Basically, the practice of the Method of ean Pain merely bring to the soil a woody non-mineralized organic material which will encourage the emergence of a rich microbiology (fungi, bacteria, microorganisms, ...) that will allow the soil to provide all the nutrients the crop needs, when it needs it (we can call it "temporal food").
The plant's needs change at each stage of their development, it is impossible for human to give just the nutrients the plant needs temporally, which creates in other agricultural practices, deficiencies and surpluses.
Can be imagined that plants installed as and when they develop, "send" messages to "inform" the soil of their immediate needs of nutrients in quality and quantity.
Upon receiving these messages, the soil "activates" "concerned" microbiological elements that will "synthesize" the required nutrients without excess. All that said with many caution (the quotes are not there by chance).
Jean PAIN considered from the outset that it happens this way in forest's fertility, since it is the observation of this environment which gave him the idea for his "Brushwood Compost".
We are reproducing the Forest's Fertility on the agricultural soil... With some artifice, the chipper used for the method has, of course, not created the forest.
That is also why Jean PAIN speaks of "Fundamental Foof of the Soil" in his book The Methods of Jean PAIN.
The opposition of these two methods has no place!
Indeed, the principle is the same: providing to the soil woody non-mineralized organic material.
So what ?
In the RCW method, woody material harvesting must be restricted to some species and limited to a diameter of 7 cm to the input of thechipper.
In the Method of Jean PAIN, only the capacity of the chipper reduces the effective diameter, and all species of plants are accepted.
This is possible thanks to heap fermentation, which will enable the transformation of biocides (essential oils, tannins, resins, ...) contained in the wood.
It is in our view the only difference between RCW and the method of Jean PAIN.
About the Method of Jean Pain, there is for some people a misunderstanding related to the word Compost.
In the Method of Jean Pain, the "heap composting" is actually just a fermentation that should in no case result in the mineralization of organic matter, contrary to what is sought in other composting methods.
To close the chapter about the RCW, we can say that for a private, it is maybe more comfortable to choose the RCW Method because a private does not obviously have enough material to realize the heap needed for a good fermentation, and because the chipper he has is limited in diameter.
For a professional, the Method of Jean PAIN is required. Not limited in selection of wood species and in diameter (excepted the capacity of the chipper), harvesting is more economical and therefore profitable.
RCW and Method of Jean PAIN, the SAME GOAL.