Short Rotation Coppice Plantations Research Articles

Birds in willow short‐rotation coppice compared to other arable crops in central England and a review of bird census data from energy crops in the UK

We present the results of spring and winter surveys of birds using 22 willow short‐rotation coppice (SRC) fields and 22 paired arable or grassland controls over a 5 year period in central and northern England. The study sites were linked to the first commercial wood‐fuelled electricity plant in Yorkshire and were managed commercially. We use the findings of this study, in the context of other work on birds in energy crops, to suggest how birds may be affected by commercial cropping of SRC or energy grasses on UK farmland. For willow SRC, most existing farmland species were not completely displaced by SRC cropping. Even farmland specialists such as Skylark Alauda arvensis used cut SRC fields. Some species characteristic of scrub and wood‐type habitats were attracted onto farmland by SRC. Birds were more abundant in hedgerows next to SRC than in those adjoining arable or grass. The interior of large SRC plots contained fewer birds than the edge‐zone (< 50 m). In winter, the same resident species occured in SRC as the summer, plus winter migrants such as Snipe Gallinago gallinago and Fieldfare Turdus pilaris. Overall, more individuals and species were recorded in and around SRC than equivalent arable or grassland throughout the year. Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava and certain locally occurring farmland specialists may be displaced by SRC plantations. Equivalent census data for energy grasses in the UK are not available. The impact of large regional energy crop developments on birds is not known. We do not know if species commonly recorded in these crops survive and breed well so population effects are unknown. However SRC crops are often weedy and insect rich and hence have potential as foraging habitats in summer and winter. The scope for agri‐environment schemes to include energy crops is discussed.

05/00836 Clone preference by nesting birds in short-rotation coppice plantations in central and western New York

05/00836 Clone preference by nesting birds in short-rotation coppice plantations in central and western New York

Carbon sequestration following afforestation of agricultural soils: comparing oak/beech forest to short‐rotation poplar coppice combining a process and a carbon accounting model

AbstractTo compare the benefits for carbon (C) sequestration of afforestation with a multifunctional oak–beech forest vs. a poplar short‐rotation coppice (SRC), model simulations were run through a serial linkage of a mechanistic model and an accounting model. The process model SECRETS (Stand to Ecosystem CaRbon and EvapoTranspiration Simulator) was used to predict growth, C allocation and soil C. The output from SECRETS was used as an input for the C accounting model GORCAM (Graz Oak Ridge Carbon Accounting Model) yielding data on C sequestration in wood products, substitution of wood fuel for fossil fuel and total CO2 emission reduction. Such C accounting based on a process model enables a more realistic calculation of forest growth, litter decomposition and soil processes. Moreover, it allows simulating the influence of climate change on the C budget.Net primary production of an oak–beech forest is low, a stable 2.5 t C ha−1 yr−1 after 150 years, compared to 6.2 t C ha−1 yr−1 for a SRC plantation. But while the yield from the SRC poplar is used as fuel and thus returns quickly to the atmosphere, the yield from the oak‐beech forest is used in long‐lasting wood products. The total C pool in the mixed forest (living biomass, wood products and soil) after 150 years amounts to 324 t C ha−1 compared to 162 in the poplar coppice. However, when account is taken of the energy substitution, coppice culture reduces emissions with 24.3–29.3 t CO2 ha−1 yr−1 while the mixed forest reduces only 6.2–7.1 t CO2 ha−1 yr−1.These results demonstrate the added value of combining detailed process models with C‐accounting models to improve the predictive capacity of model simulations.

Clone preference by nesting birds in short-rotation coppice plantations in central and western New York

Interest in short-rotation woody crops (SRWC) for bioenergy production has been increasing in the northeastern United States. The possibility that substantial farmland could be converted to bio-fuel production has increased the importance of evaluating how this type of habitat might affect the populations of birds typically found in agricultural landscapes. In this study, we identified 39 species that regularly used SRWC plantations, and of these at least 21 were confirmed breeding on 12 study plots. Breeding birds constructed nests highly non-randomly with respect to willow/poplar clone. Nests were built more frequently than expected by chance in certain clones (e.g. S25 and S365) while fewer nests than expected were built in other clones (e.g. S301). Observed preferences may have been related to clone-specific differences in growth structure, which may affect the stability of the nest and/or concealment from predators. Although we found no significant correlation between reproductive success and the choice of clone for a nest site, the mix of clones chosen for large-scale SRWC plantations may affect the attractiveness of these sites for some species. We tentatively conclude that planting S25 and particularly S365, and perhaps avoiding the use of S301, might benefit avian breeding populations, and increase avian species richness.

A modelling analysis of the potential for soil carbon sequestration under short rotation coppice willow bioenergy plantations

Abstract. Rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations and their association with global climate change have led to several major international initiatives to reduce net CO2 emissions, including the promotion of bioenergy crops such as short rotation coppice (SRC) willow. Although the above‐ground harvested bio‐fuel is likely to be the major contributor to the CO2 mitigation potential of bioenergy crops, additional carbon may be sequestered through crop inputs into plantation soils. Here, we describe a process‐based model specifically designed to evaluate the potential for soil carbon sequestration in SRC willow plantations in the UK. According to the model predictions, we conclude that the potential for soil carbon sequestration in these plantations is comparable to, or even greater than, that of naturally regenerating woodland. Our preliminary, site‐specific model output suggests that soil carbon sequestration may constitute about 5% of the overall carbon mitigation benefit arising from SRC plantations. Sensitivity analyses identified the following factors as the principal controls on rates and amounts of soil carbon sequestration under SRC: carbon inputs (net primary production), decomposition rates of the major soil carbon pools, initial soil carbon content (an inverse relationship with rates of soil carbon sequestration), crop/plantation management, and depth of soil being influenced by the bioenergy crop. Our results suggest that carbon sequestration potential is greatest in soils whose carbon content has been depleted to relatively low levels due to agricultural land use practices such as annual deep ploughing of agricultural soils.

Aspen for short-rotation coppice plantations on agricultural sites in Germany: Effects of spacing and rotation time on growth and biomass production of aspen progenies

The suitability of agricultural sites for the production of woody biomass using fast-growing trees in short-rotation coppice plantations is being investigated in a joint multi-discipline project. The basis of this project are two trial plantations, one in Bavaria (south Germany) and the other in Hesse (central Germany). At the trial plantation in Bavaria (Abbachhof), six aspen progenies were planted in 1983 and tested for their suitability in different short-rotation periods (5 and 10 years) and three different spacings. At the other location in Hesse (Canstein), 14 aspen progenies were planted in 1986 and tested in a 10-year rotation period at one spacing. The progenies tested resulted from cross-pollinations of selected trees of European ( Populus tremula L.) and American aspen ( P. tremuloides Michx.). The trials show that hybrid aspen have a higher biomass production in short-rotations than progenies from European or American aspen. This is due to a lower mortality rate as well as to a higher growth rate. Even on sites low in nutrients and only average water availability hybrid aspen are capable of producing biomass on an average of 100 t/ha (wood and bark including branches, absolutely dry) within a 10-year rotation period. The results show that the harvesting should be more than 10 years in order to achieve a maximum average biomass-production per year.

99/01334 Clonal variability in biomass production and conversion efficiency of poplar during the establishment year of a short rotation coppice plantation : Deraedt, W. and Ceulemans, R. Biomass and Bioenergy, 1998, 15, (4/5), 391–398

99/01334 Clonal variability in biomass production and conversion efficiency of poplar during the establishment year of a short rotation coppice plantation : Deraedt, W. and Ceulemans, R. Biomass and Bioenergy, 1998, 15, (4/5), 391–398

Clonal variability in biomass production and conversion efficiency of poplar during the establishment year of a short rotation coppice plantation

A high density, intensively managed field trial with 17 different poplar ( Populus) clones was established in April 1996 in Boom (province of Antwerpen, Belgium) on a former waste disposal site. All plants were cut back at the end of the establishment year and the above ground biomass production, as well as carbon concentration were measured. Significant clonal variation was observed in overall mortality rates and length of the growing season. Mortality rates ranged from 2 to 55% due to difficult soil conditions. Based on incoming available photosynthetically active radiation, length of growing season and above ground biomass production, conversion efficiency ratios were calculated. These were rather low, ranging from 0.002 to 0.041 g MJ −1, with the highest values calculated for the poplar clone Hoogvorst. The carbon concentration of the wood ranged from 46 to 47%, with 3.2 to 5.5% remaining in the ash. Net photosynthesis measurements were made in the field during mid-summer and revealed significant clonal differences in maximum photosynthetic rate and carboxylation efficiency. Clonal differences in net photosynthetic rate, length of growing season, mortality and biomass production rate are relevant to overall carbon uptake rates of short rotation biomass plantations.

Single rotation vs coppice system for short-rotation intensive culture plantations—Optimality conditions for volume production

Ground level ozone poses a significant threat to human health from air pollution in the European Union. While anthropogenic emissions of precursor substances (NOx, NMVOC, CH4) are regulated by EU air quality legislation and will decrease further in the future, the emissions of biogenic NMVOC (mainly isoprene) may increase significantly in the coming decades if short-rotation coppice plantations are expanded strongly to meet the increased biofuel demand resulting from the EU decarbonisation targets. This study investigates the competing effects of anticipated trends in land use change, anthropogenic ozone precursor emissions and climate change on European ground level ozone concentrations and related health and environmental impacts until 2050. The work is based on a consistent set of energy consumption scenarios that underlie current EU climate and air quality policy proposals: a current legislation case, and an ambitious decarbonisation case. The Greenhouse Gas-Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies (GAINS) integrated assessment model was used to calculate air pollutant emissions for these scenarios, while land use change because of bioenergy demand was calculated by the Global Biosphere Model (GLOBIOM). These datasets were fed into the chemistry transport model LOTOS-EUROS to calculate the impact on ground level ozone concentrations. Health damage because of high ground level ozone concentrations is projected to decline significantly towards 2030 and 2050 under current climate conditions for both energy scenarios. Damage to plants is also expected to decrease but to a smaller extent. The projected change in anthropogenic ozone precursor emissions is found to have a larger impact on ozone damage than land use change. The increasing effect of a warming climate (+2–5 °C across Europe in summer) on ozone concentrations and associated health damage, however, might be higher than the reduction achieved by cutting back European ozone precursor emissions. Global action to reduce air pollutant emissions is needed to make sure that ozone damage in Europe decreases towards the middle of this century.

A methodology for assessing gamebird use of short rotation coppice

Gamebirds provide a considerable incentive to plant and manage new woodlands. The supplementary income thus generated can improve their overall value. Other studies suggest that Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) crops may provide an attractive habitat for some gamebird species and could increase the value of the crop. To investigate this, the use by pheasants and partridge of different types of SRC at one site was assessed. A method using sand quadrats to record gamebird footprints and hence relative use was developed. Pheasant footprints were recorded more frequently in the quadrats alongside the willow coppice, whereas partridge footprints occurred more frequently alongside the poplar coppice. Footprint analysis offers a reliable method of investigating how gamebirds use different types of SRC within small areas. The results are considered in terms of the placement of short rotation coppice plantations in the landscape to improve their ecological design.

Developments in the production and supply of wood for energy

Wood for energy will be available from conventional forestry and from short rotation coppice plantations. The systems of production, harvesting and supply are discussed with reference to the environmental and economic issues which bound them. Recent developments and bottlenecks to implementation are discussed.

Wildlife and game potential of short rotation coppice in the U.K.

This paper considers the habitat potential of short rotation coppice (SRC) willow and poplar plantations for songbirds, pheasants and ground flora. It draws on previous studies on the use by songbirds of SRC plantations and of similar coppice habitats in the UK and in Sweden. Studies of ground flora communities in willow coppice plantations in Sweden and on set-aside land in the UK are discussed Measurements of crop structure taken from existing SRC sites during the winter were used to assess the likely attractiveness of the crop to pheasants as winter cover. Structural similarities between SRC, traditional coppice woodland and withy beds, and the known high arthropod abundance associated with willows, suggests the crop will be used by a variety of songbird species, particularly migrant warblers. It is likely that the flora and vegetation of SRC will initially be dominated by farmland weed species from the seed bank and ruderal species characteristic of disturbed habitats. Colonisation by less common woodland species and those associated with traditional coppice habitats may occur. SRC can provide suitable cover for holding pheasants during the winter shooting season.

Clonal response in Salix to Melampsora rusts in short rotation coppice plantations

AbstractThe appearance of Melampsora spp. rust on a range of Salix spp. clones used for short rotation coppice was recorded. The progress of the disease and its subsequent effect on leaf fall was also recorded. Rust pustules from all the clones described were examined using the Stereoscan Elec‐tron Microscope. This revealed no differences in uredospore architecture which could be consis‐tently related to host.

Clonal response in Salix to Melampsora rusts in short rotation coppice plantations

The appearance of Melampsora spp. rust on a range of Salix spp. clones used for short rotation coppice was recorded. The progress of the disease and its subsequent effect on leaf fall was also recorded. Rust pustules from all the clones described were examined using the Stereoscan Elec-tron Microscope. This revealed no differences in uredospore architecture which could be consis-tently related to host.