Assessing Environmental Impacts of Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) Expansion: Model Definition and Preliminary Results
Journal article, 2012
Short rotation coppice (SRC) systems can play a role as feedstock for bioenergy supply contributing to EU energy and climate policy targets. A scenario depicting intensive arable crop cultivation in a homogeneous landscape (lacking habitat structures) was compared to a scenario including SRC cultivation on 20 % of arable land. A range of indicators was selected to assess the consequences of SRC on soil, water and biodiversity, using data from the Rating-SRC project (Sweden and Germany). The results of the assessment were presented using spider diagrams. Establishment and use of SRC for bioenergy has both positive and negative effects. The former include increased carbon sequestration and reduced GHG emissions as well as reduced soil erosion, groundwater nitrate and surface runoff. SRC can be used in phytoremediation and improves plant and breeding bird biodiversity (exceptions: grassland and arable land species) but should not be applied in dry areas or on soils high in toxic trace elements (exception: cadmium). The scenario-based analysis was found useful for studying the consequences of SRC cultivation at larger scales. Limitations of the approach are related to data requirements and compatibility and its restricted ability to cover spatial diversity and dynamic processes. The findings should not be generalised beyond the representativeness of the data used.
breeding
soil carbon
hybrid poplar plantations
contaminated soils
Sustainability indicators
Biodiversity
Soil quality
Short rotation coppice
agricultural intensification
cadmium-accumulation
biofuel production potentials
Bioenergy
birds
Water quality
europe
cultivated land
united-states
sustainable use
Author
H. Langeveld
Biomass Research
F. Quist-Wessel
Biomass Research
Ioannis Dimitriou
Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
P. Aronsson
Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
C. Baum
Universitat Rostock
U. Schulz
University of Applied Sciences Eberswalde (HNEE)
A. Bolte
Universitat Gottingen
Johann Heinrich von Thunen Institute
S. Baum
Universitat Gottingen
Johann Heinrich von Thunen Institute
J. Kohn
Beckmann-Institute for Bio-Based Product Lines (BIOP)
M. Weih
Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
H. Gruss
University of Applied Sciences Eberswalde (HNEE)
P. Leinweber
Universitat Rostock
N. Lamersdorf
Universitat Gottingen
P. Schmidt-Walter
Universitat Gottingen
Göran Berndes
Chalmers, Energy and Environment, Physical Resource Theory
Bioenergy Research
1939-1234 (ISSN)
Vol. 5 3 621-635Driving Forces
Sustainable development
Subject Categories (SSIF 2011)
Environmental Engineering
Areas of Advance
Energy
DOI
10.1007/s12155-012-9235-x