Cattail Harvesting for Carbon Offsets and Nutrient Capture: A “LAKE FRIENDLY” GREENHOUSE GAS PROJECT

The document details a project to harvest cattails in Manitoba to reduce phosphorus loading in Lake Winnipeg and replace coal with biomass for heating. It explores various bioenergy pathways, including solid fuel, biocarbon, and advanced biofuels, while analyzing the potential for carbon offsets through the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and provincial regimes.

• Cattail harvesting can significantly reduce nutrient loading in aquatic systems, specifically removing 20 to 60 kilograms of phosphorus from litter and sediment per hectare annually.
• Cattails are a highly productive biomass source, reaching maturity in under 90 days with average yields between 15 and 20 tonnes per hectare.
• Cattail biomass is a viable bioenergy feedstock with a calorific heat value averaging 17 MJ/kg to almost 20 MJ/kg, which is comparable to commercial wood pellets.
• The project identifies the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) as the most viable model for accrediting cattail biomass offsets in the voluntary carbon market due to its global usage and respected standards.
• Up to 88 per cent of total phosphorus can be recovered from the ash remaining after the combustion of cattail biomass in solid fuel burners.
• Harvesting in wet environments requires specialized low-impact equipment to prevent soil rutting and root damage; the project explores modifying corn forage harvesters and integrating European tracked harvester technology.
• The document identifies several potential harvest sites across southern Manitoba, including Netley-Libau Marsh, stormwater ditches in the RMs of St. Clements and St. Andrews, and engineered backflooding at Pelly's Lake.
• Manitoba's policy environment, including an annual coal tax of CAD$10 per tonne of CO2 equivalents and a mandate to eliminate coal for heat production by 2014, creates an immediate need for alternative biomass sources.

APA

Grosshans, R. E., Gass, P., Dohan, R., Roy, D., Venema, H. D., & McCandless, M. (2012). Cattail Harvesting for Carbon Offsets and Nutrient Capture: A “LAKE FRIENDLY” GREENHOUSE GAS PROJECT. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/cattail_harvesting_carbon_offsets.pdf

Chicago

Grosshans, Richard E., Philip Gass, Rosemary Dohan, Dimple Roy, Henry David Venema, and Matt McCandless. Cattail Harvesting for Carbon Offsets and Nutrient Capture: A “LAKE FRIENDLY” GREENHOUSE GAS PROJECT. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2012. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/cattail_harvesting_carbon_offsets.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Grosshans |first1=Richard E. |last2=Gass |first2=Philip |last3=Dohan |first3=Rosemary |last4=Roy |first4=Dimple |last5=Venema |first5=Henry David |last6=McCandless |first6=Matt |title=Cattail Harvesting for Carbon Offsets and Nutrient Capture: A “LAKE FRIENDLY” GREENHOUSE GAS PROJECT |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=March 2012 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/cattail_harvesting_carbon_offsets.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{grosshans2012cattail, author = {Grosshans, Richard E. and Gass, Philip and Dohan, Rosemary and Roy, Dimple and Venema, Henry David and McCandless, Matt}, title = {{Cattail Harvesting for Carbon Offsets and Nutrient Capture: A “LAKE FRIENDLY” GREENHOUSE GAS PROJECT}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2012}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/cattail_harvesting_carbon_offsets.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }