Hügelkultur (“mound-culture”) is a technique in agricultural settings that stores excess woody debris and allows it to slowly rot over years or decades. Three new reports by FPInnovations looked into whether hügelkultur could be used in forest fuel reduction treatments to configure debris on site in a less flammable state, as an alternative to the more common method of piling and burning.
Hügelkultur as a debris management technique in forest fuel reduction treatments – Developing a research plan to evaluate the flammability of constructed debris piles (hugels) looks at the flammability of debris piles (hugels) constructed with different fuel components and construction methods.
Hügelkultur as a debris management technique in forest fuel reduction treatments – Decomposition of woody debris in hugels: A literature search locates material relevant to the decomposition of woody debris in a hügelkultur environment.
Hügelkultur as a debris management technique in forest fuel reduction treatments: A comparative productivity evaluation of a fuel reduction treatment incorporating hugels presents the development of test methods and data collection methods that can be applied in evaluating the productivity of a fuel reduction treatment that incorporates construction of hugels as a debris management tool.
Click on any of the titles to access the report. For more information, contact Steven Hvenegaard, Senior Researcher in FPInnovations’ Wildfire Operations group.