11/15 We find fascinating the concept of using pelletized poultry litter on forest land.
Maryland, for example, has 2.6 million acres of wood and forest land; that’s about 46 percent of its total land area. It is land which has not been fertilized, at least on any regular basis; is typically low in phosphorous, and typically has a low potential for phosphorous loss.
Bob Tjaden, regional natural resources specialist for Maryland Extension and an acknowledged expert when it comes to tree care and forest management, notes that fertilization could increase and hasten tree growth, improve harvests, and upgrade poor forest sites.
Perdue-AgriRecycle Inc. is building a poultry manure pelletizing plant in Sussex County, Del. It will annually convert 80,000 tons of poultry manure into pelletized fertilizer. Tjaden is exploring the possibility of using some of that product in the woods.
It’s not a done deal, of course. There’d have to be a nutrient management plan and more research is needed before the Extension Service, and the University of Maryland, could give the concept a stamp of approval. Then there’s always the possibility that the “tree huggers” will be heard from, protesting the dumping of poultry manure (in whatever form) on their ‘gardens of Eden.’
But all that aside, the concept is worthy of honest, untainted exploration. Trusting that Tjaden can come up with the $50,000 to $90,000 he needs to fund the studies, we encourage him to forge ahead