Assessing Environmental Impacts of Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) Expansion: Model Definition and Preliminary Results
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 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.

hybrid poplar plantations

united-states

breeding

europe

Biodiversity

Short rotation coppice

cultivated land

Water quality

Bioenergy

cadmium-accumulation

Soil quality

birds

biofuel production potentials

agricultural intensification

Sustainability indicators

contaminated soils

soil carbon

sustainable use

Författare

H. Langeveld

Biomass Research

F. Quist-Wessel

Biomass Research

Ioannis Dimitriou

Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet (SLU)

P. Aronsson

Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet (SLU)

C. Baum

Universität Rostock

U. Schulz

University of Applied Sciences Eberswalde (HNEE)

A. Bolte

Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

Thünen

S. Baum

Thünen

Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

J. Kohn

Beckmann-Institute for Bio-Based Product Lines (BIOP)

M. Weih

Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet (SLU)

H. Gruss

University of Applied Sciences Eberswalde (HNEE)

P. Leinweber

Universität Rostock

N. Lamersdorf

Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

P. Schmidt-Walter

Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

Göran Berndes

Chalmers, Energi och miljö, Fysisk resursteori

Bioenergy Research

1939-1234 (ISSN) 19391242 (eISSN)

Vol. 5 3 621-635

Drivkrafter

Hållbar utveckling

Ämneskategorier (SSIF 2011)

Naturresursteknik

Styrkeområden

Energi

DOI

10.1007/s12155-012-9235-x

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Senast uppdaterat

2025-09-17