Entrepreneur Hopes Product Will Help Heal Soil After Wildfires
GREEN BAY, Wisconsin
Tuesday, August 28, 2007 12:17 PDT

The millions of acres scorched by wildfires and left susceptible to
mudslides could be shored up by spreading inexpensive granules that a lawn
care entrepreneur says will keep soil in place when the rainy season
arrives.

U.S.F.S. scientists have been testing a product that bonds the clay inside
soil to form a "net" to help vegetation recover. Called PAM-12 and
developed by a Green Bay lawn care company called Encap, the product is a
synthetic chemical that looks like salt and is wrapped in recycled paper.

Soil scientists have found few other ways to control large-scale erosion
after a fire aside from straw, which absorbs and retains moisture like mulch
but doesn't actually strengthen soil.

"The concept of using soil itself to prevent erosion and establish new plant
life, it's exciting," said Mike Krysiak, president and chief officer of
Encap.

Already this year, nearly 7 million acres have burned across the country,
and about 40 fires of at least 500 acres each were raging this week, most in
Montana and Idaho.

After smoke infiltrates soil, the ground tends to repel water instead of
absorb it. So rain stays on the surface and carries away topsoil and
nutrients when it cascades downhill.

PAM-12 can help prevent that by causing the dirt to form tiny clumps and
opening pores for water to soak into. The result is soil that's more
absorbent and less apt to be washed away, even on slopes as steep as 60
degrees.

"I know from my experience it works under the right conditions," said Robert
Davidson, a soil scientist with the Forest Service in Provo, Utah. "I'm
trying to have the Forest Service test it more so it can be recommended as a
treatment for post-fire use."

Davidson is not affiliated with Encap and said he has no financial stake in
the company.

In 2006, he decided to test a variety of treatments that were applied to a
section of the Uinta National Forest in Utah two years after fire scorched
587 acres. He found that PAM-12 improved soil absorption rates, decreased
erosion and stimulated more plant life than other applications, including
the standard straw treatment.

While lauding the results, Davidson noted that PAM-12 has only been tested
in certain climates with soil compositions likely to bond well with the
granules. Calcium-rich soil with a high clay content works best, he noted,
but soil chemistry is so variable that it's hard to know how effective the
treatment could be until a post-fire assessment is completed.

PAM-12 costs about half as much as current treatments. Agricultural straw
costs about $1,000 per acre, while PAM-12 costs about $500 per acre.

It might be 10 to 15 years before government agencies amass enough research
data to advocate Krysiak's product or others like to treat soil after a
fire.

"When there's an emergency situation, we want to use proven products," said
soil scientist Jeff Bruggink, also of the U.S. Forest Service. "If this is
tested and proven in a variety of soil types and climates, we welcome it as
another tool in the toolbox."

Forestry officials say several companies have approached them with
comparable soil-treatment products but none has shown similar promise.
PAM-12 is based on PAM, or polyacrylamide, a synthetic carbon-based
chemical.

Soil scientists say PAM breaks down into organic material and nitrogen
within about 12 months and doesn't pose a toxic threat to people or crops.
Farmers and builders have used variations of it for decades to condition
soil and prevent erosion, and Krysiak said no health risks have been
identified.

The company name Encap stands for "encapsulation," a nod to the company's
early attempts to wrap seeds in a protective coat of nutrients to improve
their chances of taking root. Encap also has a line of consumer products for
lawns and gardens, each relying on substances like PAM to make soil more
fertile.

Krysiak declined to reveal revenue numbers. But Inc. magazine recently ranke
d Encap 110th on a list of the top 500 fastest growing private companies in
America. To qualify, companies had to have 2003 revenue of at least $200,000
and 2006 revenue of at least $2 million.

Krysiak isn't shy about his hopes for Encap, which he intends to keep
private. He expects it will take about five years before forestry officials
begin to use PAM-12 more regularly, and he predicts continued sales growth
in the consumer sector.

"If we play our cards right, we could be half a billion dollars (in revenue)
in 10 years," he said.

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On the Net:

Encap: http://encap.net/