![An evaluation of land suitability for forest fertilization with biofuel ash on organic soils in Sweden [An article from: Forest Ecology and Management]](https://www.ebooknetworking.net/books/B00/0RR/bigB000RR2SL0.jpg)
An evaluation of land suitability for forest fertilization with biofuel ash on organic soils in Sweden [An article from: Forest Ecology and Management]
Book Details
Author(s)B. Hanell, T. Magnusson
PublisherElsevier
ISBN / ASINB000RR2SL0
ISBN-13978B000RR2SL6
AvailabilityAvailable for download now
MarketplaceUnited States 🇺🇸
Description
This digital document is a journal article from Forest Ecology and Management, published by Elsevier in 2005. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Description:
The nutrients removed from the forest when branches and tree tops are harvested for fuel can be returned to the site by bringing back the wood-ash from the burning. In Sweden, this compensation measure is not carried out to any appreciable extent, mostly because there is no economic incentive to the landowner. The ash contains all the elements required for tree growth except for nitrogen (N), the most important element limiting growth on mineral soils. Since ash, so far, is brought back only to mineral soils, increased forest growth cannot be expected. In contrast, for organic soils, N is often abundant whereas the amounts of other mineral nutrients in peat are small. This means that the peatland forests provide an opportunity for ash amendment in order to increase forest production. Old fertilization trials using wood-ash show that the growth increase can be very large. The aims of this study were (i) to calculate the area of peat-covered land that, with respect to stand growth responses, could be regarded as most suitable for biofuel ash (wood-ash and peat-ash) fertilization and (ii) to assess the amount of biofuel ash needed for fertilizing this area. Most of the area calculations were based on data from the Swedish National Forest Inventory (SNFI) 1997-2001. Sites were selected using existing knowledge about ash fertilization effects on tree growth and with the aid of registrations made in SNFI regarding peat thickness, site productivity, drainage, condition of drains, dominating field vegetation, and stage of stand development. Additional calculations were made to estimate the area of abandoned peat harvesting fields ready for after-use by afforestation. According to the selection criteria used, the most suitable sites for biofuel ash fertilization are drained, mid-rotation or old peatland forests where the field vegetation is dominated by shrubs or low sedge plants indicative of medium-low site productivity. The selected area comprises 190,000ha. Most are located in North and North Central Sweden (90,000ha), whereas South Central and South Sweden accounted for 30,000 and 70,000ha, respectively (Figs. 1 and 2). To these areas, 2000-3000ha of abandoned peat fields ready for afforestation should be available within a period of about 5 years. The present annual production of biofuel ash in Sweden, of acceptable quality for forest fertilization, is 250,000-300,000tonnes. If it were desired to fertilize all the sites (190,000ha) identified in this study with 5000kg per ha, it would require 3-4 years of the current annual production of bio-ash.
Description:
The nutrients removed from the forest when branches and tree tops are harvested for fuel can be returned to the site by bringing back the wood-ash from the burning. In Sweden, this compensation measure is not carried out to any appreciable extent, mostly because there is no economic incentive to the landowner. The ash contains all the elements required for tree growth except for nitrogen (N), the most important element limiting growth on mineral soils. Since ash, so far, is brought back only to mineral soils, increased forest growth cannot be expected. In contrast, for organic soils, N is often abundant whereas the amounts of other mineral nutrients in peat are small. This means that the peatland forests provide an opportunity for ash amendment in order to increase forest production. Old fertilization trials using wood-ash show that the growth increase can be very large. The aims of this study were (i) to calculate the area of peat-covered land that, with respect to stand growth responses, could be regarded as most suitable for biofuel ash (wood-ash and peat-ash) fertilization and (ii) to assess the amount of biofuel ash needed for fertilizing this area. Most of the area calculations were based on data from the Swedish National Forest Inventory (SNFI) 1997-2001. Sites were selected using existing knowledge about ash fertilization effects on tree growth and with the aid of registrations made in SNFI regarding peat thickness, site productivity, drainage, condition of drains, dominating field vegetation, and stage of stand development. Additional calculations were made to estimate the area of abandoned peat harvesting fields ready for after-use by afforestation. According to the selection criteria used, the most suitable sites for biofuel ash fertilization are drained, mid-rotation or old peatland forests where the field vegetation is dominated by shrubs or low sedge plants indicative of medium-low site productivity. The selected area comprises 190,000ha. Most are located in North and North Central Sweden (90,000ha), whereas South Central and South Sweden accounted for 30,000 and 70,000ha, respectively (Figs. 1 and 2). To these areas, 2000-3000ha of abandoned peat fields ready for afforestation should be available within a period of about 5 years. The present annual production of biofuel ash in Sweden, of acceptable quality for forest fertilization, is 250,000-300,000tonnes. If it were desired to fertilize all the sites (190,000ha) identified in this study with 5000kg per ha, it would require 3-4 years of the current annual production of bio-ash.
