Priorities for ecological research on energy crops in the north central states

摘要

Following the principles set by the National Biofuels Roundtable, a workshop was held in March 1995 which brought together a group of stakeholders and experts in the field of biomass energy and ecology. The mission of the workshop was to identify and set priorities for ecological research to ensure that large-scale biomass energy development in the North Central states occurs in an ecologically sound, sustainable manner. The workshop found that questions about the landscape-scale deployment of biomass plantations were most pressing. The workshop recommended that adaptive resource management principles be applied in a phased development of increasingly larger plantations. Each phase of development would help to answer questions about landscape-scale development; improving the design of subsequent phases. Principles of sustainable agriculture should also be applied to biomass plantations to minimize impact on soils and water quality, maintain productivity and benefit the rural economy. Results of the workshop will be helpful to natural resource and research agencies, as well as utilities and biomass energy developers.