The establishment of intensively managed woody energy crops on reclaimed surface mine lands provides an opportunity to diversify domestic biomass sources, while increasing the productivity and economic value of underutilized land. Our objective is to test the effect of fertilization and irrigation on the growth, survival, biomass accumulation, biomass allocation, leaf area, and nutrient dynamics of American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.) and black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) planted on a reclaimed surface mine. In 2008, replicated plantings of sycamore and black locust were established on the Big Elk mine in eastern Kentucky. Treatments tested include annual granular fertilizer applications of 37 kg N, 30 kg P, and 16 kg K ha-1, irrigation, irrigation + fertilization, and control. Following two growing seasons, American sycamore exhibited significantly (p < 0.05) greater height, diameter, leaf area, and stem biomass in fertilizer treatment compared to all other species and treatment combinations. Treatments had no affect on survival, but American sycamore exhibited significantly higher survival than black locust. Poor locust survival and growth were likely attributed to excessive ungulate browsing. Our findings indicate that fertilizer applications at young plantations on reclaimed mines in Appalachia increases tree height, diameter, and biomass accumulation.

The aim of the dissertation is to create the clear directions for setting up of the business plan and to create also the real business plan of the short rotation energy plantation. The dissertation consists of two main parts. The theoretical part describes the structure of the business plan and the principles for setup, the application part contains the real business plan of the planting short rotation coppices, which could be used both as a decision tool for realization of this project in practice and as the documentation for an application for a bank loan. The business plan mentions the market opportunity, the description of the woody species, the technology of founding, growing and harvesting of the plantation, the financial plan, SWOT analysis and possible risks with suggestions for solutions.

No description available.

With the increase in human demands for energy, purpose-grown woody crops could be part of the global renewable energy solution, especially in geographical regions where plantation forestry is feasible and economically significant. However, up to now, it is still a challenging task to accurately and rapidly estimate forest biomass. Various solutions have been developed for estimating forest biomass. As we know, the only way to measure forest biomass implies directly cutting and weighing the mass of all trees in a plot. Unfortunately, the measurements of national-wide forest biomass cannot be conducted now due to restrictions like labor cost, non-destructive measurement requirements, etc. Meanwhile, obtaining permission to fell trees only for scientific purposes in China is difficult. Therefore, in my study, biomass is defined as the aboveground volume of trees as well as stands. Collecting this information at a national scale has been difficult for China because the data are scarce. The forest biomass inventory in some regions of China was designed to use available inventory data, especially volume, to derive biomass estimates. So volume-derived biomass methods have been applied in estimating forest biomass conventionally. In many research sites of my study, only the volume-related information is available in the forest inventory, which requires the volume-based method to understand the biomass yield in practice. Also, many forest scientists use volume-based models and conversion factors (e. g. from a wood density database) to derive the actual forest biomass arithmetically. Therefore, the output of a volume-based model may support many other calculations relevant to the evaluation of tree growth, potential productivity, and carbon stock. There are relatively few studies on biomass models of Short Rotation Forest(SRF) in China, and there is a lack of a general SRF biomass model. Therefore, we carried out a broad survey and critical review of all data from the different regions in China and formed a normalized tree biomass dataset for China. Based on these reasons, the biomass simulation of poplar plantations was carried out. The growth mechanism of SRF was studied on the stand scale. The influence of climate conditions and stand density on tree growth was discussed to achieve a breakthrough in scientific research at the model level. A general SRF biomass model based on growth conditions and planting density was established based on the stand height growth equation. We can summarize the research objectives as follows： ◆To find the influencing factors on the growth of short rotation poplar plantations ◆To find the relationship between biomass and tree height in short rotation poplar plantations ◆Construction and validation of tree height model of short rotation poplar plantations ◆Construction and validation of biomass model of short rotation poplar plantations

No description available.

This study aimed at developing allometric equations for the estimation of aboveground biomass of black willow and eastern cottonwood and determine biomass production by these species under several planting spacing and harvest frequency combinations. Logarithmic model with dbh and tree height was the best fitting model for individual tree aboveground biomass estimation of both species. At area level, logarithmic models with stand age, dominant height, and planting density produced the best results. Mixed-effects modeling showed statistically significant effects of harvest frequency for eastern cottonwood but not for black willow. Overall, we conclude that, biomass production of black willow and eastern cottonwood would play a critical role in the fulfillment of the wood energy demands and biomass yields can be enhanced by considering management factors during plantation. These findings will be useful to forest owners in Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley for estimating biomass without destructive sampling and have optimal biomass production.

Climate change poses a significant threat to bioenergy production, impacting plant’s phenology and physiological performance. Investigating the adaptation of bioenergy crops like Populus is crucial for sustaining production. Populus, known for its genetic variation and ease of study, offers insights into tree responses to climate change. My research, part of the Advancing Populus Pathways in the Southeast (APPS) project, focuses on various Populus genotypes across multiple growing seasons, exploring phenology under different management strategies. Planting Populus across two sites, namely Monroe and Pontotoc, allows for the examination of genotype responses to climate change factors, particularly in terms of phenology and productivity. Factors like parentage provenance and temperature fluctuations influence budburst timing. Additionally, management practices, such as coppicing, significantly affect budburst, with coppiced trees showing delayed timing (five to ten days) compared to non-coppiced ones. Cold spell damage during budbreak reveals vulnerability, with northern provenances exhibiting greater resilience. Understanding such events is vital for tailored management. Cold spells not only impact initial budbreak but also alter leaf phenology and canopy dynamics, affecting overall productivity. Genotypes exhibit varied responses to rising temperatures and CO2 levels, influenced by their parentage. Trees with northern provenance, for instance, display higher photosynthetic capacity, but may face thermal stress under certain temperature increases. Conversely, southern genotypes demonstrate moderate photosynthetic capacity, but showcase better adaptation to heat, offering potential for breeding resilient varieties. Leaf traits serve as proxies for biomass production and water use efficiency prediction, aiding in genotype screening. Mechanisms like self-shading and leaf movability influence responses to environmental changes. For instance, self-shading helps regulate leaf temperature, thereby enhancing photosynthetic performance, albeit with some trade-offs. Elevated CO2 levels enhance water use efficiency, but determining whole-tree water use efficiency requires integration of various methods. While leaf-level measurements correlate with whole-tree water use efficiency, an integrated approach, combining leaf-level gas exchange and isotopic measurements, shows promise. In conclusion, understanding Populus responses to climate change is crucial for sustainable bioenergy production in the southeastern United States. Insights into phenology, productivity, and adaptation mechanisms offer avenues for management and breeding strategies, ensuring resilience amidst shifting climates.

Die wissenschaftliche Auseinandersetzung mit schnellwachsenden Baumarten in Form der Kurzumtriebswirtschaft beschränkte sich lange Zeit fast ausschließlich auf die Arten der Sektion Pappel. Ertragswerte bzw. waldwachstumskundliche Untersuchungen an KUP aus Weide konnten im größeren Maßstab erst im vergangenen Jahrzehnt erhoben werden. Die Ertragswerte der Weiden auf den in dieser Arbeit untersuchten KUP bewegen sich zwischen 1,7 und 9,2 tatro∙ha-1∙a-1. In Folgerotationen kann sogar mit einem wesentlich höheren Biomasseertrag gerechnet werden. Eine eigene Untersuchung an einer bereits achtjährigen KUP in Krummenhennersdorf (Sachsen) auf einem mittleren Standort erbrachte eine durchschnittliche Gesamtwuchsleistung von ca. 14 tatro∙ha-1∙a- 1 in der dritten Rotation. Damit ist die Weide neben der Pappel eine sehr ertragreiche, schnellwachsende Baumart. Ihr Anbau kann demzufolge in Form von KUP uneingeschränkt empfohlen werden. Um den Biomasseertrag auf bestehenden KUP aus Weide zu ermitteln, wurden bisher vor allem destruktive Verfahren angewendet, die mit hohem Zeit- und Arbeitsaufwand verbunden sind. Das Hauptziel dieser Arbeit stellte daher die Entwicklung eines überregional einsetzbaren, praxistauglichen Ertragsermittlers zur schnellen und einfachen Ertragsbestimmung von KUP aus Weide der ersten Rotation dar. Die Modellentwicklung erfolgte auf zwei Wegen: Modellierung über eine Standardisierung von Biomassefunktionen (Modell I) und Modellierung über Biomasseverteilungsfunktionen (Modell II). Unterschiede in der Genauigkeit im Hinblick auf die Validierung der Modelle konnten explizit anhand des Bias und der Präzision nachgewiesen werden. Dabei ermittelt das Modell II den Biomasseertrag wesentlich genauer (Bias: 4.43%, Präzision: 12.11%), weshalb die Methode bereits für den Praktiker in Form eines einfach anzuwendenden Computerprogrammes (Ertragsschätzer für KUP aus Pappel und Weide) zur Verfügung gestellt wurde. Für die Anwendung des Ertragsschätzers sind von dem Nutzer die Eingangsgrößen Durchmesser des Grundflächenmittelstammes (dg), Alter und Pflanzverband erforderlich.

Land use change is a major driver of species loss worldwide, the extent and intensity of agricultural land use poses particular pressures for biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides. In recent years, agroecosystems have seen the introduction of 2nd generation bioenergy crops in order to tackle anthropogenic climate change, providing a renewable alternative to fossil fuels. In this thesis I study the impact of cultivating two commercial perennial energy crops (PECs), Miscanthus x giganteus and willow short-rotation coppice, when compared to the cereal crops they replace. I investigate processes relevant to the provisioning of pollination and decomposition services and explore patterns of soil element bioaccessibility alongside analyses of the similarity and diversity of soil bacterial communities. When compared to cereals, I find a consistent increase in pollinator (hoverfly, bumblebee and butterfly/moth) wildflower visitation in the margins of willow but not Miscanthus. In Miscanthus, opposing trends arose for different pollinator taxa: butterflies/moths were more frequent flower visitors in Miscanthus margins than cereal margins, while hoverfly flower visits were most frequent in cereal margins. Furthermore, the availability of margin wildflowers was enhanced in willow but not Miscanthus and the seed set of margin phytometers was similar between Miscanthus and cereals. Cultivation of willow, in particular, may therefore yield local conservation benefits for both wildflowers and pollinators. However, there was no evidence for enhancement of pollinator activity in cereals adjacent to either PEC, indicating that the strategic cultivation of these crops is unlikely to enhance pollinator service provision in the wider agri-environment. For investigated soil elements, bioaccessibility in PECs did not differ significantly to cereal controls, and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) revealed no difference in the diversity of bacterial communities. Similarly, DGGE fingerprint patterns did not indicate the development of crop specific assemblages, demonstrating that the mobility of soil elements and structure of bacterial communities were principally determined by factors other than the identity of the crop cultivated. Investigation of meso-microfaunal decomposition rates in Miscanthus using litter bags demonstrated an impact on decomposition processes, with a significant increase in winter decomposition rates in the PEC when compared to cereals.

Bei dem Begang einer Kurzumtriebsplantage bei Großschirma (Sachsen) im August 2011 fiel in einem 500 m x 25 m breiten Streifen der Sorte Max 4 starker Fraß durch Blattwespenlarven auf. Andere Sorten waren nur an den Randbereichen zu Max betroffen. Die Blattwespen hatten, von unten beginnend, 50 % bis 70 % der dreijährigen Pappeltriebe kahl gefressen. Der Hymenoptera-Experte Dr. A. Taeger vom Senkenberg-Institut in Müncheberg bestimmte die Art als Nematus papillosus (Retzius, 1783) (Syn. Nematus melanapsis Hartig 1840). 2012 breitete sich die Massenvermehrung rasch auf angrenzende Flächen aus und führte dort, vor allem in einem Mutterquartier, zu erheblichen Schäden.