remnant swamp forest in Mentor Marsh (Cleveland Museum of Natural History protected). phragmites removal allows restoration to this state via the existing native seed bank.
ADAM WOEHLEVER (Ohio department of natural resources),
jIM BISSELL (cleveland museum of natural history),
GRAHAM MITCHELL (LOGLOGIC),
BOB ZEITZ (MENTOR MARSH BOARD)
- discussing harvest plans in the mentor marsh "CAREX
AQUATILIS" AREA. JUNE 2015
nancy tuchman - loyola univ
founder/director institute of environmental sustainability. photo: 2015
Photo pick of the season:
LOGLOGIC SOFTRAK HARVESTER loaned for
the marsh harvest BY LOYOLA UNIV. JUNE 2015
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POWER-FOR-RESTORATION IS NOW ALSO PART OF GROWING ALLIANCES of
ORGANIZATIONS UTILIZING INVASIVE PLANTS for ENERGY/PRODUCTS, WATER RETENTION, and REMEDIATION - - WHILE RESTORING NATIVE ECOSYSTEMS and MARGINAL LANDS
Shane lishawa - loyola univ. photo: apr 2009
ron breslaw, citizen scientist VOLUNTEER - collecting freeman maple seedlings
germinating in a skunk cabbage leaf
in the swamp forest remnant, at grace court. sep 2015
richard grosshans,
senior research scientist photo: 2015
Through this website, our local/international collaborative, led by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, is sharing:
- how to use invasive plants (waste biomass) to offset fossil fuels
- other methods that reduce ecosystem restoration costs
- lessons learned about the sustainability of various biomass products
Cultivation of biomass crops can impact land and water. The harvest (removal) of invasive "standing crops" benefits land and water - and biodiversity. That is, we generate green power while restoring native ecosystems, versus degrading them.
Worldwide, the cost of invasives management is estimated to be billions of dollars annually. Developing a market for this biomass, provides an opportunity to offset restoration costs greatly, and to expand local green infrastructure / local green economies - in the Lake Erie basin, the Great Lakes - and globallly.
Creating this market will not motivate others to cultivate invasive plants. The high cost of shipping and land negates any profit incentive. Only those motivated by restoration will reap benefits.
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In our Mentor Marsh pilot, we are utilizing Phragmites australis for power via anaerobic digestion, creating a bio-gas that is a drop-in replacement for natural gas from hydraulic fracturing - both for utility power and fuel.
Power-from-Restoration
(Invasives-to-Power)
NETWORKS
Phragmites australis, a top 10 invasive plant in the US, and monoculture in the 700+ acre Mentor Marsh.
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theinstitute of environmental sustainability(at LOYOLA univ.) ORGANIZED A NATIONAL "RESTORATION / INVASIVES UTILIZATION' CONFERENCE & WORKSHOP IN JUNE 2015.
WE JOINED THEIR COLLABORATIVE AND THEY JOINED OURS. LOYOLA'S LOAN OF THEIR HARVESTER ACQUIRED UNDER A GLRI AWARD helped complete the pilot IN MENTOR MARSH IN OCT 2015.
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY IS HARVESTING invasive CATTAILS to restore biodiversity and is utilizing the harvested biomass FOR POWER.
Pilot:Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve, Ohio
Phragmites australis - anaerobic digestion