First vs. second rotation of a poplar short rotation coppice: Above-ground biomass productivity and shoot dynamics

Abstract

YieldStem basal area Tree mortality Genotypic differences POPFULL a b s t r a c t Within the global search for renewable energy sources, woody biomass from short rotation coppice (SRC) cultures is a valuable option. So far there is a shortage of large-scale field yield data to support stakeholders. We investigated an operational-scale SRC plantation (POPFULL) with 12 poplar genotypes in Flanders during its first two biennial rotations. By inventorying shoot numbers and diameters, combined with allometric relationships, productivity related data were derived after each growing season. We observed significant variation in biomass yield and productivity-related characteristics among the 12 poplar genotypes, of which two recently selected. Genotype Hees (Populus deltoides  Populus nigra) and Skado (Populus trichocarpa  Populus maximowiczii, selected in 2005) reached the highest productivity among genotypes, i.e. 16 Mg ha À1 y À1 of dry matter (DM) yield in the second rotation, which was more than double than the poorest performing genotype Brandaris (a pure P. nigra). However, with many small shoots genotype Hees had a different growth strategy than Skado that resprouted with few, thicker and higher shoots. Biomass production increased from a plantation average of 4.04 Mg ha À1 y À1 of DM in the first (establishment) rotation to 12.24 Mg ha À1 y À1 in the second rotation. Mean height growth raised from 2.08 m y À1 during the first rotation to 2.99 m y À1 during the second rotation.The influence of the first coppicing on tree mortality was negligible. Monitoring of subsequent rotations over the plantations' lifetime e which counts for SRC bioenergy cultures in general e is essential to evaluate productivity in the long term.

Genotypic variation in transpiration of coppiced poplar during the third rotation of a short‐rotation bio‐energy culture

“…The inventory was made in January 2017, that is, during the dormant stage. From these data, the stool mortality at the time of coppicing (in February 2017) was calculated and a genotype‐specific allometric relation was established between d and AGWB (Verlinden, Broeckx, & Ceulemans, 2015). This allometric relation was established by manually harvesting 10 random stems per genotype, covering the entire stem diameter range.…”

Simulation of environmental impact scores within the life cycle of mixed wood chips from alternative short rotation coppice systems in Flanders (Belgium)

“…This is the case in Sweden, France, Germany or the UK, all of which have a long history of SRC-related initiatives [9,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]. In recent years Belgium has also moved towards the implementation of an intensive SRC activity, and has recently disseminated numerous findings describing the performance of SRC growth systems, as well as their potential for bioenergy production [33][34][35][36]. 1 Besides the proven environmental benefits of using renewable fuel sources (e.g.…”

Aboveground dendromass allometry of hybrid black poplars for energy crops

“…The breast height stem diameter is a principal tree dimensional variable and its inclusion in the allometric biomass models is implicit, especially for trees of decurrent crown form (sensu Burkhart & Tomé 2012). Some studies on tree allometry at juvenile stage, however, incorporate tree diameters at lower height above ground, such as 22 cm (Pontailler et al 1997, Dillen et al 2013, Verlinden et al 2015, 30 cm (Walle et al 2007) and 100 cm (Paris et al 2011). Pontailler et al (1997 even speculated that in young stands, diameter at breast height (1.30 m) is not a pertinent parameter because of the small size of the tree.…”

“…Volume, assortment, growth and yield tables have been developed for proper timber appraisal and management of black poplar hybrids in Bulgaria (Krastanov et al 2004a, b), but the allometric patterns of the lignified biomass at early stages of growth and in relation to energy crop cultivation have not yet been investigated. Most studies on energy crops use the general allometric equation (Huxley 1972), by relating the dry biomass weight to a power function of tree diameter at a certain height above ground to evaluate the individual plant mass (Walle et al 2007, Paris et al 2011, Verlinden et al 2015. The resulting estimates are reliable since the power-law relationships are characterized by scale invariance (self-similarity) and universality (Marquet et al 2005).…”