Jabari Charles

620102512
Stream 22
Loverne George
Wednesday, 6-8pm

Research Question: “With the aid of orange peels, how can mankind influence the rehabilitation

process of forests?”
 Yearly, a vast amount of forest land is lost due to an increased demand for consumable

goods. Due to consumer demand, food companies produce a large amount of orange peel waste,

via the production of orange based by-products. Fortunately, some ecologists have devised a

solution to transform this orange peel waste into something that is environmentally friendly and

beneficial. The biodegradable benefits of orange peels, can aid in the rehabilitation of forests by

improving nutrient composition, and increasing soil fertility. Also, by working in accordance with

Ecological Restoration, the composting of the peels, could achieve large scale forest restoration.

Using orange peels as a source of nutrition, through composting, will allow the nutrients

contained in the peels to be transferred into the soil, impacting its fertility, and nutrient

composition. By definition, the art of composting is, “The biological decomposition of organic

matter under controlled, aerobic conditions into a humus-like stable product” (Epstein, 1996). If

the organic matter was substituted with orange peels, it would break down and provide the compost

heap with vital nutrients. According to (Trueur et al,2017), the nutrients that are released from

decomposing orange peels, have been identified as Calcium and Phosphorus. These minerals are

a part of the list of macronutrients needed by plants for growth (Barak,1999). Thus, when the

compost is applied to the soil, it will add Calcium and Phosphorus, improving soil quality. Also,

because decomposition is a slow occurring process, the lives of the minerals are long lived as well

as their effects on the soil’s fertility (Trueur et al,2017). Therefore, because orange peels are

organic material they can be used as ingredients for compost. As a result, it can be applied after

the composting process is complete, to the soil, as a fertilizer. Consequently, because of compost’s

nature, the decomposed peels slowly feed the soil with nutrients that contribute to improved

fertility and overall composition, which can cause the prolonged growth of green life on barren

forest land. For example, an entire forest was rehabilitated, soil content was richer, increased tree
biomass, and tree species were seen in a greater variety as a result of a similar application (Truer

et al, 2017).

The utilization of the biodegradable benefits from orange peels can promote the motives

of Ecological Restoration and achieve large scale forest restoration. Ecological Restoration is the

process that aims to reclaim lost or degraded ecosystems. Ecological restoration aims to restore

the ecosystem to the point where it can stand alone, without further assistance or subsidy (SER,

2004). Based on the evidence contained in the article by Trueur and others, the orange peels

achieved the aforementioned motive of SER. Plant life could be seen with increased biomass and

lush color. These attributes display health and longevity in plants. Based on these results, the

biodegradable benefits of orange peels could be used to accomplish a larger scaled forest

restoration.

Firstly, a request should be made to the companies who house the orange peels to be used

for the composting. Secondly, large trucks could be used to transport the waste, to the various

project sites, and left to cure. Once the curing process is complete, single lift application can be

conducted. This is a method of “one time” or “all at once” application, via the use of farm

machinery to incorporate the fertilizer into the soil (Henry and Bergeron, N.D). Though

composting has been deemed feasible for large scale forest restoration projects, other methods

such as inorganic fertilizer application, could produce the same results. Being a form of organic

material, an orange peel, when piled together into a compost heap could provide nutrients which

makes the soil richer. On the other hand, inorganic fertilizers can provide the soil with a readied

form of the mineral, which also improves soil growth greatly. However, these nutrients can easily

leach through the soil, but on the other hand compost does not provide the soil with the nutrients

in a readied form, therefore, plants do not grow as fast (Schmidt, 2014). Although that is a
downside, it is also a benefit because plant growth is likely to take place longer through one

application because it provides nutrients slowly. Owling to the fact that there will always be a

reserve or storage of the mineral to be taken up by the plant. Whereas, inorganic fertilizers have to

re-applied 3 or 4 times to the soil, to achieve the same results (Schmidt, 2014). This is why the

results from the land fertilized by orange peels in Costa Rica, took so long to show, which lowered

the cost of re application as opposed to inorganic fertilizer being chosen to do the job (Trueur et

al, 2017). This makes composting the most environmentally friendly, economical and efficient

way of aiding forest rehabilitation.

Orange peel waste provides minerals after decomposition, and these minerals impacted soil

fertility, which are the foundations for new forest life. This practice is in accord with Ecological

Restoration which is a world based aim to facilitate the recovery of lost and degraded ecosystems.

It only takes proper storage of the waste, a transportation method and a way of application to

achieve the wanted results. Finally, the major benefits of organic fertilizer such as prolonged

growth, in comparison to inorganic fertilizer, has helped to create a forest filled with life and vigor

(Treuer et al,2017). Also many biotic species, that were vacant all the years that the land was

barren have returned.

In conclusion, it has been proven that the biodegradable benefits of orange peels can indeed

aid in the rehabilitation of forests through improved nutrient composition, and increased soil

fertility.
 Bibliography

Barak, P. (1999, January, 11th). Essential Elements for Plant Growth: Macronutrients and

Micronutrients. Retrieved from

http://soils.wisc.edu/facstaff/barak/soilscience326/macronut.htm

Treuer et al. (2017). Low-cost agricultural waste accelerates tropical forest regeneration.

Restoration Ecology, 25(6). doi:10.1111/rec.12565

Epstein, E. (1996). The Science of Composting. Retrieved from

https://books.google.com.jm/books

Society for Ecological Restoration International Science & Policy Working Group. (2004). The

SER International Primer on Ecological Restoration. Retrieved from www.ser.org &

Tucson: Society for Ecological Restoration International.

Henry, C. and Bergeron, K. (N.D). Compost use in Forest Land Restoration. Retrieved from

https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyNET.exe/

Schmidt, A. (2014). Manure vs. Commercial Fertilizer: Can soil and crops tell the difference?

Retrieved from https://water.unl.edu/documents/Manure%20Demo%20Day%20-

Amy%20Schmidt.pdf