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Impact of Biofuel Harvest on Nutrient and Carbon Cycles and Soil Content

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A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Soil".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 20289

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Nathalie Korboulewsky

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Guest Editor

Research Unit of Forest Ecosystems, French National Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE), France
Interests: soil science; environmental science and waste management

Special Issue Information

Dear colleague,

Climate change and increased interest in renewable energy are nowadays of major concern in all management rules to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the energy dependence on fossil fuels. The commitments made at different levels aim to rank the wood energy sector first to increase the share of renewable energies in the total energy mix.

As a consequence, increased harvesting volumes and harvesting low valuable stands have become more attractive. In parallel, we have seen the emergence, or the development of, new biomass mobilization techniques such as mechanized whole tree harvesting systems. Whole tree harvesting exports the timber, but also the fine branches (fine woody debris) and sometimes leaves which are rich in carbon and nutrients. In addition, less woody debris remains in the stand, which can affect the biodiversity of different taxa (small mammals, insects, fungi, mosses…). Although several studies were published, long-term, imbricated, or cascade effects are rarely studied. In addition, various effects on soil nutrient depletion and on tree growth were observed. So, more knowledge is needed to draw a general trend and determine major factors.

Biofuel harvests can affect nutrient and carbon cycles either by the harvesting processes, or the management after harvest. Among other, ash amendment or replacement by exotic tree species are the most common and can deeply affect the ecosystem functioning.

We invite manuscripts for a Special Issue on the Impact of Biofuel Harvest on Nutrient and Carbon Cycles and Soil Content. We encourage the submission of manuscripts that provide new information on a broad range of topics, including: 1) effects of biofuel harvesting on soil carbon and nutrient contents, cycles, 2) effects of biofuel harvesting on biodiversity, 3) quantification of nutrient returns through pre-drying, 4) technical solutions to let more leaves and fine woody debris on soil, 5) mitigating solutions to prevent loss of soil fertility, such as ash amendments, 6) modeling approaches that improve simulations of nutrient exportations.

Suitable manuscripts may include robust observational studies, hypothesis-driven experiments or technical studies, modeling exercises, and meta-analyses or reviews. Papers addressing public perceptions of forestry methods or economic analyses of different levels of forest intervention are also welcome.

Dr. Nathalie Korboulewsky
Guest Editor

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Keywords

Wood biomass Soil fertility Site productivity Sustainable Forest management Biodiversity Carbon Nutrient export Biomass removal Harvesting residues Bioenergy

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1595 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impacts of Calamity Logging on the Sustainable Development of Spruce Fuel Biomass Prices and Spruce Pulp Prices in the Czech Republic

by Mansoor Maitah, Daniel Toth, Karel Malec, Seth Nana Kwame Appiah-Kubi, Kamil Maitah, Dariusz Pańka, Piotr Prus, Jaroslav Janků and Robert Romanowski

Forests 2022, 13(1), 97; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13010097 - 10 Jan 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1945

Abstract

Currently, due to the calamity of unplanned harvesting, the amount of biomass from wood products has increased. Forests occupy 33.7% of the total area of the Czech Republic; therefore, wood and non-wood forest products are important renewables for the country. Wood biomass consists mainly of branches and bark that are not used in the wood or furniture industry. However, it can be used in bioenergy, including wood processing for fuel. As spruce production in the Czech Republic increased from the planned 15.5 million to almost 36.8 million trees in 2020, the price of wood biomass can be expected to be affected. This study aims to develop a predictive model for estimating the decline in the price of wood biomass for wood processors, such as firewood or sawdust producers, as well as for the paper industry. Wood biomass prices are falling with each additional million m³ of spruce wood harvested, as is the decline in wood pulp, which is intended for the paper and packaging industries. The proposed predictive model based on linear regressions should determine how the price of wood biomass will decrease with each additional million harvested spruce trees in the Czech Republic. This tool will be used for practical use in the forestry and wood industry. The linear regression model is suitable for practical forestry use due to its simplicity and high informative value. The aim of the research is to model the dependence of the prices of firewood in the form of wood briquettes and pellets for domestic and industrial processing, as well as the prices of wood pulp on the volume of unplanned logging. It is a guide for the practice of how to use excess spruce wood from unplanned mining in the field of alternative processing with a sustainable aspect for households or heat production for households. The intention is to carry out modelling in such a way that it does not include prices of higher quality wood assortments, which are intended for the woodworking industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Biofuel Harvest on Nutrient and Carbon Cycles and Soil Content)

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21 pages, 5524 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Long-Term Ecosystem Nutrient Pool Status for Aspen Forest Harvest Simulations on Glacial Till and Sandy Outwash Soils

by Robert P. Richard, Evan S. Kane, Dustin R. Bronson and Randall K. Kolka

Forests 2021, 12(11), 1556; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12111556 - 11 Nov 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2285

Abstract

Sandy outwash and glacial till soils compose large amounts of public forestland due to historically poor agricultural yields. The outwash soils have low fertility, poor nutrient retention and are restricted from whole-tree harvesting (WTH) in some states, whereas the glacial till has medium nutrient retention and fertility, and is unrestricted from WTH. To assess the long-term sustainability of harvesting, a nutrient budget was constructed from field measurements, the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) database, and literature values for stem-only harvesting (SOH) and WTH at a 45-year rotation length and 11 rotations were simulated. The budgets showed that SOH and WTH recovery years, or the time necessary for the inputs to match outputs through leaching and one harvest, exceeded common rotation lengths for both soil types under all weathering scenarios, and the average WTH reduced the total available rotations by one harvest. The large variation in soil nutrient pools and harvest removals complicated the ability to identify the difference between SOH and WTH early in the model, but differences became apparent with sequential harvests. The recovery years were 2–20 times the 45-year rotation length under all weathering rates. Taken together, models in this study bridge the gap between short- and long-term studies and bring into question the sustainability of WTH and SOH practices on nutrient-poor soils. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Biofuel Harvest on Nutrient and Carbon Cycles and Soil Content)

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28 pages, 3043 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biomass Yield and Economic, Energy and Carbon Balances of Ulmus pumila L., Robinia pseudoacacia L. and Populus × euroamericana (Dode) Guinier Short-Rotation Coppices on Degraded Lands under Mediterranean Climate

by Silvia Patricia Alesso, Raúl Tapias, Joaquín Alaejos and Manuel Fernández

Forests 2021, 12(10), 1337; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12101337 - 29 Sep 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2463

Abstract

The steadily increasing demand for energy and concerns about climate change have prompted countries to promote the use of renewable energy sources, including lignocellulosic biomass. In this context, this work aims to assess the biomass production for energy purposes in crops with short rotation, as well as its effect on soil properties. Deciduous tree species were used, mainly Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila L.), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) and a hybrid poplar clone (Populus × euroamericana (Dode) Guinier, clone ‘AF2’). Four field trials were implemented, under two different types of Mediterranean climate, where highly productive taxa were tested, in addition to the mixed planting of a nitrogen-fixing species with a non-fixing one. Short-rotation coppices (SRCs) of these taxa yield about 12–14 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ of high-quality dry woody biomass, when fertilizers and irrigation water are supplied; generate 205–237 GJ ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ net and earnings of about EUR 1.5 per EUR 1 invested; and sequester into the soil 0.36–0.83 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ of C and 57 kg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ of N. Therefore, these species raised as SRCs could improve degraded soils if the crop is properly managed, resulting in favorable economic, energy and CO₂ emission balances. The use of mixed plantations can bring economic and environmental gains, and the biomass transformation into high-quality chips or pellets gives it added value. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Biofuel Harvest on Nutrient and Carbon Cycles and Soil Content)

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20 pages, 4485 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

How to Evaluate Downed Fine Woody Debris Including Logging Residues?

by Nathalie Korboulewsky, Isabelle Bilger and Abdelwahab Bessaad

Forests 2021, 12(7), 881; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12070881 - 6 Jul 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3481

Abstract

Volume or biomass estimates of downed woody debris are crucial for numerous applications such as forest carbon stock assessment, biodiversity assessments, and more recently for environmental evaluations of biofuel harvesting practices. Both fixed-area sampling (FAS) and line-intersect sampling (LIS) are used in forest inventories and ecological studies because they are unbiased and accurate methods. Nevertheless, most studies and inventories take into account only coarse woody debris (CWD, >10 cm in diameter), although fine woody debris (FWD) can account for a large part of the total downed biomass. We compared the LIS and FAS methods for FWD volume or biomass estimates and evaluated the influence of diameter and wood density measurements, plot number and size. We used a Test Zone (a defined surface area where a complete inventory was carried out, in addition to FAS and LIS), a Pilot Stand (a forest stand where both LIS and FAS methods were applied) and results from 10 field inventories in deciduous temperate forest stands with various conditions and amounts of FWD. Both methods, FAS and LIS, provided accurate (in trueness and precision) volume estimates, but LIS proved to be the more efficient. Diameter measurement was the main source of error: using the mean diameter, even by diameter class, led to an error for volume estimates of around 35%. On the contrary, wood density measurements can be simplified without much influence on the accuracy of biomass estimates (use of mean density by diameter class). We show that the length and number of transects greatly influences the estimates, and that it is better to apply more, shorter transects than fewer, longer ones. Finally, we determined the optimal methodology and propose a simplification of some measurements to obtain the best time-precision trade-off for FWD inventories at the stand level. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Biofuel Harvest on Nutrient and Carbon Cycles and Soil Content)

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15 pages, 3071 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing Biomass Removal and Woody Debris in Whole-Tree Harvesting System: Are the Recommended Levels of Residues Ensured?

by Abdelwahab Bessaad, Isabelle Bilger and Nathalie Korboulewsky

Forests 2021, 12(6), 807; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12060807 - 18 Jun 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3493

Abstract

Forest biomass is a sustainable source of renewable energy and a valuable alternative to finite fossil fuels. However, its overharvesting may lead to soil nutrient depletion and threaten future stand productivity, as well as affect the habitat for biodiversity. This paper provides quantitative data on biomass removal, fine woody debris [d ≤ 7 cm], and coarse woody debris [d > 7 cm] left on the forest floor in whole tree harvesting systems. Using tree allometric equations and inventory field methods for woody debris estimation, we assessed biomass removal on nine fuelwood harvesting sites in Central France, as well as fine and coarse woody debris left on the sites. The aboveground biomass estimates showed a high variability between the studied sites, it varied between 118 and 519 Mg ha⁻¹. However, less variability was found among sites managed as coppice-with-standards 174 ± 56 Mg ha⁻¹. Exported biomass was 107 ± 42 Mg ha⁻¹ on average, including 35 ± 9% of fine wood. The amounts of both fine and coarse woody debris left on sites were generally less than 10% of the total harvested biomass in 2/3 of the studied sites. These amounts are lower than the minimum retention levels recommended by the sustainable forest biomass harvesting guidelines. Therefore, more technical effort and additional management measures should be taken to ensure more woody debris, especially in poor forest soils and thus, to guarantee a sustainable biomass harvesting. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Biofuel Harvest on Nutrient and Carbon Cycles and Soil Content)

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22 pages, 3593 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Long-Term Soil Fertility and Site Productivity in Stem-Only and Whole-Tree Harvested Stands in Boreal Forest of Quebec (Canada)

by Rock Ouimet, Louis Duchesne and Stéphane Tremblay

Forests 2021, 12(5), 583; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12050583 - 7 May 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2753

Abstract

Using residual biomass from forest harvesting to produce energy is viewed increasingly as a means to reduce fossil fuel consumption. However, the impact such practices on soil and future site productivity remains a major concern. We revisited 196 forest plots that were subject to either whole-tree (WTH) or stem-only (SOH) harvesting 30 years ago in the boreal forest in Quebec, Canada. Plots were stratified by four soil regions grouped by so-called ‘soil provinces’. Soil analyses indicated that after 30 years, the forest floor of WTH sites had smaller pools of N (−8%), exchangeable Ca (−6%) and exchangeable Mn (−21%) and a higher C/N ratio (+12%) than that of SOH sites. Mineral soil responses to the two harvesting intensities differed among soil provinces. In the two coarse-textured granitic soil provinces, organic matter, organic carbon, and nitrogen pools over the whole solum (0–60 cm soil depth) were at least 28% smaller after WTH than after SOH. Site productivity indicators followed differences between soils and were lower after WTH than after SOH in the two granitic soil provinces. The study shows that soil characteristics greatly influence a soil’s sensitivity to increased forest biomass harvesting in the long term. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Biofuel Harvest on Nutrient and Carbon Cycles and Soil Content)

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18 pages, 3753 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling Biomass and Nutrients in a Eucalyptus Stand in the Cerrado

by Marco B. X. Valadão, Karla M. S. Carneiro, Fabiana P. Ribeiro, Jonas Inkotte, Maísa I. Rodrigues, Thallita R. S. Mendes, Daniel A. Vieira, Renan A. M. Matias, Mirella B. O. Lima, Eder P. Miguel and Alcides Gatto

Forests 2020, 11(10), 1097; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11101097 - 16 Oct 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2674

Abstract

The prediction of biological processes, which involve growth and plant development, is possible via the adjustment of mathematical models. In forest areas, these models assist in management practices, silviculture, harvesting, and soil fertility. Diameter, basal area, and height are predictors of volume and biomass estimates in forest stands. This study utilized different non-linear models for estimating biomass and nutrient values in the aerial biomass and roots of an unmanaged eucalypt stand in Cerrado dystrophic soil. It was hypothesized that the models would estimate the nutrients of the aboveground biomass and roots after meeting the selection and validation criteria. By statistical analysis of the parameters and subsequent validation, the Schumacher–Hall model was presented to be the best fit for biomass and nutrients. This result confirmed the ability of different variables, including diameter, basal area, and height, to be predicted. Estimating the nutrient values in the aboveground biomass and roots allowed a better understanding of the quality of the vegetal residues that remained in the soil. For dystrophic soils, which occur in the Cerrado, these estimates become even more relevant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Biofuel Harvest on Nutrient and Carbon Cycles and Soil Content)

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