Skip to main content

KDF Search Results

Displaying 1 - 4 of 4

Logging and mill residues are currently the largest sources of woody biomass for bioenergy in the US, but short-rotation woody crops (SRWCs) are expected to become a larger contributor to biomass production, primarily on lands marginal for food production. However, there are very few studies on the environmental effects of SRWCs, and most have been conducted at stand rather than at watershed scales.

Organization:
DOE
Author(s):
Natalie A. Griffiths , Benjamin M. Rau , Kellie B. Vache , Gregory Starr , Menberu M. Bitew , Doug P. Aubrey , James A. Martin , Elizabeth Benton , C. Rhett Jackson
Funded from the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Bioenergy Technologies Office.

Eucalyptus spp. is the world’s most widely planted hardwood species. It has been established and produced successfully in warmer regions of the U.S. for decades, and is positioned for commercialization as a biomass feedstock in the U.S. South. Plantation management options for Eucalyptus as a short-rotation woody crop include both single-stem and coppicing systems, with harvests every 3-7 years with average annual yields ranging from about 4 to 14 dry tons acre-1 year-1.

Nitrogen (N) is an important nutrient as it often limits productivity, but in excess can impair water quality. Most studies on watershed N cycling have occurred in upland forested catchments where snowmelt dominates N export; fewer studies have focused on low-relief watersheds that lack snow. We examined watershed N cycling in three adjacent, low-relief watersheds in the Upper Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States to better understand the role of hydrological flowpaths and biological transformations of N at the watershed scale.

Author(s):
Natalie A. Griffiths , C. Rhett Jackson , Jeffrey J. McDonnell , Julian Klaus , Enhao Du , Menberu M. Bitew
Funded from the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Bioenergy Technologies Office.

The need to reduce the Nation’s dependence on foreign oil as a source of energy has been elevated in recent years as a national priority. To achieve this vision, efforts have focused on developing a broader portfolio of energy sources for domestic use. Renewable energy will play an important role in diversification, and considerable investment has been directed to advancing the commercial feasibility of these technologies.