GuidePart VIII: Biomass, Carbon and Fire

Biomass: Stored Sunlight

Grass, roots, leaves, branches, crops and prunings are all part of the farm's biological economy. A pile of prunings is not rubbish — it is a resource waiting for a purpose. In a fire landscape, that purpose must be chosen carefully.

Every leaf is a solar collector. Through photosynthesis, plants transform sunlight, water and carbon dioxide into living material. That material is biomass.

  • Biomass can become food.
  • Animal feed.
  • Compost.
  • Mulch.
  • Bedding.
  • Biochar.
  • Fuel.
  • Fungal substrate.
  • Or future soil.

A pile of prunings is not automatically rubbish. It is a resource waiting for a purpose.

When Biomass Becomes Fuel

In Monchique there is an essential qualification. Unmanaged biomass can become wildfire fuel. Regeneration therefore cannot simply mean producing ever more vegetation. It means producing, cycling and managing biomass intelligently.

At our farms we use grazing, shredding, composting, mulching, pruning, firewood production and biochar to convert potentially hazardous vegetation into useful resources. The objective is neither a stripped landscape nor an impenetrable mass of vegetation. It is a productive, hydrated and deliberately managed mosaic.