Short-rotation forestry – operations, productivity and costs based on experience gained in the UK

Abstract

Large-scale field trials of short-rotation coppice with willow and poplar have been studied since the mid-1980s in the UK. The information and results gained from these trials are presented, particularly with respect to operations, productivity and costs. Current methods for site selection, establishment, management practice, pests and diseases, harvesting and storage of short-rotation coppice crops are described and discussed. In the UK, the ability of short-rotation coppice to compete with conventional agricultural crops is still heavily dependent on the subsidies available for short-rotation coppice and the crop in question. Analysis of a wide range of data from field trials in Europe and North America showed that average levels of productivity ranged from 2 to 13.5 odt/ha/year. The assumption that short-rotation coppice productivity increases from the first to second and subsequent rotations is not borne out in practice. Productivity levels may be increased in future through improved management practice and clonal materials, but it is unlikely that the predictions made in the early 1980s will be achieved in practice.