March 2023 issue

Volume 68, Issue 3

California almond growers, who replace their orchards once every few decades, used to have two options for disposing of aging trees: After uprooting them, they could either burn them on site, or grind them and sell the biomass to cogeneration plants. As new environmental policies take hold in the state, those options are being phased out. Filling the gap is the more environmentally friendly practice of whole-orchard recycling, which though costlier in the short term, offers considerable long-term agronomic benefits. Scientists hope their deepening understanding of these advantages will convince more farmers to make the switch. See story on p. 12.

Cover photo: Brent Holtz, a farm adviser with the University of California's Agriculture and Natural Resources division, standing atop a pile of wood chips ground up from almond trees. The chips will be incorporated into the soil before a new orchard is planted. Photo courtesy of Brent Holtz.