Utility of wood ash, paper sludge and biochar for the mitigation of greenhouse gases emissions from acid boreal soils.

Land-use change in the boreal forest region leads to agriculture to be carried out on acid, shallow and low fertility soils. To correct soil fertility and promote crop productivity, manure and inorganic fertilizers are added, increasing the risk for greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE). To reduce the reliance on synthetic soil amendments while taking advantage of locally relevant industrial by-products, wood ash (WA) and paper sludge (SL) have been proposed as soil amendments for a range of soil types.