Uses of the greatly superior method of conservation tillage (no-till) include:
•
farmland production of crops for food, feed, fiber, and fertilizer;
•
significant reversal of global warming if extensively applied;
•
the revegetation of degraded grasslands, savannas, shrublands and forests;
•
originally, the non-arable land production of biofuel feedstock such as switchgrass and
giant reed grass; however, at present there is an international concern about using
crops for fuel production due to the present critical food shortages .
Land imprints wedged into the soil
surface by rolling 8-pointed steel
stars in the Mojave Desert near
Pearblossom , CA .
The Wall Street Journal Innovation Award (see link below) has greatly helped the Imprinting
Foundation advance its current mission of technology transfer from California to Saudi
Arabia. Other milestones include publication of (see *References below) :
• Detailed scientific (hydrologic) basis for land imprinting in an important soil and water
conservation journal ( Dixon 1995).
• Data detailing how land imprinting is a superior method for establishing vegetation
relative to the conventional rangeland drill ( Dixon 1990).
• A paper detailing the results of two large (500 & 250 acres) ecological restoration
projects near Tucson , Arizona (Dixon and Carr 1999).
• Independent research studies conducted in southern California showing imprinting to be
a superior method for controlling soil erosion and seeding native vegetation as compared to
conventional methods ( Forest etal. 2002 and Montalvo etal. 2002).
• Three books which indicate the superiority of land imprinting relative to conventional
methods of seeding (Bainbridge 2007, Lancaster 2008, Galatowitsch 2008).
• Land imprinting machine specifications that are detailed enough to promote the building
of home-made imprinters.(Dixon and Carr 2004).
The Imprinting Foundation: Who Are We?
The Imprinting Foundation's focus is to present breakthrough technology for ecological
restoration/conservation to those directly involved in the agricultural sector, as well as those who are
in the position of decision-making in agricultural and food concerns. The Imprinting Foundation was
founded in 1986, by Dr. Robert Dixon (click on his picture below to see his impressive background in
this field).
*REFERENCES
Bainbridge, D.A. 2007. A Guide for Desert and Dryland Restoration. New Hope for Arid Lands. Island Press, Washington, DC.
Dixon , RM. 1990. Land imprinting for dryland revegetation and restoration. In: Environmental Restoration: Sciences and Strategy for Restoring the Earth.
Edited, John J. Berger. Island Press. Washington , D.C. p. 14-22.
Dixon , R.M. 1995. Water infiltration control at the soil surface: theory and practice. J. Soil & Water Cons. 50(5): 450-453.
Dixon , R.M. and A.B. Carr 1999. Land imprinting for restoring vegetation in the Desert Southwest Proc. 25th Conference on Ecosystems Restoration and
Creation. Hillsborough Community College and Institute of Florida Studies. P. 103-109.
Dixon , R.M. and A.B. Carr 2004. Land imprinting standards for accelerating succession past the exotic weed stage. Sixteenth International Conference,
Society for Ecological Restoration, August 24-25, Victoria , Canada , pdf available.
Forest , C.L., M.V. Harding, N. Gardiner, H.H. Chang 2002. CALTRANS erosion control pilot study. Proc. Conference 33, International Erosion Control
Association. P. 335-343.
Galatowitsch, S. 2008. Seeding establishment in restored ecosystems. In: Seeding Ecology and Evolution. Cambridge University Press.
Lancaster , B. 2008. Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond. Volume 2, Water Harvesting Earthworks. Resource Press, Tucson , Arizona.
Montalvo, A.M., P.A. McMillan and E.B. Allen, 2002. The relative importance of seeding method, soil ripping, and soil variables on seeding success.
Restoration Ecology 10:52-67.
Wall Street Journal 2007. Technology 2007 Awards for Innovation, Technology Innovation Winners, Imprinting Foundation, Monday, September 22, R4.
Click on our logo for interview regarding the 2007 Wall Street Journal Award!
The Imprinting Foundation is currently in the process of expanding the educational materials
we are offering to the public. Small donations to help with this ongoing process would be
greatly appreciated. The web site building process will be followed by maintenance and
updates. We are offering our web site as the place to go for the newest technology in
sustainable agriculture and ecological restoration. Dr. Dixon is available for lectures and
seminars. If you have material you would like to share, please go to our Contact Us page. We
would love to hear from you. Come Join Us!!!
A Non-Profit Organization
The Imprinting
Foundation
1616 E. Lind Road
Tucson, Arizona 85719
Please visit our Contact Us page
for ways on how you can
assist us in restoring the planet,
helping humanity.
Dr. Robert Dixon
©2000 All rights reserved.
