Energy Forestry Exemplar Trials Establishment
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Energy Forestry Exemplar Trials Establishment Guidelines Energy Forestry Exemplar Trials Energy Forestry Exemplar Trials Contents Page INTRODUCTION… ....................................................................................2 2. AIMS..................................................................................................2 3. THE TRIAL SITES .................................................................................2 4. GENERAL SITE MANAGEMENT................................................................3 5. SRC and SRF.......................................................................................4 6. RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND MONITORING.........................................4 6.1. Environmental Research..............................................................5 6.2. Silviculture - Short Rotation Forestry (SRF) ...................................7 6.3. Silviculture - Short Rotation Coppice (SRC).................................. 10 6.4. Carbon balance........................................................................ 11 6.5. Regeneration or reinstatement................................................... 11 7. CONCLUSION .................................................................................... 11 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................... 12 APPENDICES: Appendix 1: Experiment plans and protocols ............................... 15 - 52 a. Soil sampling and analysis ........................................................... 15 b. Investigating hydrological impact .................................................. 18 c. Recommended methodologies for biodiversity monitoring ................. 22 d. SRF species trial ......................................................................... 30 e. Eucalyptus species trial................................................................ 35 f. SRF spacing trial ......................................................................... 39 g. TD - Establishment and maintenance studies .................................. 46 h. TD - Energy balance assessment................................................... 50 Appendix 2: Timing of research input ................................................ 53 Appendix 3: Outline vegetation management regime for intensive areas. 54 2 | Energy Forestry Exemplar Trails | Alan Harrison |19th July 2009 Energy Forestry Exemplar Trials INTRODUCTION The Energy Forestry (EF) exemplar sites are being set up in support of the recommendations given in the Scottish Forestry Strategy (2006), the Scottish Government Woodfuel Taskforce Report (2008) and the Climate Change Action Plan (2008 -2010). These documents recognise that there is an important information gap with regard to the growth and development of Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) and Short Rotation Forestry (SRF) in Scotland. Though some significant work had been done on SRC, mostly in England, SRF is largely untried, and both require more thorough testing in a Scottish context. The trials have been under development since September 2007, aided by close collaboration between FC Scotland and Forest Research. Broad proposals for both research and operational practice were published in spring 2008. These have now been refined and are presented here as a broadly generic package that can be applied, in whole or part, to any current or future EF trial site. 2. AIMS The aims of these trials are: To maximise the yield of information on SRC and SRF through an embedded programme of targeted research, development and monitoring. To be an educational resource by demonstrating best practice on an operational scale under realistic conditions. it is considered essential to engage with all potential stakeholders in energy forestry to ensure that the information gained and demonstrated meets the need. Dissemination of information will necessarily be phased as the sites develop and will become increasingly fact based, rather than notional as d2ata is recorded and analysed. 3. THE TRIAL SITES FCS has acquired several farms with the intention of planting these for the purposes of carbon sequestration. Of these, five of have currently been selected for inclusion in the trial series: 3 | Energy Forestry Exemplar Trails | Alan Harrison |19th July 2009 Energy Forestry Exemplar Trials 5 1. Auchlochan, S. Lanarkshire 2. East Grange, Scottish Lowlands FD 4 3. Alyth, Tay FD 4. South Balnoon, Aberdeenshire FD 3 5. Sibster, Dornoch FD 2 1 Though these choices give a good geographic and climatic spread, and they encompass a wide range of site characteristics, they clearly have an eastern bias. The final tally of trial sites is expected to be 6, with one additional site in SW Scotland and the other towards the West Coast, or possibly on one of the islands. The diverse nature of the sites available for the trials will affect the overall forest design and the suitability for SRF and SRC. Field boundaries are likely to be retained and will constrain block size, as will landscape and environmental issues. However, an overall trial size of between 15 - 25 hectares is the target. The design of the trials comprises 3 area elements: Operational: These are large single/mixed species blocks (>5.0 ha) established and maintained as commercial crops by the FD/FE Ops. Therefore, the number of these blocks is dependent upon the number and scale of species planted, but it is unlikely that more than 4 will occur on any one site. Intensive: This is a self-contained area, of around 4.0 -5.0 ha, which has a range of small research plots looking at aspects of SRF/SRC not included within the operational trial blocks e.g. alternative species and spacing. Statistical considerations, 4 | Energy Forestry Exemplar Trails | Alan Harrison |19th July 2009 Energy Forestry Exemplar Trials necessary to improve the quality of information gained from the trials, dictate the need for small replicated blocks (Figure 1). As various plots within this area will be directly compared with each other, it is important that site conditions (soil, exposure, slope, aspect) across the area are as uniform as possible. Also the area should be representative of the site as a whole. Shape is not so critical, but to reduce edge effects and fencing costs an approximate rectangle with a side ratio of no more than 2:1 is preferred. Figure 1: Expected layout of trial plots at Alyth (Westfield). Individual species plots are 20m x 20m and contain 200 trees. The Eucalyptus plots are separate and to the north side because of the potential for shading effects from their likely rapid growth rate compared to the other species Control: A representative area of 2 - 3 ha in extent should be left as an unplanted control. This will be used to compare factors such as hydrology, biodiversity, soil nutrition and carbon, etc. with the changes that occur within the planted blocks. On most sites the inclusion of this area should be possible within the 'open space' of the landscape plan. 5 | Energy Forestry Exemplar Trails | Alan Harrison |19th July 2009 Energy Forestry Exemplar Trials The potential location of these elements and the species they will contain, and particularly the location of the intensive area, needs to be decided upon early in the site planning process between the FD and the Trials Project Manager. This should also include alternatives should landscape or environmental factors make the original choice unsuitable. A basic initial site survey will be necessary to ensure the required uniformity of site conditions. 4. GENERAL SITE MANAGEMENT Cultivation The degree of cultivation will depend upon the information gained from the baseline soil survey. Some of these ex-agricultural sites are likely to have a compacted plough or stock pan that will impede root growth and would benefit from rip cultivation. This level of cultivation should suffice on most sites for SRF. SRC sites will be complete ploughed with an agricultural plough then power- harrowed flat. Weed control For SRC there is a well-tried sequence of contact and residual herbicide use at establishment that is unlikely to be bettered, though it may need revising as chemical approvals change. Mechanical or passive methods have not proven suitable. For SRF the use of mechanical or passive control is possible but has proven more expensive and less effective than the correct use of herbicides. The use of herbicides, timed and targeted as required, will be the norm on the SRF sites. Where the planting of trial sites is delayed and arable field areas are currently bare, the intention will be to sow low-productivity rye-grass as a way of stabilising the soil surface and restricting the growth of more aggressive weeds e.g. docks and thistles (Appendix 3). Protection The avoidance of damage from browsing mammals, both wild and domesticated, including voles, squirrels, rabbits, sheep, deer and cattle, is essential to the integrity of the intensive research plots. Even a minor incursion can be very destructive to small plots. Therefore, all intensive areas will be protected within a 6 | Energy Forestry Exemplar Trails | Alan Harrison |19th July 2009 Energy Forestry Exemplar Trials combination deer and rabbit fence, and individual planted trees will be vole- guarded Chemical protection from insect pests during the establishment phase may need to be considered but seems unlikely to be a major problem, at least during the first rotation. 5. SRC and SRF An Energy Crop is defined (DTI, 2007) as: A plant crop planted after 31st December 1989