Title:
Sustainability Criteria to Identify Grassland for Short Rotation Coppice
Author(s):
Rösch, C., Aust, C., Knapp, M., Jörissen, J.
Document(s):
Paper
Abstract:
Short rotation coppices offer a chance to enhance domestic wood resources and to bring back added value in rural areas. Due to a decreasing cattle stock, part of the grassland area is no longer needed for roughage production and thus could be used to increase the supply of wood for energetic and material use by the establishment of short rotation coppice (SRC). Sustainability criteria are selected and applied in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg (Germany) to illustrate how much grassland would be available for SRC without competition to food or biogas production or impairment of main ecosystem services. A first assessment of the availability of grassland has been conducted based on the biotic requirements of fast growing trees and the technical and ecological constraints as well as the release of grassland due to the shrinking number of cattle. The results are indicating that with regard to sustainable land use in the investigated region 13% of the permanent grassland could be used for planting fast growing trees. One of the great challenges to tap this potential is to develop instruments to direct the establishment of SRC to the identified suitable areas and to gain acceptance for the changes in landscape which will be evoked by establishing this tall and permanent energy crop.
Keywords:
assessment, ecosystems, impact, land use, short rotation forestry (SRF), sustainability criteria
Topic:
Biomass Resources
Subtopic:
Biomass potentials and cost of resources
Event:
19th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
VP1.1.39
Pages:
409 - 415
ISBN-13:
978-88-89407-55-4
ISBN-10:
88-89407-55-7
Paper DOI:
10.5071/19thEUBCE2011-VP1.1.39
Price:
FREE
