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Experiences with short-rotation forestry (SRF) on agricultural land in Finland

Aki Villa, University of Joensuu. Experiences with short-rotation forestry (SRF) on agricultural land in Finland. FACULTY OF FOREST SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF JOENSUU. MISSION. To focus research on the boreal forest ecosystem, Finland´s principal natural resource, and

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Experiences with short-rotation forestry (SRF) on agricultural land in Finland

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  1. Aki Villa, University of Joensuu Experiences with short-rotation forestry (SRF) on agricultural land in Finland

  2. FACULTY OF FOREST SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF JOENSUU MISSION • To focus research on the boreal forest ecosystem, Finland´s principal natural resource, and • To train experts, graduate foresters, in the study, management, protection and utilisation of this natural resource. • Established 1982

  3. Resources • Permanent staff total 33 • professors, 11 fulltime, 2 shared • senior assistants 9 and one lecturer • other personnel 10 • Project personnel about 70 • Student body about 480 • Undergraduates 316 (4% foreign students) • Post-graduates 91 (15% foreign students) • Exchange students 73 • Budget • Total budget 5 million euros • From external sources about 43 %

  4. WILLOW (Salix sp.) CULTIVATION • Short rotation forestry (SRF) • High biomass productivity through: • high density (13 000 cuttings/ha planted in Sweden) and • repeated harvesting (for 20 years) with short cutting cycles (3-5 years) • intensive cultivation practices • (weed control, fertilization, mechanical planting and harvesting) • regeneration of the next crop via coppicing

  5. WILLOW (Salix sp.) CULTIVATION Salix schwerinii plantation on private farm land in Liperi, North Karelia, 26th September 2007, plantation established on 23-25 May 2007

  6. WILLOW (Salix sp.) CULTIVATIONSpecies/clone selection • good rooting ability and straight shoot form for mechanical harvesting • fast growth at an early age • tolerance for high density • resistance to diseases and pests • resistance to frost damage • other species: grey alder, pubescent birch, aspen • (poplars and eucalypts in more southern areas) • advantage of woody biomass • use as chips convenient in small scale energy facilities where reed canary grass not possible • perennial plant, new growth can be generated into old biomass • harvesting possible also with shallow snow cover.

  7. PRODUCTIVITY OF WILLOW IN EASTERN FINLAND • Siikasalmi field trial • located in North Karelia near Joensuu • agricultural mineral field (poor in humus) • species: Salix schwerinii, S. dasyclados, S. burjatica • planted 1991 with densities 4 000-32 000 cuttings/ha • cut back in spring 1992 (beginning of year 1) • 1st rotation: harvested in autumn 1996 (year 5, shoot age 5) • 2nd rotation: years 6-11 (shoot age 1-6)

  8. PRODUCTIVITY OF WILLOW IN EASTERN FINLAND

  9. PRODUCTIVITY OF WILLOW IN EASTERN FINLAND/ Conclusion • yield level of 10 tons per hectare and year has been achieved in the two first harvest cycles with a planting density of 16 000 cuttings/ha and a moderate fertilization regime with a harvest cycle of four yearson mineral agricultural soils with Salix schwerinii • delaying harvesting with 1-2 years does not appear to cause significant yield losses • irrigation has increased yield, especially in the highest densities (yield doubled at the best), with low amount of nutrients • productivity on cutaway peat bogs during the first 3 years has been lower: about 5 t/ha/a with liming, intensive fertilization and high planting density of 40 - 41 000 cuttings per hectare (Hytönen 1996) => poorer economics than on mineral fields and with reed canary grass

  10. Growing zone Energy crop, t/ha II III IV V 1 Reed canary grass 7,6 8,4 6,8 5,6 1 Willow 8,2 9,0 7,3 6,0 2 Rape 1,9 2,0 1,3 Straw 2,0 2,0 2,0 1 Reed canary grass (cutaway 5,5 6,0 4,9 4,0 bogs, other arable fields) 1 2 3 dry matter, at selling moisture (9 %), harvested Estimated yield of willow in Eastern Finland(REAEF 2004) Planting year 0 t/ha/a 1st cutting cycle (4 years) 7 t/ha/a 2nd and further 4-year cutting cycles 10 t/ha/a ↓ life span 21 years

  11. WILLOW (Salix sp.) CULTIVATION in FINLAND • establishment of cutting production plantations • production organized as a farmers’ co-operative (like Agrobränsle in Sweden) or through energy entrepreneurship to cut investment costs per farm • current Swedish planting and harvesting machinery not existing in Finnish agriculture due to expensive price • existing energy wood harvesting technology for young forest stands applicable? • national environmental support also for willow in the future (reed canary grass eligible for national subsidies) • more research on waste water irrigation in Finland

  12. WILLOW (Salix sp.) CULTIVATION in EASTERN FINLAND • 7-year old Salix myrsinifolia • plantation under harvesting • in Siikasalmi on the 24th of • April 2007 • farm tractor based system probable in Finland

  13. Thank you for your attention. • Contacts: • University of Joensuu • Faculty of Forest Sciences • aki.villa@joensuu.fi • www.joensuu.fi

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