Beyhan Y. Amichev

The carbon implications of large-scale afforestation of agriculturally marginal land with short-rotation willow in Saskatchewan.

Afforestation with short‐rotation coppice (SRC) willow plantations for the purpose of producing bioenergy feedstock was contemplated as one potential climate change mitigation option. The objectives of this study were to assess the magnitude of this mitigation potential by addressing: (i) the land area potentially available for SRC systems in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada; (ii) the potential biomass yields of SRC plantations; and (iii) the carbon implications from such a large‐scale afforestation program. Digital soils and land‐use data were used to identify, map, and group into clusters of similar polygons 2.12 million hectares (Mha) of agriculturally marginal land that was potentially suitable for willow in the Boreal Plains and Prairies ecozones in Saskatchewan. The Physiological Principles in Predicting Growth (3PG) model was calibrated with data from SRC experiments in Saskatchewan, to quantify potential willow biomass yields, and the Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector (CBM‐CFS3), was used to simulate stand and landscape‐level C fluxes and stocks. Short‐rotation willow plantations managed in 3 year rotations for seven consecutive harvests (21 years) after coppicing at Year 1 produced about 12 Mg ha−1 yr−1 biomass. The more significant contribution to the C cycle was the cumulative harvest. After 44 years, the potential average cumulative harvested biomass C in the Prairies was 244 Mg C ha−1 (5.5 Mg C ha−1 yr−1) about 20% higher than the average for the Boreal Plains, 203 Mg C ha−1 (4.6 Mg C ha−1 yr−1). This analysis did not consider afforestation costs, rate of establishment of willow plantations, and other constraints, such as drought and disease effects on biomass yield. The results must therefore be interpreted as a biophysical mitigation potential with the technical and economic potential being both lower than our estimates. Nevertheless, short‐rotation bioenergy plantations offer one potential mitigation option to reduce the rate of CO2 accumulation in the earths atmosphere and further research is needed to operationalise such a mitigation effort.

Genotype × environment interaction analysis of North American shrub willow yield trials confirms superior performance of triploid hybrids

Development of dedicated bioenergy crop production systems will require accurate yield estimates, which will be important for determining many of the associated environmental and economic impacts of their production. Shrub willow (Salix spp) is being promoted in areas of the USA and Canada due to its adaption to cool climates and wide genetic diversity available for breeding improvement. Willow breeding in North America is in an early stage, and selection of elite genotypes for commercialization will require testing across broad geographic regions to gain an understanding of how shrub willow interacts with the environment. We analyzed a dataset of first‐rotation shrub willow yields of 16 genotypes across 10 trial environments in the USA and Canada for genotype‐by‐environment interactions using the additive main effects and multiplicative interactions (AMMI) model. Mean genotype yields ranged from 5.22 to 8.58 oven‐dry Mg ha−1 yr−1. Analysis of the main effect of genotype showed that one round of breeding improved yields by as much as 20% over check cultivars and that triploid hybrids, most notably Salix viminalis × S. miyabeana, exhibited superior yields. We also found important variability in genotypic response to environments, which suggests specific adaptability could be exploited among 16 genotypes for yield gains. Strong positive correlations were found between environment main effects and AMMI parameters and growing environment temperatures. These findings demonstrate yield improvements are possible in one generation and will be important for developing cultivar recommendations and for future breeding efforts.

CARBON ACCUMULATION POTENTIALS OF POST-SMCRA COAL-MINED LANDS

An automatic ladling system is described for delivering a molten metal to the mold or die of a molding or casting machine. The ladling system comprises a programmable logic controller (PLC) for monitoring and controlling the sequential delivery of shots of a precise quantity of molten metal from a furnace or holding pot to a shot delivery apparatus of the casting machine. In the preferred system, the PLC also monitors and/or controls the temperature of the molten metal in the holding pot, the temperature of the molten metal in a metal transfer system, the operation of a pump for pumping molten metal from the holding pot to the shot delivery apparatus, the level of molten metal in the pot, and the operation of the casting machine.

Accurate and Precise Measurement of Organic Carbon Content in Carbonate-Rich Soils

Accurate measurement of soil organic carbon (SOC) is dependent on precise and fast methods for the separation of organic and inorganic carbon. The widely used methods involving thermal decomposition of soil samples at a specific temperature in an automated carbon (C) analyzer are susceptible to interference by carbonates and overestimation of organic C, and thus removal of carbonates by acid pretreatment of samples is recommended. Two carbonate-removal pretreatments including hydrochloric (HCl) acid addition and HCl fumigation are compared using the calcium carbonate (CaCO3) standard and soil samples of varying SOC contents. Both pretreatment methods provided similar measurements of organic C, indicating that both methods are efficient in removal of carbonates present in the soil. However, the HCl fumigation method exhibited greater accuracy and precision compared to the HCl addition method. Hence, SOC measurement procedure involving HCl fumigation as a pretreatment for the removal of carbonates is recommended for carbonate-rich soils.

Costs and benefits of shelterbelts: A review of producers’ perceptions and mind map analyses for Saskatchewan, Canada1

Abstract: The role of shelterbelts within prairie agriculture is changing. In the past, shelterbelts have been promoted and adopted to reduce soil erosion and to protect farmsteads and livestock from harsh prairie climates. Production techniques used today have been changed from when shelterbelts were first introduced as a management practice to reduce erosion. Advances in production technology accompanied with increase in farm size and changes to policy have all contributed to a shift in how shelterbelts are considered within management plans. The objective of this research is to identify the private costs and benefits from adoption and retention of shelterbelts. In the summer of 2013, a survey was conducted of producers and land owners chiefly from Saskatchewan, Canada. It was found that many of the benefits of shelterbelts can be classified as noneconomic and, therefore, are more difficult for producers and land owners to recognize or include within their operations management decisions. Conversely, the costs to producers were easily identified and heavily influenced management decisions. As greenhouse gas management and policy become more of a focus, shelterbelts have the potential to play a major role in climate change mitigation by sequestering significant amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) into the soil and as biomass carbon in above- and belowground parts of planted shelterbelt trees or shrubs. However, most producers do not recognize such benefits within their management decisions, as they are not currently compensated for the benefits that they provide to society.

Carbon sequestration and growth of six common tree and shrub shelterbelts in Saskatchewan, Canada1

Abstract: Shelterbelts sequester and store atmospheric carbon as a direct result of the growth of trees and thus present an opportunity for climate change mitigation. The objectives of this paper were to quantify the growth characteristics and to estimate the carbon stocks of six common shelterbelt species in Saskatchewan: hybrid poplar, Manitoba maple, Scots pine, white spruce, green ash, and caragana. Growth curves (3PG) and carbon dynamics (CBM-CFS3) modelling approaches were used to simulate shelterbelt growth and to estimate the carbon stocks in 50 439 km shelterbelts containing the six species. Shelterbelt width ranged from 6.3 to 14.0 m, age ranged from 5 to 100 yr, and tree density ranged from 356 to 791 trees ha-1. The r 2 of the growth curve equations ranged from 28% to 97%, with <50% root-mean-square error and <30% bias. The total ecosystem carbon stocks of all shelterbelts of the six species in Saskatchewan were 10.8 Tg C (1 Tg C = 1 million Mg C), of which 3.77 Tg C was sequestered in the soil and shelterbelt biomass since 1990. The climate mitigation potential of the six shelterbelt species, ranging from 1.78 to 6.54 Mg C km-1 yr-1, emphasized the important role that trees can have on the agricultural landscape to mitigate greenhouse gases (GHGs). Planting shelterbelt trees and shrubs on agricultural landscapes is an important strategy for mitigating GHGs.

The Saskatchewan shelterbelt inventory1

Abstract: Shelterbelts represent a significant carbon reserve on the agricultural prairie landscape, and knowledge of their extent can be of importance to atmospheric carbon mitigation strategies. We describe the creation of a detailed inventory of the shelterbelts across the agricultural region of Saskatchewan. A total of 262 000 shelterbelts covering over 51 000 km were identified by species composition, row width, stand condition, and type. This inventory is an important baseline for monitoring changes in prairie agroforestry systems arising from climate change and land use conversion.