Paperboard and its contribution to reforestation
There are many ways to contribute to the environment and biodiversity on the planet. One of them is using paperboard to recover degraded areas. The process is simple and costs 50% less than traditional methods.
Paperboard is used to control invasive plants and to protect seedlings in the first years after they are planted. According to researchers at Embrapa, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, this paper-based material contributes to reforestation and to controlling the area around seedlings planted for reforestation purposes.
In practice – A new or reused paperboard disk or plate is used to protect the base of forest species seedlings. Establishing a ring around the tree protects it from development of grasses – which exert significant competition with reforested species.
This allows for growth to happen as if recurring maintenance was occurring, such as through the use of hoes, scythes and brushcutters.
Before achieving this result, early experiments used round pizza boxes. Because of this, paperboard was found to be efficient during over one year when used with a copper sulfate-based solution.
One example of this process of using treated paperboard is ground cover for peach palm growth, whose productivity is increased and which is highly sustainable for planting hearts of palm, according to data released by Embrapa in 2011.
According to researcher Guilherme Chaer, the benefit of using paperboard is not just that it stops grass from growing, but that it also increases the survival rate for seedlings. Since this technique can reduce topsoil temperature by 10ºC on hot days, it also lessens water lost through evaporation.
Check out the full article at the Adoro Papel Blog!
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Este post também está disponível em: Portuguese (Brazil)