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bioweb.sungrant.org » Technical » Biomass Resources » Agricultural Resources » New Crops » Short Rotation Woody Crops » Miscellaneous Other Short Rotation Trees

Miscellaneous Other Short Rotation Trees	Printer Friendly

Hybrid poplar and willow have received the greatest attention as potential wood bioenergy crops, but other tree species could be produced in short rotation cycles and used for non-fiber bioenergy and bioproducts uses.   Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) is a fast growing, long lived tree native to most of the U.S. east of the Great Plains. It naturally grows in bottomlands and tolerates wet soils. Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) is a bottomland hardwood native to most of the southeastern U.S. and is an important commercial hardwood species. An estimated 800 km2 of hardwood plantations have been planted in the southern U.S., of which about 30 percent are owned by the forest industry. Sycamore grows more rapidly than sweetgum in the early years of a rotation and can produce more than twice the biomass of sweetgum in short rotations (i.e., about 5 years).  However, sycamore growth slows after a number of years, while sweetgum growth accelerates later in the rotation, so that in longer rotations (10-15 years) overall production may be similar. Production of sycamore and sweetgum for bioenergy may differ from production for fiber in that the trees are planted at close spacing (using cuttings), harvested in rotations ranging from 4 to 10 years, and in some cases, allowed to resprout (coppice) from the harvested stumps rather than replanted. Yields ranging from 5 to13 dry tons/ac/yr have been reported.   Silver maple (Acer saccharinum) is a medium sized tree native to the eastern U.S. and is used as a source of maple lumber. It is often planted as an ornamental but has been suggested as a potential bioenergy crop. Little data is available.   Eucalyptus globulus Labill is native to Tasmania and is the most widely planted Eucalyptus variety in the world. It was introduced to California in 1856 and Hawaii in 1865. Around 40,000 and 12,000 acres of Eucalyptus globulus L. are planted in California and Hawaii respectively. E. globulus grows best in mild, temperate climates or high, cool elevations in tropical areas. It coppices (regrows) readily from stumps of all sizes and ages. In the U.S. it is mainly produced for pulp, however, efforts to develop Eucalyptus as a bioenergy crop have been undertaken. In Hawaii, untended 3 to 5 year old coppice stands averaged stem wood weights of 2 to 3 dry tons/ac/yr, and a five year old stand produced 6 dry tons/ac/yr.   Efforts to develop Eucalyptus as an energy crop are underway in Florida. E. amplifolia can be grown from central Florida northward to about 50 miles inland from the Gulf Coast. Yields of 11.2 dry ton/ac/yr for E. amplifolia have been attained in north Florida. E. grandis is more suitable for production in southern Florida and yields of 16.1 dry ton/ac/yr have been achieved there. Efforts are underway to produce Eucalyptus on phosphate mining land as a means of remediating the land. As part of a feasibility study for co-firing Eucalyptus for electricity generation, it was estimated that sufficient quantities could be delivered to a local utility at a cost of $18.34/green ton (assumes 60 percent moisture) or $2.66/million Btu. Harvest was assumed to occur using a conventional feller-buncher and harvest represented 70 percent of the total cost. Currently, approximately 6000 hectares of Eucalyptus grandis are commercially produced in Florida.

References
O.O. Wells and R.C. Schmidtling, Sycamore, In Silvics of North America, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Agricultural Handbook 654, December 1990 (Russell M. Burns and Barbara H. Honkala, eds.). Paul P. Kormanik, Sweetgum, In Silvics of North America, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Agricultural Handbook 654, December 1990 William J. Gabriel, Silver Maple,  In Silvics of North America, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Agricultural Handbook 654, December 1990 (Russell M. Burns and Barbara H. Honkala, eds.). James A. Stricker, Donald L. Rockwood, Stephen A. Segrest, Gillian R. Alker, Gordon M. Prine, and Douglas R. Carter, 2000, Short rotation woody crops in Florida, Presentation at Third Biennial Conference, Short Rotation Woody Crops Operations Working Group, Syracuse, NY, October 10-13, 2000. Roger G. Skolmen and F. Thomas Ledig, Bluegum Eucalyptus, In Silvics of North America, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Agricultural Handbook 654, December 1990 (Russell M. Burns and Barbara H. Honkala, eds.). A.A. Davis and C.C. Trettin, 2006, Sycamore and sweetgum plantation productivity on former agricultural land in South Carolina, Biomass and Bioenergy 30 (2006): 769-777. D.L. Rockwood, D.R. Carter, M.H. Langholtz, and J.A. Stricker, 2006, Eucalyptus and Populus short rotation woody crops for phosphate mined lands in Florida, Biomass and Bioenergy 30(2006): 728-734.