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Reaching Critical Biomass: Sustainability Potential for Forest Biomass Production & Products

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Forestry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 March 2023) | Viewed by 13342

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marina Moura Morales

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Guest Editor

Embrapa, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food Supply, Curitiba 83411-000, PR, Brazil
Interests: dendroenergy; biochar; wood vinegar; bio-oil; pyrolysis; carbon sequestration; sustainability

Dr. Aaron K. Hoshide

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture, The University of Maine, Orono, MN 04469, USA
Interests: agro-forestry economics; agricultural systems modeling; carbon sequestration; greenhouse gas emissions; sustainability
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Dear Colleagues,

Forest biomass is critical to the long-term sustainability, preservation, and biodiversity of terrestrial forest eco-systems and is used to produce bioenergy, bio-products, and agricultural products. Forest biomass also contributes to the medium-term sequestration of anthropogenic carbon dioxide. It can be used for building materials as well as pulp and paper products. Forest biomass is a renewable source of energy (e.g., heating and electricity generation) via managed woodlots or commercial forestry. Forest biomass can also be converted into cellulosic ethanol for fuel as well as agricultural soil amendments such as biochar and other bio products. Bio-products from forest biomass include wood vinegar and bio-oil, both with potential uses in chemical, pharma-chemical, and agriculture industries.

While forest biomass if often associated with preserved, conserved, and commercial forests, forest biomass research can also be essential to better understanding its relationship to agricultural production. For example, tapping North American temperate forest species such as sugar maple (Acer saccharum) for maple syrup production may negatively impact tree growth and biomass. Biomass of South American tropical forest species such as Brazil nut (e.g., Bertholletia excelsa) can be tempered by climatic shocks. Agro-forestry involves integration of commercial tree species within crop and/or livestock systems to enhance productivity of separate system components. Optimizing current and future forest biomass through improved management and re-forestation can increase terrestrial carbon stocks to help mitigate climate change. Multidisciplinary approaches are clearly needed to facilitate more integrated views on forest biomass given its complexity.

This Special Issue aims at gathering contributions exploring approaches to quantify woody biomass in forests and wood for construction, paper products, energy, soil amendment purposes (e.g., biochar), as well as other bio-products. We highly encourage applications tackling other related issues of forest-based wood and agricultural products, bioenergy, bio-product production, forest biomass, and carbon stocks in forest ecosystems and agro-forestry. Contributions dealing with integrated agricultural systems using forest species (e.g., Eucalyptus spp.) are welcome. While these topics focus on energy, resources, and enhancing food production for humans, which can be more economic in nature, we also welcome manuscripts measuring environmental and community impacts of forest biomass use by humans. This can range from adverse environmental and ecological impacts of human extraction and use of woody biomass to negative effects such industries have on nearby local communities. Submissions can also address positive impacts of increasing availability of forest biomass such as current and future needs for carbon sequestration, improved product life cycle analysis, as well as diversifying and stabilizing marginalized communities.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas on sustainability may include (but are not limited to) the following:

Carbon sequestration using forest biomass
Community and/or environmental impacts of forest biomass management, production, and utilization
Crop, livestock, forestry integration (CLFI)
Forest biomass measurement, production, or life cycle
Forest biomass uses, such as bioenergy, wood vinegar, bio-oil, and biochar and other organo-mineral fertilizers
Tree biomass relationships to other sustainable wood and/or forest products

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Marina Moura Morales
Dr. Aaron K. Hoshide
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

biomass
biochar
bioenergy
bio-fertilizer
bio-product
carbon sequestration
economics
forest
integration
sustainability

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3365 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Selection of Superior Senna macranthera Seeds, Carbon Stock, and Seedling Survival, and Costs for Habitat Restoration

by Joyce de Oliveira Araújo, Daniel Teixeira Pinheiro, Geovana Brito Queiroz, Júlia Martins Soares, Aaron Kinyu Hoshide, Vicente Toledo Machado de Morais Junior, Samuel José Silva Soares da Rocha and Denise Cunha Fernandes dos Santos Dias

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 9875; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15139875 - 21 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1014

Abstract

Conservation and recovery of degraded areas generate great demand for seeds of native tree species. The development and/or improvement of efficient techniques for the evaluation of forest-seed quality is important for the production and establishment of high-quality seedlings for restoration. In this study, the tissue density of radiographic images of Senna macranthera seeds was related to their physiological quality. Moreover, biomass, carbon stock, seedling survival, and X-ray technique costs were estimated for S. macranthera. Collected seeds were analyzed using digital radiography to measure relative and integrated density. The physical integrity of seed tissues was visually evaluated. Seeds were then germination tested to assess seedling development-related traits. Semiautomated radiography allowed for visualizing internal seed structures and observing their density and physical-integrity differences as well as physiological quality. Moreover, seed lots with lower relative and integrated densities had more physical damage and/or malformation, thus producing less vigorous seedlings. The average carbon stock was 21.42 kg per tree. The seed selection cost was USD 0.0132/seed at an 81% germination rate. The annual cost of planting S. macranthera seedlings was USD 7500 per hectare during the establishment year and averaged USD 1562 per year for replanting lost transplants over the eight years after initial planting. Applying these techniques may enhance the seedling production of this species, contributing to reforestation programs in Brazil. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reaching Critical Biomass: Sustainability Potential for Forest Biomass Production & Products)

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15 pages, 4057 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Machine Learning: Volume and Biomass Estimates of Commercial Trees in the Amazon Forest

by Samuel José Silva Soares da Rocha, Flora Magdaline Benitez Romero, Carlos Moreira Miquelino Eleto Torres, Laércio Antônio Gonçalves Jacovine, Sabina Cerruto Ribeiro, Paulo Henrique Villanova, Bruno Leão Said Schettini, Vicente Toledo Machado de Morais Junior, Leonardo Pequeno Reis, Maria Paula Miranda Xavier Rufino, Indira Bifano Comini, Ivaldo da Silva Tavares Júnior and Águida Beatriz Traváglia Viana

Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9452; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129452 - 12 Jun 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1762

Abstract

Accurate estimation of the volume and above-ground biomass of exploitable trees by the practice of selective logging is essential for the elaboration of a sustainable management plan. The objective of this study is to develop machine learning models capable of estimating the volume and biomass of commercial trees in the Southwestern Amazon, based on dendrometric, climatic and topographic characteristics. The study was carried out in the municipality of Porto Acre, Acre state, Brazil. The volume and biomass of sample trees were determined using dendrometric, climatic and topographic variables. The Boruta algorithm was applied to select the best set of variables. Support Vector Machines (SVM), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Random Forests (RF) and the Generalized Linear Model (GLM) were the machine learning methods evaluated. In general, the evaluated methods showed a satisfactory generalization power. The results showed that the volume and biomass predictions of commercial trees in the Amazon rainforest differed between the techniques (p < 0.05). ANNs showed the best performance in predicting the volume and biomass of commercial trees, with the highest r_yŷ and the lowest RSME and MAE. Thus, machine learning methods such as SVM, ANN, RF and GLM are shown to be useful and efficient tools for estimating the volume and biomass of commercial trees in the Amazon rainforest. These methods can be useful tools to improve the accuracy of estimates in forest management plans. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reaching Critical Biomass: Sustainability Potential for Forest Biomass Production & Products)

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16 pages, 1716 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Eucalyptus Carbon Stock Research in an Integrated Livestock-Forestry System in Brazil

by Marina Moura Morales, Hélio Tonini, Maurel Behling and Aaron Kinyu Hoshide

Sustainability 2023, 15(10), 7750; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15107750 - 9 May 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2096

Abstract

Eucalyptus plantations play an important role in capturing and storing atmospheric carbon, mitigating global climate change. Forest management policies encouraging integrated livestock-forestry systems require quantitative estimates of temporal and spatial patterns of carbon storage for these agricultural systems. This study quantified the effects of eucalyptus management and arrangement on carbon stock dynamics in integrated livestock-forestry (ILF) systems versus monoculture eucalyptus plantings. Arrangement and management resulted in equal storage of carbon in both monoculture and ILF systems (34.7 kg per tree). Both factors are important to better understand how forest species in integrated systems stock carbon and how this can compensate for other agricultural system components, such as cattle. The extent to which ILF systems offset beef cattle (Nellore) emissions was determined by estimating changes in carbon stock over time for Eucalyptus urophylla × E. grandis, clone H13, under three scenarios (S) of wood use. These scenarios were (S1) tree growth without thinning, (S2) trees used for biomass energy without thinning, and (S3) 50% of trees used for biomass energy at five years old and 50% of trees used for both timber and energy after eight years, considering the full life cycle of eucalyptus. The S1 and S3 systems can stock 510 and 73 metric tons (t) of CO₂ ha⁻¹, respectively, while S2 emits 115 t CO₂ ha⁻¹ of biogenic carbon. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reaching Critical Biomass: Sustainability Potential for Forest Biomass Production & Products)

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20 pages, 2639 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Organic Amendments and Reduced Tillage Accelerate Harvestable C Biomass and Soil C Sequestration in Rice–Wheat Rotation in a Semi-Arid Environment

by Muhammad Shaukat, Ashfaq Ahmad, Tasneem Khaliq, Aaron Kinyu Hoshide and Daniel C. de Abreu

Sustainability 2023, 15(8), 6415; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086415 - 10 Apr 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1358

Abstract

Rice–wheat crop rotations have high carbon fluxes. A 2-year field study in Punjab, Pakistan quantified impacts of different nutrient management on harvestable carbon biomass, crop-derived C, soil organic C sequestration (SCS), and decomposition. Treatments included different combinations of mineral fertilizer, animal manure (20 Mg ha⁻¹), and incorporated crop residue in a split-plot design under conventional tillage (CT) and reduced tillage (RT). Combined use of mineral fertilizer and manure resulted in (1) 12.56% to 53.31% more harvestable C biomass compared to use of fertilizer and manure alone and (2) 18.27% to 60.72% more crop-derived C inputs relative to using only fertilizer or manure across both tillage practices. Combined fertilizer/manure treatments also significantly enhanced SCS relative to using fertilizer alone. Using only manure increased SCS by 63.25% compared with fertilizer alone across both tillage practices. The relationship between SCS and C inputs indicated high humification (14.50%) and decomposition rates (0.46 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) under CT compared to RT at 0–15 cm soil depth. At 15–30 cm soil depth, rates of humification (10.7%) and decomposition (0.06 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) were lower for CT compared to RT. Combined manure/fertilizer treatments could induce high C sequestration and harvestable C biomass with reduced decomposition in rice–wheat rotations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reaching Critical Biomass: Sustainability Potential for Forest Biomass Production & Products)

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16 pages, 3765 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Bibliometric Analysis of Forest Gap Research during 1980–2021

by Jiaqi Xie, Guangqi Zhang, Yuling Li, Xiyu Yan, Lipeng Zang, Qingfu Liu, Danmei Chen, Mingzhen Sui and Yuejun He

Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 1994; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15031994 - 20 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1740

Abstract

(1) Background: Forest gaps play an important role in promoting forest regeneration and facilitating the forest growth cycle. Since the 1980s, forest gaps have been widely studied by forestry scientists. The purpose of this study was to review the global literature from 1980 to 2021, based on the scientific database Web of Science Core Collection, and to summarize the research hotspots and the trends of the forest gaps. (2) Method: A bibliometric analysis was performed using the visual analytic software CiteSpace to quantify the description of annual publications, collaboration analysis of authors, institutions and countries, co-citation analysis of cited journals, cited authors, and cited references. The keyword co-occurrence, burst, and time zone were also analyzed by the software. (3) Results: The results show that the volume of annual publications is increasing. Dr. Harald Bugmann is the author with the most published works. The most active institution is the American Forest Service. The United States, Canada, and China are the three most productive countries. “Ecology” is the most cited journal. The results indicate that the hotspot in the forest gap research has shifted, and the effects of forest environmental changes caused by forest gaps under climate change have received more attention from scientists. In the future, more attention may be paid to the role of forest gaps on near-natural forest management patterns, the effect of forest gaps on forest sustainable development, and the way to study forest gaps using lidar technology. (4) Conclusion: Our results can help to understand emerging trends in forest gap research to inform forest ecology and management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reaching Critical Biomass: Sustainability Potential for Forest Biomass Production & Products)

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17 pages, 2910 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Activated Biochar-Based Organomineral Fertilizer Delays Nitrogen Release and Reduces N₂O Emission

by Valéria Viana Pereira, Marina Moura Morales, Dalton Henrique Pereira, Fabiana Abreu de Rezende, Ciro Augusto de Souza Magalhães, Larissa Borges de Lima, Ben Hur Marimon-Junior and Fabiano André Petter

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12388; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912388 - 29 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1544

Abstract

Leaching and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions can represent substantial nitrogen (N) losses from chemical fertilizers, and slow-release fertilizers (SRFs) can mitigate these effects. Thus, biochar can be an alternative from an agronomic and environmental point of view to synthesize SRFs due to its physicochemical characteristics. We investigated the effect of nitrogenous organomineral fertilizers (OMF-N) formulated based on activated biochar on N losses by leaching and N₂O emissions. The OMF-N were developed from a dry mechanical pelleting process with different biochar and urea proportions (2:1; 1:2, and 1:4). Three experiments were conducted using four fertilizer sources (urea, OMF-N 2:1, OMF-N 1:2, and OMF-N 1:4): i. to analyze the kinetics of N release from OMF-N at times: 5, 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min; ii. for N₂O emission analysis determined at 3, 6, 10, 14, 24, 44, 54, 64, 74, 84, 104, and 118 days after application to the soil; and iii. for a double factorial design that was adopted to analyze N leaching, consisting of the combination of applying 160 kg N ha⁻¹ of fertilizers in PVC columns at different depths (20, 40, 60, and 80 cm) and analyzed at five times (1, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days). FTIR spectroscopic analysis, specific surface area, porosity, and surface morphology showed physicochemical interactions of N of the OMF with biochar; the N from the OMF interacts physically and chemically binds to the functional surfaces of biochar, delaying the dissolution flow. The OMF-N proved capable of retaining 48% to 60% more NH₄⁺ and reduced the release of N_total from urea from 27% to 60%, as well as reduced N₂O emissions from 47% to 66%. Although absolute CO₂ emissions intensified with the application of OMF-N, its use provides C sequestration in the soil to due to the recalcitrant C of the biochar, which results in a positive input-output balance in the system. The NO₃⁻ concentration profiles revealed that the OMF-N application was able to reduce leaching in the soil to a depth of 80 cm. These studies enabled better understanding of the processes involved in the biochar:urea interaction and revealed that biochar can be used as an organic matrix in the synthesis of SRF. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reaching Critical Biomass: Sustainability Potential for Forest Biomass Production & Products)

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16 pages, 4816 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Wildfire Incidence throughout the Brazilian Pantanal Is Driven by Local Climate Rather Than Bovine Stocking Density

by Paulo Eduardo Teodoro, Luciano de Souza Maria, Jéssica Marciella Almeida Rodrigues, Adriana de Avila e Silva, Maiara Cristina Metzdorf da Silva, Samara Santos de Souza, Fernando Saragosa Rossi, Larissa Pereira Ribeiro Teodoro, João Lucas Della-Silva, Rafael Coll Delgado, Mendelson Lima, Carlos A. Peres and Carlos Antonio da Silva Junior

Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 10187; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141610187 - 17 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2633

Abstract

The Pantanal is the world’s largest and most biodiverse continental sheet-flow wetland. Recently, vast tracts of the Pantanal have succumbed to the occurrence of fires, raising serious concerns over the future integrity of the biodiversity and ecosystem services of this biome, including revenues from ecotourism. These wildfires degrade the baseline of natural ecosystems and the ecotourism economy across the region. Local residents (“Pantaneiros”) anecdotally state that extensive cattle herbivory can solve the contemporary flammability problem of the Pantanal by controlling vegetation biomass, thereby preventing or reducing both fuel loads and fires across the region. Here, we examine the covariation between the presence and density of cattle and the incidence of fires across the Brazilian Pantanal. Variables assessed included bovine cattle density, SPI (Standardized Precipitation Index), GPP (Gross Primary Productivity)/biomass estimate, and fire foci along a 19-year time series (2001 to 2019). Our findings show that fire foci across the Pantanal biome are related to climatic variables, such as lower annual precipitation and higher annual drought indices (SPI) rather than to cattle stocking rates. Therefore, the notion of “cattle firefighting”, a popular concept often discussed in some academic circles, cannot be validated because cattle numbers are unrelated to aboveground phytomass. Gross primary productivity further invalidated the “cattle herbivory” hypothesis because GPP was found to be strongly correlated with cattle density but not with the spatial distribution of fires. Fires throughout the Pantanal are currently aggravated by the presence of livestock and result from a combination of extreme weather events and outdated agricultural practices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reaching Critical Biomass: Sustainability Potential for Forest Biomass Production & Products)

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