Seeing Pickup in Aftermath of Superstorm Sandy

O

ntario, Canada—The aftermath of Superstorm Sandy holds a silver lining for the lumber and homebuilding industries in the province, according to an article in International Business Times. Already there has been an increase in lumber demand. Prices are up, too.

Richard Garneau, the CEO of Resolute Forest Products says that once cleanup gives way to rebuilding, wood consumption will increase. Garneau expects this to happen late next spring and into the summer.

Within days of the storm hitting the eastern seaboard, U.S. lumber futures hit a multi-year high. Lumber mills, rather than slowing down for the winter months, may be ramping up their manufacturing capacity and some of those mills may qualify for government funds, at least in the province of Ontario. This last development, which is hoped to stimulate Ontario’s lumber industry, was reported recently on the Chronicle Journal’s website. http://www.chroniclejournal.com/content/ news/local/2012/11/04/lumber-demand-grows-us.

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West Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association 2012 Winter Workshop & Symposium January 17-18, 2013 Charleston, WV www.wvnla.org / 304-553-1234 New Jersey Nursery & Landscape Association NJ Plants January 22-23, 2013 New Jersey Convention Center, Edison, NJ www.njplantshow.com / 732-449-4004

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Horizontal Grinders

1997 Fecon MZA3250, 325HP…..…...…..$34,500 1995 Maxigrind 460G, 460HP……...........$80,000 2000 Bandit Beast 3680, 500HP………...$97,500 2001 Bandit Beast 3680, 500HP..…...…$110,000 2009 Vermeer HG6000, 630HP…………$265,000 2008 Peterson 4710 (CA pmt),765HP…$305,000

Screening Equipment

1998 Re-Tech Elim III 6’ x 27’ Trommel..$77,500 2002 CBI Galaxy Star Screen……………$92,500

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November / December 2012 Soil & Mulch Producer News 19

Soil

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Mulch Producer NEWS

The Philippines Eyes the Lucrative Cocopeat Market

M

hogzilla@cwmill.com

www.hogzilla.com

anila, Philippines—A harvest by-product of this country’s third largest crop, coconuts, represents big export dollars and top ranking in the global market, reports the website, Inquirer Business.com.

The by-product, “cocopeat,” also known as coir pith, coir fiber pith, coir dust, or simply, coir, consists of dried post-harvest waste derived from coconut husks. It is used for horticultural and agricultural applications and as industrial absorbent. As a horticultural material, cocopeat is most often made into a growing mix additive or used alone. Its water-retention property—the ability to absorb up to eight times its weight—makes it a popular choice for hydroponics (soiless agriculture). It resists many weeds, and has other properties that repel destructive fungi and bacteria. Also, it can be reused for up to eight years, making it highly economical.

The world’s two main producers of cocopeat, India and Sri Lanka, together have approximately two-thirds as much coconut cropland as the Philippines. Yet with more than three million hectares of coconut lands, the government agency charged with researching and developing farm waste reuse and recycling, says the Philippines need only process 30 percent of its discarded coconut husks to become the world’s largest cocopeat exporter, producing 562,000 metric tons annually.

While India and Sri Lanka cocopeat producers simply spread the material in the sun to dry, the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) has focused on dewatering and mechanical drying methods, which are necessary due to the country’s moist climate.

To develop the most efficient machinery and processing, a public/ private partnership has been formed with manufacturer, Suki Trading and exporter Filcoco.

Usually shipped in the form of compressed bales, briquettes, slabs or discs, end users expand and aerate the compressed coco peat by adding water. Coco peat has been imported into New Zealand since about 1989 with a marked increase since 2004. By 2009 a total of 25 new weed species were found in imported coco peat, causing the government to act by writing new regulations to improve biosecurity.

Blueprint for Biofuel Production Found in White Rot Fungus

W

sales@armorhog.com

www.armorhog.com Info Request #119 20 Soil & Mulch Producer News November / December 2012

ashington, DC—According to a report posted on WCFCourier. com, an international group of 71 scientists from 12 countries, studying a plant fungus, say they have found a key to turning agricultural waste into bioenergy.

Research on the genes that encode enzymes produced in white rot fungus has revealed much about how the species plays a lead role in the decomposition of woody material. The findings are significant because the difficulty in breaking down lignin, the substance that makes plant stalks and wood rigid, has been a stumbling block to success in processing many types of feed stocks into biofuels.

The study of how the white rot fungus enzymes decompose lignin also sheds light on the formation of what we know as “fossil fuels,” such as coal. The scientists say the appearance of white rot fungus some 300 million years ago coincides with the end of fossilization.

Findings from an earlier study by a Montana State University scientist pointed similarly to enzymes in fungi that may have contributed to the formation of crude oil. Researcher Gary Strobel discovered that a rare fungus found in Patagonian rainforests produces certain hydrocarbon components of diesel fuel. Strobel thinks that fungi living in ancient plants may be linked to the natural formation of crude oil. He has begun a series of demonstrations based on his research; the results of which he says may lead to large scale energy-rich hydrocarbon production at a relatively low cost.

Fo r m o r e i n fo r m a t i o n : h t t p s : / / w w w. s c i e n c e m a g . o r g / content/336/6089/1715.abstract.

Soil

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Mulch Producer NEWS

Campuses Partner with EPA - Shoot for Zero Waste

W

ashington, DC—The United States EPA is engaging college students in sustainability activism with its Food Recovery Challenge, according to reports in the campus publications of Arizona State University and University of California. The EPA program aims to reduce the amount of food waste sent to landfills, as well as find ways to fill hungry bellies.

Although the challenge is open to all producers of food waste, including grocers, convention centers and stadiums, the friendly competition occurring between college campuses is kicking it into high gear. Arizona State University (four campuses), Colorado University at Boulder, Oregon State, University of Florida and eight campuses in the University of California system are among the fifty schools that have signed on.

The Food Recovery Challenge initiative is part of the EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management Program, which focuses on ways to reduce the environmental footprint of products from the moment they’re made through reuse, recycling and disposal.

According to EPA figures, the United States produced 35 million tons of food waste in 2010, and 97 percent of it was dumped in landfills nationwide where it creates methane gas as it decomposes.

Hunger is a problem that folds perfectly into the Food Recovery Challenge because of the amount of food that gets wasted. The EPA reports “14 percent of households in the US were food insecure in 2009, meaning they did not know where their next meal would come from.”

Practices such as buying only the food that will be consumed and preventing or donating leftovers, for example, are a few of the many ideas that can be found on the EPA’s website under Resource Conservation.

Conserving energy is another facet of the Challenge. The U.S. Department of Agriculture figures put food production and distribution at 15.7 percent of national energy consumption.

The methane created from decomposing food waste in landfills accounts for a fifth of the country’s methane emissions, contributing to the greenhouse effect that is blamed for global warming.

ASU, which had made a commitment to zero solid waste by 2015, surveyed all four of its campuses and found that nearly a fifth of the waste collected was food scraps and another fifth was compostable paper. The university sent 6,800 tons of waste to the landfill last year, which they want to reduce to 2,000 tons per year when the program is up and running on all campuses. The latter figure represents their target of reducing by 10 percent 2008’s baseline for total waste.

To support its goal, the school is launching its Green Bin project, which begins in January 2013,

with the placement of designated bins for food and paper scraps and a compaction system that prepares the waste for composting.

The cost of ASU’s Green Bins program (several hundred thousands of dollars for Green Bin purchases and new compactors for all four campuses) will be offset by reduced trash hauling expenses, campus sustainability officials say. It currently costs ASU about $72 per ton to move waste material from compactors on campus to the landfill. The school expects to save as much as $140,000 per year when the project is fully implemented.

California, where the agriculture industry consumes enormous quantities of water and energy, is a key location for the EPA’s challenge. University of California campuses have been reducing food waste for some time with composting, recycling, food donations and consumer and food service staff education.

The introduction of trayless dining, which encourages people to take only the food they will eat, has reduced waste by 50 percent.

In addition to its website resource, the EPA offers assistance to help each campus reach their goals. The highest performing campuses are eligible for recognition and publicity.

For more information: http://www.epa.gov/ foodrecoverychallenge/.

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Info Request #105 November / December 2012 Soil & Mulch Producer News 21

Soil

&

Mulch Producer NEWS

US Forest Service Awards $3M in Grants to Protect Great Lakes

Grants for trees and clean water go to projects in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, New York, Illinois, Indiana

W

ashington – The U.S. Forest Service announced recently nearly $3 million in grants to improve tree canopy, forest cover and ultimately, water quality in six Great Lakes states, including Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, New York, Illinois and Indiana.

The grants are part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a cooperative effort between federal, tribal, state and local partners. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is the largest investment in the Great Lakes in two decades.

“The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative will improve the environmental health and economic vitality of the world’s largest freshwater system,” said USDA Undersecretary Harris Sherman. “The Forest Service, together with our partners, is working to improve America’s treasured landscapes in more than 7,000 communities across the country.”

The U.S. EPA-funded grants administered by the Forest Service will support community forestry efforts to improve the interception, evaporation, infiltration and storage of rainfall and storm water.

“Healthy forests and lands support healthy waters,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. “These projects will put people to work increasing the number of trees, turning polluted industrial sites into beautiful parkland and improving habitat for wildlife.”

A task force of 11 federal agencies is cleaning up toxins and areas of concern, combating invasive species, promoting near-shore health by protecting watersheds from polluted run-off and restoring wetlands and other habitats.

The awardees are:

Ohio

$50,000 - The Maumee River Urban Tree Canopy Restoration Project Toledo Area MetroParks, in partnership with the City of Toledo and Ohio Department of Natural Resources, will plant 250 trees for wildlife habitat and erosion control along the Maumee River, on 37.5 acres of land formerly used for industrial purposes. $250,000 - Lower Black River Heron Rookery Restoration Project The City of Lorain will plant 500 native trees and other vegetation to restore tree cover and improve fish and wildlife habitat on four acres of industrial wasteland adjacent to an active heron rookery. $250,000 - Phytoremediation of the Maumee River Watershed Project The Ohio Department of Natural Resources will work with the City of Toledo and University of Toledo to remediate 32 acres of old industrial sites, including the planting of 145 trees and the installation of 12 rain gardens and bioswales along the Maumee River.

Michigan

$50,000 - The Detroit Green Connections Project The Greening of Detroit will employ 10 young adults to plant 600 trees and supervise the planting of another 4,200 trees over a two year period, to reduce and slow stormwater runoff in the Detroit and Rouge River Watersheds. $250,000 - The Detroit Reforestation Initiative The Greening of Detroit will plant and maintain more than 1,400 trees in Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck communities that have lost 100 percent of their ash tree population to the emerald ash borer infestation. $70,000 - The Grand River Ash Tree Protection and Restoration Initiative The Friends of Grand Rapids Parks will plant 500 trees in public parks along the Grand River. The trees will maintain riparian buffers and tree canopy cover that will minimize the impact of the invasive Emerald Ash Borer.

22 Soil & Mulch Producer News November / December 2012

$132,274 - The Tree Canopy Restoration on Sault Tribe Lands The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians will restore 244 acres of trees lost to emerald ash borer along the Manistique and St. Mary’s Rivers in Chippewa and Schoolcraft Counties. $250,000 - The Greening of Chevy in the Hole project The City of Flint will plant an additional 1,200 trees on 12 acres of post-industrial land abutting the Flint River, to manage stormwater on site and contribute to the uptake and degradation of toxic substances. $197,437 - Reducing Contamination using Hybrid Poplar in Lake Michigan Watersheds The Delta Institute will establish and monitor the economic and environmental benefits of hybrid poplar tree farms, with the planting of more than 3,600 trees on one or more brownfield sites totaling five acres in multiple lower peninsula sites around Lake Michigan.

Wisconsin

$48,399 - First Downs for Trees This unique partnership between the Green Bay Packers, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Oneida Nation, and the communities of Brown County will result in planting more than 1,300 trees to intercept and slow millions of gallons of annual stormwater runoff over the coming years. $163,907 - Chequamegon Bay Shoreland Restoration The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will work with the City of Ashland to monitor and report on the ecosystem benefits of planting 240 native trees and other vegetation to mitigate the impacts of an expanded US Hwy 2.

New York

$77,958 - Emerald Ash Borer Mitigation Project The town of Greece will plant 200 trees to replace those lost to emerald ash borer and to slow stormwater runoff into Lake Ontario.

Illinois

$250,000 - Mayors Mitigating Emerald Ash Borer Impacts in the Chicago Region The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus will fund Great Lakes communities in Cook and Lake Counties that will restore close to 1,600 trees to the basin. $250,000 - Waukegan Harbor Emerald Ash Borer Mitigation Program The Delta Institute will work with communities along the Dead River and the Waukegan River to develop plans and restore 500 trees that will improve the overall quality and health of the Waukegan Harbor. $190,236 - Grand Calumet Big Marsh Wetland Phytoremediation The Chicago Park District will plant 5,000 native trees and other vegetation and monitor the ability of these plants to remediate contaminated soils, sediments, and water to help restore the wetland functionality of the Big Marsh.

Indiana

$100,200 - The Emerald Ash Borer Mitigation Program The City of Goshen will plant 500 trees to replace tree canopy coverage lost to Emerald Ash Borer along the Elkhart River.

The US Forest Service manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Forest Service lands contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone. Those same lands provide 20 percent of the nation’s clean water supply, a value estimated at $27 billion per year.

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Inside This Issue State Yard Waste Bans Pit David vs. Goliath Page 1 U of M Researchers Study Fracking Page 6 2010 Olympics “Home” Weighs Composting Issues Page 9 Alaska Proposes Local Control of Timberland Page 14 Compost – Natural Medicine for Sick Soil Page 16 The Philippines Eyes the Lucrative Cocopeat Market Page 20 US Forest Service Awards $3M in Grants to Protect Great Lakes Page 22

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