Afforestation Of Marginal Agricultural Lands Research Articles

Soil properties following reforestation or afforestation of marginal cropland

AimsReforestation or afforestation of marginal agricultural lands offers opportunities to sequester soil organic carbon (SOC), improve the quality of degraded soils, and provide ecosystem services. The objectives of this study were to identify the extent and distribution of marginally productive cropland in the state of Iowa and to quantify the changes in SOC and relevant soil properties following tree planting.MethodsA geographic information system (GIS) analysis was used to identify 1.05 million ha of marginal cropland within the state. Soil samples were collected from four locations with (<51 yr-old) forest plantations and adjacent crop fields. Soil samples were analyzed for SOC, total nitrogen (TN), pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), ammonium acetate-extractable K, Ca, Mg, and Na, and particle size.ResultsThe forested soils had 30.0 ± 5.1 % (mean±standard error) more SOC than the tilled cropland. The average annual change in SOC following tree planting was estimated to be 0.56 ± 0.05 Mg C ha−1 yr−1. Differences were observed in several soil properties but strong correlations with SOC content were only observed for bulk density and extractable Ca.ConclusionsThese results indicate that within 5 decades of tree planting on former cropland or pasture there was consistently and significantly greater SOC in soil beneath the trees.

Changes in Soil Particulate Organic Matter, Microbial Biomass, and Activity Following Afforestation of Marginal Agricultural Lands in a Semi-Arid Area of Northeast China

Afforestation of agricultural lands has been one of the major land use changes in China in recent decades. To better understand the effect of such land use change on soil quality, we investigated selected soil physical, chemical and microbial properties (0-15 cm depth) in marginal agricultural land and a chronosequence of poplar (Populus euramericana cv. 'N3016') plantations (5-, 10-, 15- and 20-years old) in a semi-arid area of Northeast China. Soil bulk density significantly declined after conversion of agricultural lands to poplar plantations. Soil total organic carbon (TOC) and nitrogen (TN) concentrations, microbial biomass C (MBC) and potential N mineralization rate (PNM) decreased initially following afforestation of agricultural lands, and then increased with stand development. However, soil metabolic quotient (qCO(2)) exhibited a reverse trend. In addition, soil particulate organic matter C (POM-C) and N (POM-N) concentrations showed no significant changes in the first 10 years following afforestation, and then increased with stand age. These findings demonstrated that soil quality declined initially following afforestation of agricultural lands in semi-arid regions, and then recovered with stand development. Following 15 years of afforestation, many soil quality parameters recovered to the values found in agricultural land. We propose that change in soil quality with stand age should be considered in determining optimum rotation length of plantations and best management practices for afforestation programs.

Soil organic carbon and nitrogen stocks in an age-sequence of poplar stands planted on marginal agricultural land in Northeast China

Afforestation of marginal agricultural land has been considered to be an effective measure to sequester atmospheric CO2. In this study, we adopted the volume- and mass-based methods to investigate the changes in soil organic C and total N stocks in 100 cm depth following afforestation of marginal agricultural land using a chronosequence of poplar (Populus euramericana cv. "N3016") stands in a semiarid region of Liaoning Province, Northeast China. Our results showed that soil organic C and total N concentrations in 45-60 cm layer increased gradually following afforestation of agricultural land, whereas in 60-100 cm layer, they declined initially, and then increased with stand development. Based on volume- and mass-based methods, such land-use change caused initial declines in soil organic C and total N stocks, and then increases between the stand ages of 10 and 20. Forest soils recovered to the initial soil organic C and N stocks found in agricultural land at age 15. However, the volume-based method would underestimate the absolute organic C and N stocks compared with the mass-based methods. Our results suggest that afforestation of marginal agricultural land has the potential to sequester atmospheric CO2 in soils in semiarid regions. Stand age, soil sampling depth and the methods used to quantify organic C and N stocks should be considered for accurate assessments of changes in soil organic C and N stocks.

Afforestation of rural land in greece: a multinomial logistic regression analysis of driving factors

This article deals with the importance of European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development through the implementation of afforestation schemes in rural communities. The main aim of the article is to investigate the spatial patterns of afforestation in Greece, the driving factors behind these patterns as well as the degree of the success of the EU policy for forest expansion through afforestation of arable land. Therefore, the focus is on providing a concrete appraisal regarding the contribution of EU 2080/92 and 1257/99 Regulations to the improvement of regional forest status by means of increasing forest areas and improving the local people's standard of living. The study area covers the entire Greek territory which consists of 51 administrative prefectures. Methodologically speaking, the empirical analysis is based on a multinomial logistic regression model targeted at providing a thorough understanding of the major driving factors that influence rural communities' response to the regulations. The environmental importance of arable land afforestation is highlighted as well as the extent to which the regulations has met the initial expectations. Keywords: afforestation, EU Regulation 2080/92, EU Regulation 1257/99, forest resources, Greece, multifunctional agriculture, multinomial logistic regression, rural development, rural land, spatial analysis. In recent decades, land use patterns have undergone tremendous transformations of such a magnitude that have attracted considerable attention within the scientific community. At present, an international multidisciplinary debate is in progress among scientists, experts, policy makers, non-governmental organisations and various economic and institutional players with some interest at or involvement in land use allocation. In some respects, this is due to the fact that the magnitude and pace of land change have risen considerably, affecting almost all fundamental components of the system created from both natural and anthropogenic communities. The most affected uses of land seem to be agricultural and forest uses. Rural areas in the EU make up 80% of the territory and have approximately 25% of the population. These areas have undergone major adjustments resulting from agricultural policies and other driving forces such as policy decisions about tourism, transportation networks and forestry. Implications have been great and pressuring, especially those concerning forests and soil, ranging from biotic diversity threats, desertification and forest and open land 'squeeze' to increased vulnerability to human settlements as well as local water and food shortage. Therefore, there is a pressuring need for designing and applying integrated, sustainable and realistic forest policies tightly connected to the requirements for improving the local people's quality of life. The declining economic viability of rural areas not only in Greece but also in other Mediterranean countries has forced the decision makers to develop policies targeted at delivering support to the rural communities to invert the current situation. Multifunctional forestry is perceived as a means of rural development. It is also considered to be an important vehicle for diversifying the countryside through the restoration of existing woodlands and the establishment of new forests on suitable land including former agricultural land (1, 2). In this way, it is possible to strengthen the livelihood base and the quality of life in rural areas. Afforestation of marginal agricultural land through the EU Regulations 2080/92 and 1257/99 is a Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) target focused on (a) decreasing agricultural goods production

The role of urbanisation in increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations: Think globally, act locally

Deforestation for economic development and urbanisation or urban sprawl as a result of human population growth is a common feature of land-use change and is an important source of increased atmospheric CO2. At the global level, carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels are two to three times higher than carbon sequestration by land systems, mainly forests and woody vegetation. Balancing the global carbon budget would require many approaches at local scales. We used remote sensing data to analyse land-use changes in north-central Indiana in the Midwestern USA between 1940 and 1998. The area is characterised by increases in forest and urban land and decreases in agricultural land and grassland. The rate of urban sprawl was much greater than that of forest expansion, and the increase in CO2 emissions over time was much greater than CO2 sequestration in the region. The overall effects of the land-use change have led to the region becoming an increasing source of CO2 in the past half-century. It is necessary to promote afforestation of marginal agricultural land, adopt improved soil/crop management practices, and use renewable energy in the region. If all these potential actions are taken, the gap between CO2 emissions and carbon sequestration could be narrowed from 214 to 71 t C/km2/y.

Satellite-derived estimates of potential carbon sequestration through afforestation of agricultural lands in the United States

Afforestation of marginal agricultural lands represents a promising option for carbon sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems. An ecosystem carbon model was used to generate new national maps of annual net primary production (NPP), one each for continuous land covers of ‘forest’, ‘crop’, and ‘rangeland’ over the entire U. S. continental area. Direct inputs of satellite “greenness” data from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sensor into the NASA-CASA carbon model at 8-km spatial resolution were used to estimate spatial variability in monthly NPP and potential biomass accumulation rates in a uniquely detailed manner. The model predictions of regrowth forest production lead to a conservative national projection of 0.3 Pg C as potential carbon stored each year on relatively low-production crop or rangeland areas. On a regional level, the top five states for total crop afforestation potential were: Texas, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri, whereas the top five states for total rangeland afforestation potential are: Texas, California, Montana, New Mexico, and Colorado. Afforestation at this level of intensity has the capacity to offset at least one-fifth of annual fossil fuel emission of carbon in the United States. These projected afforestation carbon gains also match or exceed recent estimates of the annual sink for atmospheric CO2 in currently forested area of the country.

Evaluating Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration Options for Virginia

Changes in forest and agricultural land management practices have the potential to increase carbon (C) storage by terrestrial systems, thus offsetting C emissions to the atmosphere from energy production. This study assesses that potential for three terrestrial management practices within the state of Virginia, USA: afforestation of marginal agricultural lands; afforestation of riparian agricultural lands; and changing tillage practices for row crops; each was evaluated on a statewide basis and for seven regions within the state. Lands eligible for each practice were identified, and the C storage potential of each practice on those lands was estimated through a modeling procedure that utilized land-resource characteristics represented in Geographic Information System databases. Marginal agricultural lands' afforestation was found to have the greatest potential (1.4 Tg C yr(-1), on average, over the first 20 years) if applied on all eligible lands, followed by riparian afforestation (0.2 Tg C yr(-1) over 20 years) and tillage conversion (0.1 Tg C yr(-1) over 14 years). The regions with the largest potentials are the Ridge and Valley of western Virginia (due to extensive areas of steep, shallow soils) and in the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain in eastern Virginia (wet soils). Although widespread and rapid implementation of the three modeled practices could be expected to offset only about 3.4% of Virginia's energy-related CO(2) emissions over the following 20 years (equivalent to about 8.5% of a Kyoto Treaty-based target), they could contribute to achievement of C-management goals if implemented along with other mitigation measures.

Carbon sequestration potential by afforestation of marginal agricultural land in the Midwestern U.S.

Carbon sequestration has been well recognized as a viable option to slow the rise in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration. The main goals of this study were to assess the carbon sequestration potential (CSP) by afforestation of marginal agricultural land (MagLand) and to identify hotspots for potential afforestation activities in the U.S. Midwest region (Michigan (MI), Indiana (IN), Ohio, Kentucky (KY), West Virginia, Pennsylvania (PA) and Maryland (MD)). The 1992 USGS National Land Cover Dataset and the State Soil Geographic (STATSGO) database were used to determine MagLand. Two forest types (coniferous and deciduous) and two management practices (short-rotation versus permanent forest) were combined to form four afforestation scenarios. Simulation models were employed to predict changes in four carbon pools: aboveground biomass, roots, forest floor, and soil organic carbon (SOC). A scenario-generating tool was developed to detect the hotspots. We estimated that there was a total of 6.5 million hectares (Mha) MagLand available in the U.S. Midwest region, which accounts for approximately 24% of the regional total agricultural land. The CSP capacity was predicted to be 508–540 Tg C (1 Tg = 10 12 g) over 20 years and 1018–1080 Tg C over 50 years. The results indicate that afforestation of MagLand could offset 6–8% of current CO 2 emissions by combustion of fossil fuel in the region. This analysis showed only slight differences in carbon sequestration between forest types or between short-rotation and permanent forest scenarios. Note that this calculation assumed that all suitable MagLand in the U.S. Midwest region was converted to forest and that “best carbon management” was adopted. The actual CSP could be less if the economical and social factors are taken into account. The most preferred locations for implementing the afforestation strategy were found to be concentrated along a west-east axis across the southern parts of Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, as well as in an area covering southern Michigan and northern parts of Indiana and Ohio. Overall, we conclude that afforestation of MagLand in the Midwest U.S. region offers great potential for carbon sequestration. Future studies are needed to evaluate its economic feasibility, social acceptability, and operation capability.

Cost estimates for carbon sequestration from fast growing poplar plantations in Canada

Abstract With concern over human activities affecting the Earth's climate, the potential role of forests to sequester carbon is of growing interest to national policy-makers. Countries like Canada may be able to use afforestation of marginal agricultural lands to sequester carbon in a cost-effective manner. A spatial simulation study that links the biology and economics of afforestation of marginal agricultural lands in Canada using a modified Hartman-type model is presented. The model recognizes wood production and carbon sequestration and calculates ‘break-even’ carbon prices inclusive of an opportunity cost for agricultural production values. A simplified carbon budget-tracking algorithm is used that predicts accumulation of carbon in soil, litter, standing aboveground and root biomass, carbon flows among ecosystem components and CO 2 release from biomass and forest products decay. Variables are represented as probability distribution functions. Monte-Carlo simulation and sensitivity analysis techniques are used to help assess both biological and economic uncertainty. Some results are presented for Canada and issues identified to improve model results (e.g. spatially varying estimates of productivity). Substantively more land is attractive for afforestation in Western Canada than Eastern Canada but results are highly sensitive to growth and yield assumptions and spatial variation in agricultural production opportunity costs.

Economics of fossil fuel substitution and wood product sinks when trees are planted to sequester carbon on agricultural lands in western Canada

To meet its international commitment to reduce CO2 output by 7% from the 1990 level by 2012, Canada will rely to some extent on terrestrial carbon uptake, particularly afforestation of marginal agricultural land. The economics of afforestation is examined for northeastern British Columbia and all of Alberta, with harvested wood used either as a replacement for coal in energy production or as a wood-product sink. Some 7 × 106 ha of marginal agricultural land are identified, but very little could reasonably be afforested if wood is used as a substitute for coal. If C is stored in wood products, nearly one third of the land might reasonably be planted to trees; if similar results hold for the rest of Canada, afforestation can be included in the policy arsenal. Before that can be done, however, some serious issues need to be resolved, including problems associated with the mechanism used to transfer land out of agriculture into plantation forest.

Economics of fossil fuel substitution and wood product sinks when trees are planted to sequester carbon on agricultural lands in western Canada

To meet its international commitment to reduce CO2 output by 7% from the 1990 level by 2012, Canada will rely to some extent on terrestrial carbon uptake, particularly afforestation of marginal agricultural land. The economics of afforestation is examined for northeastern British Columbia and all of Alberta, with harvested wood used either as a replacement for coal in energy production or as a wood-product sink. Some 7 × 106 ha of marginal agricultural land are identified, but very little could reasonably be afforested if wood is used as a substitute for coal. If C is stored in wood products, nearly one third of the land might reasonably be planted to trees; if similar results hold for the rest of Canada, afforestation can be included in the policy arsenal. Before that can be done, however, some serious issues need to be resolved, including problems associated with the mechanism used to transfer land out of agriculture into plantation forest.

Afforestation of marginal agricultural land in the Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Valley, U.S.A.

Afforestation of marginal agricultural land in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV) relies on native species, planted mostly in single-species plantations. Hard mast species such as oak and pecan are favored for their value to wildlife, especially on public land. Successful afforestation requires an understanding of site variation within floodplains and matching species preferences and tolerances to site characteristics, in particular to inundation regimes. Soil physical conditions, root aeration, nutrient availability, and moisture availability during the growing season also must be considered in matching species to site. Afforestation methods include planting seedlings or cuttings, and direct-seeding. Both methods can be done by hand or by machine. If good quality seedlings are planted properly and well cared for before planting, the chances for successful establishment are high but complete failures do occur. Mortality and poor growth are caused by many factors: extended post-planting drought or flooding; poor planting or seeding practices; poor quality seed or seedlings; animal depredation; or herbicide drift from aerial application to nearby cropland. More species can be planted, even on continuously flooded sites. Direct-seeding, while limited to heavy-seeded species (oaks and hickories), costs less than 50% of planting seedlings. Growth varies considerably by soil type; most bottomland hardwoods grow best on silt loam and less well on clay soils. Up to 200Â 000 ha of land in the LMAV subject to spring and early summer backwater flooding could be afforested over the next decade.

Potential and Economic Efficiency of Carbon Sequestration in Forest Biomass Through Silvicultural Management

Abstract This paper has two main objectives: First, to discuss in principle some vital methodological issues which have to be considered when analyzing how preferable measures in forestry are to decrease the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Economic evaluation of the flow of carbon in and out of the atmosphere is discussed, related particularly to two important problems: (1) the determination of the utility of reducing the quantity of CO2 in the atmosphere at a given point in time; and (2) the intertemporal evaluation of a flow of atmospheric CO2 reductions. The marginal cost, measured as the change in net present value, is proposed as a proper measure for ranking of alternative projects. Secondly, a case study is reported. The case study is based on forest-level optimization with a model estimating carbon flows related to forest biomass growth and decay, linked to a long-range forest management planning (LFMP) model. Alternative stand treatment schedules are simulated, and the forest management problem is solved by linear programming in a model I type LFMP model for the county of Buskerud, with a forest area of 574,000 ha. The potential for increasing the net carbon sequestration related to timber production by changes in the forest management over a time period of 30 yr is studied. A total of 253 stand treatment schedules was calculated for the 40 stand types, allowing for the following stand treatment options, (1) continued growth, (2) release thinnings of young growth, (3) thinning, (4) fertilization, (5) dear felling, (6) clear felling with retention of seed trees, and (7) planting or natural regeneration depending on the felling regime. The study shows that there is a significant potential for increasing the present value of the flow of net CO2 fixations (NPVCO2) by changing the forest management on the productive forest area of Buskerud. Compared with the NPVCO2 obtained when the net present value of the timber cash flow (NPVNOK) for the area is maximized (BASE problem), an increase between 8.4%-17.9% in NPVCO2 can be obtained. The potential for increasing the NPVCO2 depends on the real rate of discount. The corresponding decrease in the NPVNOK lies between 8.1% and 14.9%. The results further indicate that a large proportion of the increase in NPVCO2 can be obtained by changes in forest management at a moderate marginal cost. If we assume that 80% of the maximum potential increase in NPVCO2 is obtained, this gives a yearly increase (30-yr annuity) in net CO2 fixation in the range from 145,000 to 250,000 tons (depending on the real rate of discount and assumptions about fertilization) by changing the management of the 574,000 ha of productive forestland in Buskerud, compared to the current forest management practice (BASE problem). Obtaining 80% of the maximum potential increase in NPVCO2 imposes a decrease in the NPVNOK in the range of 22% to 65% of the total potential difference in NPVNOK between the BASE problem and the NPVCO2 maximizing problem. The annual decrease (30-yr annuity) in NPVNOK corresponding to the 80% of the maximum potential NPVCO2 increase, is ranging between 7.6 and 25 million NOK. The results indicate that at a RRD of 4%, 5%, and 7% p.a., 80% of the increase in NPVCO2 can be reached at a marginal cost (shadow price) below 150 NOK (21/US$) per ton NPVCO2. Measured per ton C, the corresponding marginal cost is 551 NOK (79 US$) per ton C. For RRDs at 3% p.a. and 2% p.a., the marginal costs are significantly higher, but relaxing the NPVCO2 constraint to 60% of the total increase brings the marginal costs down and below half of this level (59 NOK or 8 US$ per ton NPVCO2) for 3% p.a. and to a comparable level (182 NOK or 26 US$ per ton NPVCO2) for 2% p.a. These results are related to changes in the management of the forested area in even-aged stands and do not take into account measures such as afforestation of marginal agricultural land or changes of tree species. Fertilization, avoiding release thinning in young growth, and changes in clear felling priorities were the most cost-efficient changes in stand treatment management in order to increase the net CO2 fixation. For. Sci. 40(3):429-451.