Supporting your investigative projects with high-quality testing and monitoring services from beginning to end
Cawood has extensive experience working with universities, research organisations, government bodies and businesses to support a wide variety of projects. We work with project partners to develop and validate novel methods if needed, and we are flexible to specialised requisites. We also have considerable expertise in writing project proposals and tender documents to help give your project purpose and direction, increasing efficiency and managing its scope effectively.
NRM: supporting research into managing Amazonian mega-fires
Historical anthropogenic enrichment of edible plants and agricultural burning, as well as climate change, has altered the soil composition in Amazon forests, making them more drought susceptible and fire prone. This has increased the occurrence of mega-fires in ADE forests and threatens to convert Amazon forests from net carbon sinks to net carbon sources, increasing emissions and further accelerating climate change.NRM worked with the University of Exeter to analyse anthropogenic terra preta or Amazonian Dark Earth (ADE) soils to help farmers and forest managers develop fire management and soil nutrition policies to reduce fuel loads and the occurrence of mega-fires in fire-prone ADE forests. The results also helped to inform ecological benchmarks and future management efforts in the Amazon.
NRM’s comprehensive soil analysis service, which includes analysis of pH, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, nitrogen and soil carbon levels, was used to determine the soil composition, structure and flammability of the ADE soils. 350 samples were taken from archaeological sites and sent to NRM’s laboratory in Bracknell for testing. As terra preta soil analysis is not a routine service, we worked closely with their technical team and the client to develop a package that would satisfy the necessary parameters.
