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Submitted via IRC for Runaway1956
Canada Banana Farms, located 200 kilometres west of Toronto in Blyth, Ont., is cultivating fruit such as papayas, pineapples, lemons, guavas, and – of course – bananas. You'd think that you'd need an advanced degree in horticulture or botany to grow fruits like these in frigid Canada, but Terry Brake's method is easy – and cheap.
[...] "We grow them in hoop houses," Brake told CTV News Channel on Friday. "And we heat it with wood all winter long." The hoop houses – essentially long sheets of polyethylene stretched over a frame – have effectively created the jungle-like conditions these fruits need to flourish. "It just feels like you're in the tropics," Brake says of his DIY greenhouses. "It's very humid in there: about 85 to 90 per cent humidity in the winter."
Source: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/meet-the-farmer-who-s-growing-bananas-in-ontario-1.3007500
(Score: 1) by Francis on Saturday July 30 2016, @02:10PM
Burning wood can be quite environmentally friendly depending upon the specifics. The make or break point on it has less to do with the wood and more to do with the trucking it around. But, if it's harvested locally and burned in a high efficiency stove, there's little negative impact on the environment. The carbon that you emit is carbon that was recently in the environment leading to something that's mostly carbon neutral.
Some types of stoves are remarkably efficient at turning the wood into heat without a whole lot of byproducts.
(Score: 2) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Saturday July 30 2016, @03:14PM
That only applies if the trees get re-planted though.
(Score: 2) by Wierd0n3 on Saturday July 30 2016, @05:53PM
depending on the locale, it may be law. i know around here, the local tree harvesters are required to plant 1.25 trees per harvested stock. this helps account for undersized trees that basically get pushed down or otherwise wasted
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 30 2016, @11:41PM
Some variation on clearcut/replant cycle is well-suited to lumber production, but it's not the only silviculture practice available. If you want an ongoing supply of wood for fuel, rather than lumber, coppicing is probably a better choice.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 30 2016, @04:02PM
We should try burning muslims then. There are so many around to use as fuel. :-)