scholarly journals Potential Economic Impacts of Allocating More Land for Bioenergy Biomass Production in Virginia

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Ochuodho ◽  
Janaki Alavalapati ◽  
Pankaj Lal ◽  
Domena Agyeman ◽  
Bernabas Wolde ◽  
...  

The growing attention to renewable energy and rural development has created greater demand for production of biomass feedstock for bioenergy. However, forest growth rates and the amount of land in most existing forests may not be sufficient to sustainably supply the forest biomass required to support existing forest products industries and the expanding bioenergy industry. Additionally, concerns about agricultural land use competition have dampened expansion of biomass production on agricultural land base. One of the ways to meet the growing forest biomass feedstock demand for bioenergy production is by allocating currently marginal non-forested land for growing bioenergy feedstocks. In Virginia, about 80% of forestland is under nonindustrial private forest ownership. The land use allocation decisions of these private owners are critical for the supply of the forest biomass feedstock to support bioenergy production. We apply a computable general equilibrium model to assess the economy-wide impacts of forestland owners’ willingness to plant pine on non-forested land for woody bioenergy in Virginia. We consider three counterfactual scenarios of biomass feedstock supply increase as intermediate demand for bioenergy production based on forestland owners’ willingness to accept biomass bid prices to set aside more non-forested land for biomass production in Virginia under general equilibrium conditions. Overall, the results show an increase in social welfare and household utility but a marginal decline in GDP. However, increased demand of biomass from logging sector depressed the manufacturing sector (the wood manufacturing sub-sector particularly), which also relies on the logging sector for its intermediate inputs. Results from this study provide insights into the bioenergy land use competition debate, and pathways towards sustainable bioenergy feedstock supply.

BMC Ecology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeneayehu Fenetahun ◽  
Wang Yong-dong ◽  
Yuan You ◽  
Xu Xinwen

Abstract Background The gradual conversion of rangelands into other land use types is one of the main challenges affecting the sustainable management of rangelands in Teltele. This study aimed to examine the changes, drivers, trends in land use and land cover (LULC), to determine the link between the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and forage biomass and the associated impacts of forage biomass production dynamics on the Teltele rangelands in Southern Ethiopia. A Combination of remote sensing data, field interviews, discussion and observations data were used to examine the dynamics of LULC between 1992 and 2019 and forage biomass production. Results The result indicate that there is a marked increase in farm land (35.3%), bare land (13.8%) and shrub land (4.8%), while the reduction found in grass land (54.5%), wet land (69.3%) and forest land (10.5%). The larger change in land observed in both grassland and wetland part was observed during the period from 1995–2000 and 2015–2019, this is due to climate change impact (El-Niño) happened in Teltele rangeland during the year 1999 and 2016 respectively. The quantity of forage in different land use/cover types, grass land had the highest average amount of forage biomass of 2092.3 kg/ha, followed by wetland with 1231 kg/ha, forest land with 1191.3 kg/ha, shrub land with 180 kg/ha, agricultural land with 139.5 kg/ha and bare land with 58.1 kg/ha. Conclusions The significant linkage observed between NDVI and LULC change types (when a high NDVI value, the LULC changes also shows positive value or an increasing trend). In addition, NDVI value directly related to the greenness status of vegetation occurred on each LULC change types and its value directly linkage forage biomass production pattern with grassland land use types. 64.8% (grass land), 43.3% (agricultural land), 75.1% (forest land), 50.6% (shrub land), 80.5% (bare land) and 75.5% (wet land) more or higher dry biomass production in the wet season compared to the dry season.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 61
Author(s):  
Gunggung Senoaji

Bukit Basa Limited Production Forest covers 125 hectares, located in Rejang Lebong District, Bengkulu Province, Indonesia.  The main function of limited production forest is to yield forest products, timber and non timber.  In Bukit Basa Limited Production Forest, there has been a change of land use from forest land to a crop land.  There has been conflict in this forest area. The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics of communities cutivating forest land and to suggest conflict resolution of this forest area. The data were collected by field observation, and interview.  The accidental sampling technique was used to select 42 respondents. Legal approaches were  used to find solutions to the tenurial conflict. The results showed that land use of Bukit Basa Limited Production Forest, in 2017 was entirely crop land. All of this forest areas have been illegaly occupied by people.  The average land area of occupied by a household was 1.24 ha. The people acquired their land by buying (4.76%), renting (21.43%), clearing the forest (42.86%), and inheriting (30.95%). The dependence of this community on the forest area was quite high. Only 38.10% of them had agricultural land outside the forest area; 61.9% depended on the land in the forest area. The contribution of farmers' incomes from agricultural business in forest land was 77.22% of their total income. The legalization of the use of limited production forests as crop lands must be enforced through policy schemes of community-based forest management, such as community forests, village forests, community plantations forest, or partnerships.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Caroline Solefack Momo ◽  
Andre Ledoux Njouonkou ◽  
Lucie Felicite Temgoua ◽  
Romuald Djouda Zangmene ◽  
Junior Baudoin Wouokoue Taffo ◽  
...  

This study assesses land cover change of the Koupa Matapit forest gallery, West Cameroon, in relation to anthropogenic factors. Ethnobotanical surveys were conducted to investigate the relationships between the local population and the gallery forest; the spatio-temporal dynamics of the landscapes around the gallery forest were studied from the diachronic analysis of three Landsat TM satellite images of 1984, Landsat ETM + 1999 and Landsat OLI_TIRS of 2016, supplemented by verification missions on field. The satellite images were processed using ArcGIS and Erdas Imagine software. According to surveys, it should be noted that agriculture and livestock are the main economic activities of the population of Koupa Matapit, agriculture and fuel wood collection for energy were the main anthropogenic activities responsible for deforestation and degradation of the forest gallery. The collection of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) would have a significant implication in land use and cover changes. The results indicate that the extension of savannah/agricultural land (from 6989 ha in 1984 to 7604 ha in 2016) and bare soil/built up area (from 71 ha in 1984 to 342 ha in 2016) would have led to the disappearance of much of the forest area (1465 ha in 1984 to 580 ha in 2016). The rapid population growth of Koupa Matapit would be responsible for these pressures. There is an urgent need to implement appropriate land use policy in this area.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 10449
Author(s):  
Nurda Hussain ◽  
Mukhtar Ahmed ◽  
Saowapa Duangpan ◽  
Tajamul Hussain ◽  
Juntakan Taweekun

Bioenergy from rice biomass feedstock is considered one of the potential clean energy resources and several small biomass-based powerplants have been established in rice–growing areas of Thailand. Rice production is significantly affected by drought occurrence which results in declined biomass production and quality. The impact of water stress (WS) was evaluated on six rice cultivars for biomass quality, production and bioenergy potential. Rice cultivars were experimented on in the field under well–watered (WW) and WS conditions. Data for biomass contributing parameters were collected at harvest whereas rice biomass samples were analyzed for proximate and lignocellulosic contents. Results indicated that WS negatively influenced crop performance resulting in 11–41% declined biomass yield (BY). Stability assessment indicated that cultivars Hom Pathum and Dum Ja were stress–tolerant as they exhibited smaller reductions by 11% in their BY under WS. Statistics for proximate components indicated a significant negative impact influencing biomass quality as ash contents of Hom Chan, Dum Ja and RD-15 were increased by 4–29%. Lignocellulosic analysis indicated, an increase in lignin contents of Hom Nang Kaew, Hom Pathum, Dum Ja and RD–15 ranging 7–39%. Reduced biomass production resulted in a 10–42% reduction in bioenergy potential (E). Results proved that cultivation of stress-susceptible cultivars or farmer’s choice and occurrence of WS during crop growth will reduce biomass production, biomass feedstock availability to biomass-based powerplants and affect powerplant’s conversion efficiency resulting in declined bioenergy production.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Bringezu ◽  
Martin Distelkamp ◽  
Christian Lutz ◽  
Florian Wimmer ◽  
Rüdiger Schaldach ◽  
...  

Abstract Hoping to support sustainability, many countries established policies to foster bioeconomy (BE). While shifting towards more biomass use bears chances and risks, appropriate monitoring is still lacking. Here we show for the first time global key environmental footprints (FPs) of the German BE. From 2000 to 2030, the agricultural biomass FP is dominated by animal-based food consumption, which is slightly declining. Forest biomass FP of consumption could be potentially supplied from domestic territory. Agricultural land use for consumption is triple of domestic agricultural land (which covers half of Germany), having induced significant land use change in other regions from 2000 to 2015. Water FP for irrigation has decreased and might decline in absolute terms, but the share of supply regions with water stress might increase until 2030. The climate FP of BE contributes 20 to 18 % to the total climate FP of domestic consumption, while employment makes up 10 % and value added only 8 % of total.


2011 ◽  
Vol 162 (4) ◽  
pp. 107-116
Author(s):  
Jürgen Blaser ◽  
Christian Küchli

Around one third of the earth's surface is under forest cover which is distributed more or less equally between industrialised and developing countries. Whereas forest areas in the temperate and boreal climate zones are more or less stable or on the increase, the scale of deforestation and forest degradation in the tropics remains dramatic. This situation is likely to continue in the decades to come because the world's ever-growing population needs new agricultural land and the pressure on resources (forest products, land, water, minerals) continues to increase as a result of globalisation and global change. Moreover, sustainable forest management has not yet become standard practice in many southern countries because forest management can rarely compete with other forms of land use in terms of economic returns. The protection and sustainable management of forest resources is basically the responsibility of each individual country and cannot be regulated and financed globally. However, enormous financial resources, i.e. on a scale of tens of billions of Swiss francs per year, are required for the introduction of comprehensive land-use planning in developing countries incorporating suitable protection of natural forests and sustainable forest management. New approaches for the valorisation of services provided by forests such as carbon sinks (e.g. REDD+) offer significant potential for improving forest protection and sustainable forest management. It augurs well that the economic internalisation of the forest and its services is in full swing at global level and that, based on the REDD+ resolutions passed at the last climate conference in Cancún, many countries have opted for the path of forest conservation and sustainable forest management.


1992 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 307-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Foster Brown ◽  
Daniel C. Nepstad ◽  
Ivan de O. Pires ◽  
Leda M. Luz ◽  
Andréa S. Alechandre

Large-scale forest conversion in Brazil, primarily to cattle pasture, contributes significantly to the global anthropogenic emission of CO2 into the atmosphere. An alternative land-use, namely extractive reserves for forest residents, may serve as one means of using Amazonian forests sustainably and of maintaining carbon in living matter rather than adding it to that in the atmosphere.In the Seringal (former rubber estate) Porongaba (6,800 ha) of the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve, Acre, Brazil, primary forest still covers more than 90% of the area. Total biomass in primary forest is estimated at 426 tons per ha, equivalent to 213 t C per ha. Rubber tappers effectively maintain about 60,000 tons of carbon per household (family unit) in forest biomass and thus out of the atmosphere. Deforestation of primary forest was less than 0.6% per yr — much less than rates of natural disturbances for other neotropical forests.Slash-and-burn agriculture in the Seringal Porongaba releases carbon at a gross rate of some 200 t C per yr per household. Net releases are much less, as regrowth forests absorb carbon at rates of about 9 t C per ha per yr. The net areal flux of carbon to the atmosphere from land-use in Seringal is much less than one ton of carbon per ha per yr, which is equivalent to less than 0.3% per yr of the carbon stock in forest biomass. If Seringal Porongaba is typical of the three million hectares in extractive reserves in Brazilian Amazonia, then these reserves are calculated to retain 0.6 Gigatons of carbon in the terrestrial biota.Adverse changes in income patterns for rubber tappers could lead to abandonment of extractive reserves or increased deforestation within them. Diversification and improvement of income from non-timber forest products are needed to maintain rubber tappers in extractive reserves. Most beneficiaries of carbon storage in these and other reserves live outside Brazil; devising means of recompensation for these benefits is a challenge for the global society.


Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salwa Haddad ◽  
Wolfgang Britz ◽  
Jan Börner

The European forestry sector is a potential driver of transformation towards a sustainable bioeconomy. Forest products are increasingly used in high-tech and high-value-added industries, e.g., chemicals and the automotive industry. So far, however, research on the European bioeconomy has largely focused on agriculture as a provider of food, feed, fuel, and fiber to bio-based industries. Here we assess the potential impacts of a stronger reliance on forestry sector inputs to the European Union (EU28) bioeconomy on output, prices, final demand, and land use. Specifically, we run a sensitivity analysis of a 1% increase of input use of forest products in the EU28 economy in a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) framework accounting for land use by Agro-Ecological Zones (AEZ) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at high regional and sectoral resolution. We find that such a shift to a more forest-based bioeconomy would provoke small indirect land use effects globally due to existing international trade linkages and land market effects. Simulated increases in planted forest cover are associated with net GHG emission savings, but our scenario analysis also points to higher imports of forest products from countries with vulnerable tropical forest biomes, such as Brazil and Indonesia.


Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 289
Author(s):  
Nidia Elizabeth Ramírez-Contreras ◽  
David Munar-Florez ◽  
Floor van der Hilst ◽  
Juan Carlos Espinosa ◽  
Álvaro Ocampo-Duran ◽  
...  

Energy crop expansion can increase land demand and generate displacement of food crops, which impacts greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions mainly through land-use change (LUC). Increased agricultural productivity could compensate for this. Our study aims to evaluate the regional combined GHG emissions of increasing agricultural yields for food crop and beef production and using the generated surplus land for biomass production to replace fossil fuels in the Orinoquia region of Colombia until 2030. The results show that surplus land for biomass production is obtained only when strong measures are applied to increase agricultural productivity. In the medium and high scenario, a land surplus of 0.6 and 2.4 Mha, respectively, could be generated. Such intensification results in up to 83% emission reduction in Orinoquia’s agricultural sector, largely coming from increasing productivity of cattle production and improving degraded pastures. Biofuel potential from the surplus land is projected at 36 to 368 PJ per year, with a low risk of causing indirect LUC, and results in GHG emission reductions of more than 100% compared to its fossil fuel equivalent. An integrated perspective of the agricultural land use enables sustainable production of both food and bioenergy.


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