scholarly journals Poplar Short Rotation Coppice Plantations under Mediterranean Conditions: The Case of Spain

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1352
Author(s):  
Nerea Oliveira ◽  
César Pérez-Cruzado ◽  
Isabel Cañellas ◽  
Roque Rodríguez-Soalleiro ◽  
Hortensia Sixto
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Short Rotation Coppice ◽  
Pests And Diseases ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
The Status ◽  
Economic Analyses ◽  
Many Sources ◽  
Mediterranean Conditions

Developing a circular bioeconomy based on the sustainable use of biological resources, such as biomass, seems to be the best way of responding to the challenges associated with global change. Among the many sources, short rotation forest crops are an essential instrument for obtaining quality biomass with a predictable periodicity and yield, according to the areas of cultivation. This review aims to provide an overview of available knowledge on short rotation coppice Populus spp. plantations under Mediterranean conditions and specifically in Spain, in order to identify not only the status, but also the future prospects, for this type of biomass production. The analysis of available information was conducted by taking into consideration the following aspects: Genetic plant material; plantation design, including densities, rotation lengths and the number of rotations, and mixtures; management activities, including irrigation, fertilization, and weed control; yield prediction; biomass characterization; and finally, an evaluation of the sustainability of the plantation and ecosystem services provided. Despite advances, there is still much to be done if these plantations are to become a commercial reality in some Mediterranean areas. To achieve this aim, different aspects need to be reconsidered, such as irrigation, bearing in mind that water restrictions represent a real threat; the specific adaptation of genetic material to these conditions, in order to obtain a greater efficiency in resource use, as well as a greater resistance to pests and diseases or tolerance to abiotic stresses such as drought and salinity; rationalizing fertilization; quantifying and valuing the ecosystem services; the advance of more reliable predictive models based on ecophysiology; the specific characterization of biomass for its final use (bioenergy/bioproducts); technological improvements in management and harvesting; and finally, improving the critical aspects detected in environmental, energy, and economic analyses to achieve profitable and sustainable plantations under Mediterranean conditions.

scholarly journals Ecosystem Services in Short Rotation Coppice Forestry on Former Arable Land

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vita Krēsliņa ◽  
Dagnija Lazdiņa ◽  
Guntis Brumelis
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Short Rotation Coppice ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Herbaceous Plant ◽  
Fast Growing ◽  
Short Rotation

Abstract The rising global population size has placed increasing demands for acquisition and sustainable use of renewable resources and carbon sink. One of the ways to meet this demand and realise Green deal is by planting fast growing trees such as Alnus incana, Betula pendula, Salix sp., Populus tremuloides x Populus tremula for short rotation forestry (SRF) or short rotation coppice (SRC). The area of these plantations is increasing. The main benefit of these plantations is renewable wood energy. There can be also additional benefits for ecosystem services if the plantation is fully used. The aim of the study was to describe the ecosystem services offered by SRC and SRF in comparison to intensive agriculture. We studied the occurrence of herbaceous plant species in an experimental tree stand in Skriveri district in Latvia. The cover of plants was estimated in plots. The results showed a multitude of other ecosystem services offered by the plantation. In grassland belts between tree rows, provisioning ecosystem services included plants for medicinal purposes and teas, as well as forage species for livestock feed. Regulating ecosystem services included nectar plants for pollination with added value of honey production. The most intensive blooming and pollen season was from April to October, when 20 species of nectar plants were blooming. Trees and herbs with microbial nitrogen fixing associations had potential for soil improvement. The fast-growing trees can sequester carbon and mitigate climate change. Compared to cultivated grassland with one or a few species, SRC and SRF provides a greater variety of ecosystem services.

scholarly journals Sustainable use of eucalypt biomass grown on short rotation coppice for bioenergy

2016 ◽  
Vol 90 ◽  
pp. 15-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Humbertode Jesus Eufrade Junior ◽  
Raoni Xavier de Melo ◽  
Maria Márcia Pereira Sartori ◽  
Saulo Philipe Sebastião Guerra ◽  
Adriano Wagner Ballarin
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Short Rotation Coppice ◽  
Short Rotation

Some aspects of the development of short-rotation coppice willow for biomass in Northern Ireland

1992 ◽  
Vol 98 ◽  
pp. 193-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malcolm Dawson
Keyword(s):  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Oil Prices ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Short Rotation Coppice ◽  
Mixed Stands ◽  
Simultaneous Generation ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
Marginal Areas ◽  
Wide Range

SynopsisWork on short-rotation coppice willow as an alternative and renewable energy source began in Northern Ireland in the mid-1970s, prompted by the massive rise in oil prices during that period. Although in the short run oil prices have dropped in real terms, interest in short-rotation coppice willow has ben sustained because of the potential role it has in the development of agriculture, particularly in marginal areas. This is particularly relevant in the current situation of over production of a wide range of agricultural commodities within the European Community and the moves to reduce Government support in the form of farm and export subsidies.Although Salix cultivars have yielded in excess of 30 tonnes dry matter (DM) ha−1 annually under experimental conditions, it is considered that 10–12 tonnes DM ha−1 is a sustainable commercial yield.Melampsora spp. rust has emerged as one of the most important factors limiting the development of short-rotation coppice as a commercial crop. For economic and environmental reasons, the application of fungicide for rust control is not a possibility. Consequently, other disease control strategies have to be established. The main focus of this work is in the selection, for suitability for coppice application, of the widening range of genetic material becoming available from breeding programmes in Canada, Sweden and Finland with a view to their incorporation into mixed stands.End product utilisation is considered a priority area for investigation if short-rotation coppice is to make a contribution to land use and the development of agriculture in marginal areas. Currently two potential end uses are being investigated: firstly fractionation – to produce cellulose for paper manufacture, hemi-cellulose for the production of molasses and lignin for further processing into other industrial chemicals, and secondly the simultaneous generation of heat and power using gasification – ‘combined heat and power’.

scholarly journals Site-growth relationship of different short-rotation coppice tree species in southwestern Germany four years after establishment

2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 1219-1232
Author(s):  
Kristin Nerlich ◽  
Martin Gauder ◽  
Frieder Seidl ◽  
Klaus Mastel ◽  
Jens Möhring ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Robinia Pseudoacacia ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Leaf Beetle ◽  
Short Rotation Coppice ◽  
High Survival ◽  
Pests And Diseases ◽  
Climatic Regions ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
Dry Conditions

Due to lack of detailed information on the suitability of short rotation coppice (SRC) species for different climatic regions, over four years this study investigated tree growth and susceptibility to pests and diseases of willow (Salix spp.) and poplar (Populus spp.) clones and other tree species like Alnus spp. and Robinia pseudoacacia at four sites located in southwestern Germany. The study was undertaken in order to deduce the kind of tree species recommended for the various site conditions. In 2009, field trials were established at four sites which differ in climate and soil characteristics (Forchheim, Kupferzell, Marbach and Aulendorf). At all tested locations, a high survival rate (>90 %) was observed for almost all willow and poplar clones and little infestations with leaf rust (Melampsora) and minor leaf damages caused by the poplar leaf beetle (Chrysomela populi) had occurred. The survival of the other tree species varied from 22 to 97 % depending on the site and species. Across all tree species and locations, results indicated that willow clones can be recommended for cold sites and poplars generally seem to require higher temperatures. The Alnus spp. seems to be favorable for both cold and warm conditions while Robinia pseudoacacia can be recommended for warm sites. Due to its chilling sensitivity, Paulownia tomentosa seems to be rather unsuitable for cultivation in southwestern Germany. For all tested sites, it appears that those with heavy soils and dry conditions are inappropriate for establishing SRC species.

scholarly journals Soil Diversity (Pedodiversity) and Ecosystem Services

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena A. Mikhailova ◽  
Hamdi A. Zurqani ◽  
Christopher J. Post ◽  
Mark A. Schlautman ◽  
Gregory C. Post
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Soil Survey ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Soil Taxonomy ◽  
Extrinsic Factors ◽  
Business Decision ◽  
Soil Diversity

Soil ecosystem services (ES) (e.g., provisioning, regulation/maintenance, and cultural) and ecosystem disservices (ED) are dependent on soil diversity/pedodiversity (variability of soils), which needs to be accounted for in the economic analysis and business decision-making. The concept of pedodiversity (biotic + abiotic) is highly complex and can be broadly interpreted because it is formed from the interaction of atmospheric diversity (abiotic + biotic), biodiversity (biotic), hydrodiversity (abiotic + biotic), and lithodiversity (abiotic) within ecosphere and anthroposphere. Pedodiversity is influenced by intrinsic (within the soil) and extrinsic (outside soil) factors, which are also relevant to ES/ED. Pedodiversity concepts and measures may need to be adapted to the ES framework and business applications. Currently, there are four main approaches to analyze pedodiversity: taxonomic (diversity of soil classes), genetic (diversity of genetic horizons), parametric (diversity of soil properties), and functional (soil behavior under different uses). The objective of this article is to illustrate the application of pedodiversity concepts and measures to value ES/ED with examples based on the contiguous United States (U.S.), its administrative units, and the systems of soil classification (e.g., U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Soil Taxonomy, Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) Database). This study is based on a combination of original research and literature review examples. Taxonomic pedodiversity in the contiguous U.S. exhibits high soil diversity, with 11 soil orders, 65 suborders, 317 great groups, 2026 subgroups, and 19,602 series. The ranking of “soil order abundance” (area of each soil order within the U.S.) expressed as the proportion of the total area is: (1) Mollisols (27%), (2) Alfisols (17%), (3) Entisols (14%), (4) Inceptisols and Aridisols (11% each), (5) Spodosols (3%), (6) Vertisols (2%), and (7) Histosols and Andisols (1% each). Taxonomic, genetic, parametric, and functional pedodiversity are an essential context for analyzing, interpreting, and reporting ES/ED within the ES framework. Although each approach can be used separately, three of these approaches (genetic, parametric, and functional) fall within the “umbrella” of taxonomic pedodiversity, which separates soils based on properties important to potential use. Extrinsic factors play a major role in pedodiversity and should be accounted for in ES/ED valuation based on various databases (e.g., National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) databases). Pedodiversity is crucial in identifying soil capacity (pedocapacity) and “hotspots” of ES/ED as part of business decision making to provide more sustainable use of soil resources. Pedodiversity is not a static construct but is highly dynamic, and various human activities (e.g., agriculture, urbanization) can lead to soil degradation and even soil extinction.

scholarly journals Natural climate solutions versus bioenergy: Can carbon benefits of natural succession compete with bioenergy from short rotation coppice?

GCB Bioenergy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1283-1297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald Kalt ◽  
Andreas Mayer ◽  
Michaela C. Theurl ◽  
Christian Lauk ◽  
Karl‐Heinz Erb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Short Rotation Coppice ◽  
Natural Succession ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
Natural Climate

Carbon balance and soil carbon input in a poplar short rotation coppice plantation as affected by nitrogen and wood ash application

New Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 969-990 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurizio Ventura ◽  
Pietro Panzacchi ◽  
Enrico Muzzi ◽  
Federico Magnani ◽  
Giustino Tonon
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Carbon Balance ◽  
Wood Ash ◽  
Short Rotation Coppice ◽  
Short Rotation
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