Valorizing forest, hedge and fruit tree cuttings in local gardens, farms and green municipality spaces. Shredding from fresh branches, the so-called Ramial Chipped Wood (RCW), is an abundant resource and a very valuable mulch for improving soils and for reducing evaporation. This local resource is not optimally used at the moment in our valley due to lack of knowledge and not functioning locals supply chains. RebelFarmer decided to start a project to work on those two axes. Improving local awareness and widening up action range for citizens, self-governments and farmers by campaigning 1. Reduce burning of branches and shredding: it pollutes the environment and they are too valuable as soil amendment to be burned. The community rents out a shredder + person for a very economic price (10 euros per hour); 2. Reduce garden waste: avoid, reduce or replace redwood bark (Sequoia), cedar (Cedrus), spruce (Picea), larch (Larix) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga), laurel (Prunus) and buxus in the garden. Due to toxic substances produced by these plants, to suppress germination of neighbouring plants (“allelopathic effect”), the shredding can’t be used as RCW, and due to high content of “oily” substances it pollutes easily the chimney in case it is used as firewood.. Cuttings of these trees and shrubs can only be used under the same plantings or be burned in high temperature incinerators (not local); 3. Integrate local RCW into municipality policy for mulching park spaces, reduce its inconveniences like impurity, messy impression and its popularity by scavenging birds and other animals; 4. Use RCW as soil amendment in agriculture, study local soil-RCW-climate interactions, study for which cultures it works best, and in which quantities. Improve the functioning of local supply chains 1. Improve quality of RCW throughout the chain: rewarding suppliers for good quality RCW, setting up a quality seal for good quality RCW; 2. Studying price mechanisms, by which price RCW becomes competitive with other comparable forms of soil amendments? 3. Improve communication and facilitate cooperation between the chain participants: improve delivery and storage conditions, accessibility and capacity, involve community members in the forest thinning. The results of the project will be: - Increase RCW utilization in the local supply chains by 50 m3 in the first year and 200 m3 the following year. - The involved target groups, 6 municipalities, 2 waste collection services, 20 landscaping businesses, 1000 gardeners and 4 organic farmers know about the possibilities of BRF and have the means to gain more knowledge on its production and utilization.
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