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Interesting research, but utterly impractical. Are they proposing to harvest all the pine needles from all the forests in the Himalayas, convert them to charcoa

Interesting research, but utterly impractical. Are they proposing to harvest all the pine needles from all the forests in the Himalayas, convert them to charcoal and then use that to filter the Ganges? How much do they have to spend on this? It's a fun mental exercise, but it's so far from realistic that it's funny.

14 6y ago
Canadian here. Some areas of the forest are thick and dense and would be hard but the pine trees are a little higher up and not as much ground cover. You could in some areas quite easily gather pine needles. It would likely have to be done by hand but I can promise you this. There are lots of people who struggle to get by with no opportunity around here. But every year we get several months where chanterelle mushrooms grow and people head off into the woods to gather them. The buyers always pay cash so the people do not have to claim this money which is critical as most already collect social assistance and any money is just deducted from their check. So if pine needles have a value I could have people collect it for me.
- klyrs 6y ago
  And then you'll kill a thriving ecosystem that lives in those pine needles... including those chanterelles, matsutake and other (delicious or not) fungal species that live symbiotically with the trees. Not to mention the animals that live in the duff, and help prevent topsoil erosion. In the boreal forests of north america used to be plentiful with "wizard's beard" moss. Hangs down from the trees, light and fluffy, made really good material for diapers. So we harvested it. All of it. Turns out these beards takes forever to grow, and similar mosses and lichens that contribute to a healthy forest take a hundred, or hundreds, of years to get established in new growth. I've seen wizard's beard in a couple of extremely remote places. But the industry died when they almost extincted it. But yeah you're right. Loads of people will chomp at the bit to harvest this stuff. And you won't see chanterelles in the grocery story anymore. And after the topsoil is exposed in those woods, expect some intense fire seasons.
  - gamblor956 6y ago
    If you had read the article, you would know that pine needles are a leading cause of intense fire seasons... Hence, harvesting pine needles could actually lessen the intensity of fire seasons, especially in drought-prone areas.
antisthenes 6y ago
You'd be surprised what is realistic when the labor is pine needle cheap. I wouldn't be surprised if you could pay some of the locals living there $5-10/day to collect pine needles, and have them end up better off than they are now.
- BrandonMarc 6y ago
  Moreover, in western China the labor isn't cheap, it's free. (Uighur slavery)
phyzome 6y ago
Also, I'm pretty sure those pine needles are an important part of the ecosystem that has been inundated with them for thousands of years.

14 6y ago

Canadian here. Some areas of the forest are thick and dense and would be hard but the pine trees are a little higher up and not as much ground cover. You could in some areas quite easily gather pine needles. It would likely have to be done by hand but I can promise you this. There are lots of people who struggle to get by with no opportunity around here. But every year we get several months where chanterelle mushrooms grow and people head off into the woods to gather them. The buyers always pay cash so the people do not have to claim this money which is critical as most already collect social assistance and any money is just deducted from their check. So if pine needles have a value I could have people collect it for me.

klyrs 6y ago
And then you'll kill a thriving ecosystem that lives in those pine needles... including those chanterelles, matsutake and other (delicious or not) fungal species that live symbiotically with the trees. Not to mention the animals that live in the duff, and help prevent topsoil erosion. In the boreal forests of north america used to be plentiful with "wizard's beard" moss. Hangs down from the trees, light and fluffy, made really good material for diapers. So we harvested it. All of it. Turns out these beards takes forever to grow, and similar mosses and lichens that contribute to a healthy forest take a hundred, or hundreds, of years to get established in new growth. I've seen wizard's beard in a couple of extremely remote places. But the industry died when they almost extincted it. But yeah you're right. Loads of people will chomp at the bit to harvest this stuff. And you won't see chanterelles in the grocery story anymore. And after the topsoil is exposed in those woods, expect some intense fire seasons.
- gamblor956 6y ago
  If you had read the article, you would know that pine needles are a leading cause of intense fire seasons... Hence, harvesting pine needles could actually lessen the intensity of fire seasons, especially in drought-prone areas.

antisthenes 6y ago

You'd be surprised what is realistic when the labor is pine needle cheap. I wouldn't be surprised if you could pay some of the locals living there $5-10/day to collect pine needles, and have them end up better off than they are now.

BrandonMarc 6y ago
Moreover, in western China the labor isn't cheap, it's free. (Uighur slavery)

phyzome 6y ago

Also, I'm pretty sure those pine needles are an important part of the ecosystem that has been inundated with them for thousands of years.