Mid Sweden University

Persistence of standing dead trees (snags) is an important determinant for their role for biodiversity and dead wood associated carbon fluxes. How fast snags fall varies widely among species and regions and is further influenced by a variety of stand- and tree-level factors. However, our understanding of this variation is fragmentary at best, partly due to lack of empirical data. Here, we took advantage of the accruing time series of snag observations in the Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish National Forest Inventories that have been followed in these programs since the mid-1990s. We first harmonized observations from slightly different inventory protocols and then, using this harmonized dataset of ca. 43,000 observations that had a consistent 5-year census interval, we modelled the probability of snags of the main boreal tree species Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies and Betula spp. falling, as a function of tree- and stand-level variables, using Bayesian logistic regression modelling. The models were moderately good at predicting snags remaining standing or falling, with a correct classification rate ranging from 68% to 75% among species. In general, snag persistence increased with tree size and climatic wetness, and decreased with temperature sum, advancing stage of decay, site productivity and disturbance intensity (mainly harvesting). Synthesis and applications: The effect of harvesting demonstrates that an efficient avenue to increase the amount of snags in managed forests is protecting them during silvicultural operations. In the warmer future, negative relationship between snag persistence and temperature suggests decreasing the time snags remain standing and hence decreasing habitat availability for associated species. As decomposition rates generally increase after fall, decreasing snag persistence also implies substantially faster release of carbon from dead wood. The effect of harvesting demonstrates that an efficient avenue to increase the amount of snags in managed forests is protecting them during silvicultural operations. In the warmer future, negative relationship between snag persistence and temperature suggests decreasing the time snags remain standing and hence decreasing habitat availability for associated species. As decomposition rates generally increase after fall, decreasing snag persistence also implies substantially faster release of carbon from dead wood.image

Nonwoven fibrous materials with reticular support of an interconnected fiber network and a tortuous airflow pathway have been commonly used in filtration applications. To meet the criteria of filter efficiency and performance, the filter materials are recommended to contain different types of fibers such as mechanical pulp fibers, microfibrillated cellulose, cellulose nanofibers, and other polymer or synthetic fibers with a range of dimensions, i.e., length and diameter. Cellulose fibers in filter media possess irregular and complex structures with hollow or collapsed lumen structures owing to their refinement or pulping method. The development of an appropriate filter media model requires information on actual fiber characteristics. In this study, a simulation method was used to investigate the complex microstructures of filter media. The physical parameters such as fiber wall thickness, diameter, length, cross-section shapes, and curliness were obtained from fiber analyzers and scanning electron microscopy. Based on the experimental findings, GeoDict database comprising different types of common fiber models was constructed. 3-Dimensional fibrous models corresponding to the wet-laid binderless filter material were generated. Using the GeoDict modules, the pore size distributions, average pore sizes, air permeability, pressure drop and initial filter efficiency simulations were performed. The simulation results appear to be in close agreement with the experimental results. The incorporation of cellulose nanofibers resulted in reduced average pore sizes and air permeability of the filter material, thus enhancing the initial filter efficiency. The filter media developed a biobased material derived from pulp fibers for advanced applications such as medical facemask, and air filtration purposes.

Fabrication of paper-based packaging materials is increasing and the challenge is developing a sustainable process to manufacture the materials that can compete with plastics. Employing stronger fiber in production of fiber-based materials improves the efficiency of fabrication process by using a reduced amount of biomass. Cationic starch is a well-known polysaccharide that has been introduced to paper and paperboard fibers to improve the mechanical properties of lignocellulosic fibers. The polyelectrolyte (PE) multilayer method has been popularized as a new and interesting technique to enhance the adsorption of cationic starch on the fiber for improving the strength properties of chemi-thermomechanical pulp (CTMP), chemical and kraft pulps. We have shown in our previous work that the synergistic combination of organocatalysis and PE complexes improved the mechanical properties of CTMP and TMP. In this work, we chose to expand this concept by integrating it with low-dose sulfite pretreatment of wood chips in preparation of CTMP. Thus, CTMP produced by initial sulfite pre-treatment was next surface engineered by synergistic combination of organocatalysis and PE complexes using organic acids as catalysts. The CTMP pulps, which contains 0.1-0.24 wt.% sulfur, produced by our novel pulp-engineering strategy shows a dramatic strength increase (Z- strength: up to 100 %) as compared to no surface engineering. While only sulfite pre-treatment and PE-complex surface engineering were able to improve the strength properties, it was only when the organic catalysts was present that the highest strength improvements were reached. Thus, a clear synergistic effect of the catalyst was observed.

The aim of this study was to estimate the aboveground carbon sequestration and the amountof CO2 emissions at logging operation in Hyrcanian forests of Iran. Required data, such as foreststanding stock, annual growth increment of trees, wood density and timber harvesting, werecollected from secondary sources. Allometric equation was used for estimating the carbon sequestration.The amount of CO2 emission was calculated. Results showed that the annual growthper hectare and the amount of carbon sequestration per growth were 3.37 m3·yr-1 and 1.14 t·ha-1,respectively. Results also indicated that the value of aboveground sequestrated carbon and itsnet present value were 71,217.63 (10,000 IRR∙ha-1) and 12,668.28 (10,000 IRR∙ha-1), respectively.Finally, the amount of carbon emission per hectare was calculated, as it was 0.01078 t∙ha-1 peryear. The results of emission and carbon sequestration per hectare of the forest show that notonly logging per hectare of forest will eliminate annual carbon sequestration, but also leads to anincrease in CO2 into the atmosphere due to harvest activity.

Loss of forest naturalness challenges the maintenance of green infrastructure (GI) for biodiversity conservation and delivery of diverse ecosystem services. Using the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Aichi target #11 with its quantitative and qualitative criteria as a normative model, we aim at supporting landscape planning through a pioneering assessment of the extent to which existing amounts and spatial distributions of High Conservation Value Forests (HCVFs) meet these criteria. Highly forested and committed to both intensive wood production and evidence-based conservation targets of 17–20% protected areas, Sweden was chosen as a case study. Specifically, we estimated the amount, regional representation, and functional connectivity of HCVF patches using virtual bird species, validated the results using field surveys of focal bird species, and assessed conservation target fulfilment. Finally, we linked these results to the regional distribution of forest land ownership categories, and stress that these provide different opportunities for landscape planning. Even if 31% of forest land in Sweden is officially protected, voluntarily set-aside, or not used for wood production now and in the future, we show that applying the representation and connectivity criteria of Aichi target #11 reduces this figure to an effective GI of 12%. When disaggregating the five ecoregions the effective GI was 54% for the sub-alpine forest ecoregion, which hosts EU’s last intact forest landscapes, but only 3–8% in the other four ecoregions where wood production is predominant. This results in an increasing need for forest habitat and landscape restoration from north to south. The large regional variation in the opportunity for landscape planning stresses the need for a portfolio of different approaches. We stress the need to secure funding mechanisms for compensating land owners’ investments in GI, and to adapt both the approaches and spatial extents of landscape planning units to land ownership structure.

Aims: Many empirical studies have found neutral or positive effects of forestry on plant alpha diversity in temperate deciduous forests, reflecting a positive effect of soil and canopy disturbances caused by forestry operations. The level to which this positive response to artificial disturbances mimics processes in natural forest ecosystems is less clear; hence, the systemic effects of forest management on ground floral communities remain obscure. Location: Temperate Europe, Denmark. Methods: We studied communities of ground-dwelling bryophytes and vascular plants in 400 plots distributed across 40 beech stands across four classes of forest management intensity – long unmanaged, recently unmanaged, near-to-nature managed, and shelterwood managed – while recording the incidence of a diverse array of microhabitats related to hydrology, canopy closure and soil disturbance. Results: Microhabitat availability differed considerably among forest management classes as a response to management. Overall, forest management had a significant positive effect on the plot-level alpha diversity of both vascular plants and bryophytes. In contrast, beta diversity and total ecospace decreased with forest management intensity. Litter accumulation simultaneously decreased alpha diversity in both groups, while light availability, soil exposure and presence of wetlands respectively, were crucial for vascular plant and bryophyte richness. Forestry-created canopy gaps had a similar effect on alpha diversity as natural tree-fall gaps but supported a different set of species, mainly ubiquitous generalists. Conclusions: Even if plant alpha diversity was lower in unmanaged forest stands, this did not significantly affect gamma diversity across the sampled stands, suggesting that plant richness needs to be considered at a relevant scale when evaluating forest management impact on biodiversity. These scaling issues seem to reflect fundamental differences in disturbance dynamics in managed and unmanaged forest ecosystems, which are typically not well accounted for in monitoring and research. A better understanding of disturbance dynamics in forest ecosystems and their spatial impact on biodiversity is needed to guide ecological restoration and management for biodiversity in production forest. 

Constitutive and inducible terpene production is involved in conifer resistance against insects and fungal infestations. To gain knowledge about local defence responses of Norway spruce bark against pathogens and to find potential chemical markers for resistance breeding, we inoculated the stem of 8-year-old Norway spruce (Picea abies) clonal trees with both Endoconidiophora polonica (Ep, a common fungal pathogen associated with the spruce bark beetle Ips typographus) and Heterobasidion parviporum (Hp, a severe pathogen causing root and stem rot disease). Three weeks after inoculation, the fungal-inoculated and intact bark from each tree was sampled. The terpenes in tree bark were extracted with hexane and characterized by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The two fungi induced varied terpene responses in the four spruce clones used. Three of the clones showed a 2.3-fold to 5.7-fold stronger terpene response to Hp relative to Ep inoculation, while one clone responded similarly to inoculation with the two fungal pathogens. The amount of the diterpenes thunbergol and geranyllinalool varied between the clones. The level of thunbergol was higher in both intact and fungal-inoculated bark from the less susceptible clones compared with the more susceptible clones. Geranyllinalool was present in higher amounts in the susceptible clones and is thus a possible marker for susceptibility. Our observations show that Norway spruce employs a similar chemical mechanism against the two fungal pathogens. Based on the present and earlier published data, we suggest that certain Norway spruce genotypes have a strong defence reaction against these two pathogens. The diterpenes thunbergol and geranyllinalool might be useful markers of susceptibility in tree-breeding programmes and should be the focus of further detailed investigations. 

Background

This article reports the steps of an educational intervention, which is designed to change livestock breeders’ preventive behavior in terms of vaccinating their livestock against brucellosis. The study has been conducted in a rural area in a country with the second highest brucellosis prevalence in the world.

Methods

In a quasi-experimental study and applying PRECEDE-PROCEED model, 45 livestock breeders were trained through basket method, accompanied with constructive feedback from researchers and peers and a brief interactive lecture at the end. The livestock breeders’ awareness, attitude and practice level in the intervention group was compared with those of other 45 livestock breeders in a control group, 1 and 6 months after the intervention. According to the results of the Rose Bengal tests (RBTs), as a rapid and simple screening test, the presence or absence of Brucella antibodies in the animals’ serum was investigated.

Results

Immediately and 1 month after the intervention, the mean scores of knowledge, awareness and practice of livestock breeders in the intervention group were significantly higher. Six months after the intervention, the results of the RBTs were positive in more livestock in the intervention group compared to the animals in the control group. The positive result of RBT after educational intervention, in livestock whose test results were negative immediately before intervention, accompanying the results of observation indicating a good general condition of livestock was considered as a probable evidence of the success of the educational intervention.

Conclusion

The model-driven educational intervention could significantly increase livestock breeders’ awareness, attitude and practice regarding prevention of brucellosis and vaccination of their livestock against brucellosis; however, a period of non-continuous reinforcement and gradual reduction of the number of the reinforcements by health educator workers is recommended in order to increase the maintenance of the learnt behavior.

Trial registration

Conducting this study was registered at Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20180304038945N1). Registered 24 December 2018. The proposal was registered before enrollment of the first participant.

Skogen är betydelsefull för Sverige på många olika sätt. Den utgör t.ex. grunden för en viktig basindustri för landet, ger material till hus och hem, ger sysselsättning åt många, utgör plats för social gemenskap och rekreation, utgör miljö för mental och fysisk återhämtning för människor, är växt- och livsplats för mängder av växter och djur och den är ett viktigt rum för lärande – en lärmiljö.

To conserve biodiversity, it is imperative to maintain and restore sufficient amounts of functional habitat networks. Therefore, the location of the remaining forests with natural structures and processes over landscapes and large regions is a key objective. Here we integrated machine learning (Random Forest) and open landscape data to scan all forest landscapes in Sweden with a 1 ha spatial resolution with respect to the relative likelihood of hosting High Conservation Value Forests. Using independent spatial stand- and plot-level validation data, we confirmed that our predictions correctly represent different levels of forest naturalness, from degraded to those with high and associated biodiversity conservation values. Given ambitious national and international conservation objectives and increasingly intensive forestry, our model and the resulting wall-to-wall mapping fill an urgent gap for assessing the achievement of evidence-based conservation targets, spatial planning, and designing forest landscape restoration. 

Livestock feeding behaviour is an influential research area in animal husbandry and agriculture. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in automated systems for monitoring the behaviour of ruminants. Current automated monitoring systems mainly use motion, acoustic, pressure and image sensors to collect and analyse patterns related to ingestive behaviour, foraging activities and daily intake. The performance evaluation of existing methods is a complex task and direct comparisons between studies is difficult. Several factors prevent a direct comparison, starting from the diversity of data and performance metrics used in the experiments. This review on the analysis of the feeding behaviour of ruminants emphasise the relationship between sensing methodologies, signal processing, and computational intelligence methods. It assesses the main sensing methodologies and the main techniques to analyse the signals associated with feeding behaviour, evaluating their use in different settings and situations. It also highlights the potential of the valuable information provided by automated monitoring systems to expand knowledge in the field, positively impacting production systems and research. The paper closes by discussing future engineering challenges and opportunities in livestock feeding behaviour monitoring. 

Bioenergy can contribute to achieving European Union (EU) climate targets while mitigating impacts from current agricultural land use. A GIS-based modeling framework (1000 m resolution) is employed to match biomass supply (forest and agricultural residues, complemented by lignocellulosic energy crops where needed)with biomass demand for either electricity or bio-oil production on sites currently used for coal power in the EU-28, Norway, and Switzerland. The framework matches supply and demand based on minimizing the field-to-gate costs and is used to provide geographically explicit information on (i) plant-gate supply cost; (ii) CO2 savings;and (iii) potential mitigation opportunities for soil erosion, flooding, and eutrophication resulting from the introduction of energy crops on cropland. Converting all suitable coal power plants to biomass and assuming that biomass is sourced within a transport distance of 300 km, would produce an estimated 150 TW h biomass-derived electricity, using 1365 PJ biomass, including biomass from energy crops grown on 6 Mha. Using all existing coal power sites for bio-oil production in100-MW pyrolysis units could produce 820 PJ of bio-oil, using 1260 PJ biomass, including biomass from energy crops grown on 1.8 Mha. Using biomass to generate electricity would correspond to an emissions reduction of135 MtCO2, while using biomass to produce bio-oil to substitute for crude oil would correspond to a reduction of59 MtCO2. In addition, energy crops can have a positive effect on soil organic carbon in most of the analyzed countries. The mitigation opportunities investigated range from marginal to high depending on location.

Betydelsen av död ved i skogen för biologisk mångfald är väl dokumenterad. Sveriges riksdag har fastställt 15 miljömål och varje mål är uppdelat i flera delmål. I ett av dessa mål, Levande skogar, konstateras att kvantiteten av hård död ved måste öka med åtminstone 40 procent i hela landet och betydligt mer i områden, där biologisk mångfald är speciellt hotad. Men än så länge finns inget detaljerat långsiktigt mål. Syftet med den här studien var att undersöka: 1. Vilken kvalitet och kvantitet av död ved behövs i skogen för att bevara mångfalden? 2. Var i landskapet är det viktigast att öka mängden död ved? 3. Hur når vi målet? Arbetet har baserats på litteraturöversikter och frågeformulär till markägare, avverkningsentreprenörer och tjänstemän inom skogsnäringen. Olika scenarier baserade på litteraturgranskningen framställdes via datorsimulationer, där mängden och spridningen av död ved varierade med en beräknad ökningstakt. Utifrån dessa studier kan vi dra följande slutsatser: 1. Somliga arter är specialiserade och kräver ett rikligt utbud av död ved (50 m3/ha eller mer). Dessa arter kan endast bevaras i skyddade områden. 2. Brukade skogar utanför skyddade områden med 20 m3 död ved/ha tycks vara högkvalitativa habitat för många arter. 3. I områden dominerade av skog bör sådana habitat täcka mellan 10 och 30 procent av landskapet. 4. Dessa områden bör lokaliseras i anslutning till skyddade områden och områden med sällsynta arter. 5. Om den här strategin antas, kommer medelvärdet för hela Sverige vara 10 m3 död ved/ha. 6. För att kunna nå det målet 2030 måste mängden död ved öka med 40 procent varje årtionde (vilket innebär en exponentiell ökning). 7. Men ännu viktigare än att nå ett visst medelvärde för hela Sverige är, att så snabbt som möjligt öka förekomsten av död ved i anslutning till områden med hotade arter. 8. Det gäller att så snabbt som möjligt identifiera dessa hotade områden/ biotoper och för det ändamålet behöver regionala bristanalyser tas fram. 9. Men död ved behövs även utanför speciellt rika områden, som en resurs för kommande generationer samt som spridningskorridor mellan olika “hot-spots”. Där kan mängden död ved vara mindre och ökningsgraden lägre. 10. Förutom ökningen av död ved är det viktigt med en större variation av olika kvaliteter samt en kontinuerlig tillförsel. 11. Att öka mängden död ved snabbt i hotade områden (hot-spots) enbart med hjälp av frivilliga åtgärder, kommer troligen att bli svårt. Därför kan olika nya slags politiska åtgärder vara nödvändiga (såsom ekonomisk kompensation). 12. För att definiera målet mer i detalj, behövs mer kunskap om den kritiska tröskeln, spridningsmöjligheter, habitat och substratanspråk samt populationsbiologi för några arter.

The fruits of Arbutus unedo L. have a crimson colour and are enriched with remarkable concentrations of bioactive compounds such as anthocyanins and polyphenols. These fruits are commonly used in the production of a Portuguese Protected Geographical Indication distillate called “Aguardente de Medronho”. During this process, a solid pomace is generated and presently discarded without valuable applications. In this work, two strategies have been developed for the valorisation of A. unedo pomace. The first approach considers the extraction of polyphenols from this by-product through the optimization of an ultrasound-assisted method using a Box-Behnken design coupled with response surface methodology. The results indicate that the temperature and the percentage of methanol, along with their interaction, significantly influence the total concentration of polyphenols and the antioxidant activity of the extracts obtained. The optimal conditions identified consider the extraction of 0.5 g of sample with 20 mL of a solvent containing 74% MeOH (aq), at a pH of 4.8, maintained at 70 °C for 15 min. On the other hand, the second valorisation strategy considered the use of A. unedo pomace in the development of functional cookies. The incorporation of 15–20% pomace in the cookie formulation was well-received by consumers. This incorporation results in an intake of ca. 6.55 mg of polyphenols per gram of cookie consumed, accompanied by an antioxidant activity of 4.54 mg Trolox equivalents per gram of cookie consumed. Overall, these results encourage the employment of A. unedo pomace either as a reliable source of extracts enriched in polyphenols or as a nutraceutical active ingredient in functional cookies, thereby positively impacting human health. 

Hollow trees are crucial for forest biodiversity but are becoming increasingly rare in many ecosystems, including the Scots pine forests of northern Europe. Here, we inoculated heartwood of live Scots pine trees with the fungal keystone species Porodaedalia pini to initiate tree hollowing. The fungus was inoculated in 50-, 110- and 170-year old stands, using wood dowels containing mycelia. Three different strains were used to test for intraspecific variation. Molecular analysis of samples from inoculated trees seven years after treatment showed that 67% were successfully colonised, with no differences between stands. Fungal strain had no effect on colonisation success. Our findings suggest that inoculation with P. pini has the potential to be an efficient method to restore a key ecological process, tree hollowing, in degraded Scots pine forests. The possibility of initiating the process even in young trees may be a way to accelerate the formation of hollow pines in younger forests. 

Coarse woody debris (CWD) is a key habitat for many species in forest ecosystems. To ensure the long-term survival of such species, forest management regimes must include measures that promote dead wood dynamics similar to those of natural forests. Thus, information on CWD dynamics under natural conditions is required, including data pertaining to the underlying agents of disturbance. This study examines modes of mortality, decay rates, and temporal patterns in the availability of Picea abies logs in a Swedish old-growth forest affected by internal, small-scale disturbance. All 684 logs in a 6.6-ha plot were mapped and classified into one of six decay classes. Logs in the early stages of decay were examined for the presence of heart-rot fungi. Six years later all logs were re-inventoried, including newly formed logs. Matrix models based on the transition rates between decay classes showed that it took about 60 years for 90% of the logs to decay beyond class 6 (a deformed trunk with soft wood). Large logs (≥26 cm) decayed 40% more slowly than small logs (≤25 cm). The initial volume of logs was 37.6 m3/ha but increased to 44.8 m 3/ha after six years. In addition, there was a large shift in the decay-class distribution. The volume of logs in early and late decay classes increased by 71% and 45%, respectively, while the volume of logs in the intermediate decay classes decreased by 32%. The fluctuations appear to result from pulses in mortality, driven by a combination of strong winds and the heart-rot fungus, Phellinus chrysoloma, which was present in more than 30% of all logs at an early stage of decay. These results show that large temporal fluctuations in dead wood also occur in the absence of large-scale disturbance, and that heart-rot fungi are important factors driving the overall dynamics of dead wood. Since many wood-inhabiting species are naturally rare and have very specific substrate demands, such temporal variability in dead wood availability may have effects on biodiversity and should be taken into account when designing small, protected forest areas.

Most of the earlier proposed ways to reduce energy con-sumption in high consistency refining requires operating at a small disc gap. However, a small gap is often associated with a severe fiber length reduction and often lead to unsta-ble refining and a small operational window. To address these issues, the idea of utilizing abrasive segments surfaces is here revisited. Abrasive refiner segments, consisting of abrasive surfaces in combinations with traditional bars and grooves or flat abrasive surfaces without any bars or grooves, were evaluated in both pilot and mill scale. From the trials it could be concluded, that particularly stable refin-ing was achieved with less power variations compared to when using standard segments, even when refining at very small disc gaps. The lw-mean fiber length of the pulps was not reduced or only slightly reduced, even when refining at very small disc gaps. Tensile index could be increased more efficiently or equally efficient as when using standard seg-ments. Improved energy efficiency could be achieved when combining the abrasive surface with high intensity treat-ment.

Three scenarios of large-scale deployment for riparian buffers and windbreaks, across over 81,000 landscapes in Europe, with quantified corresponding areas, biomass output, and environmental benefits.

Abstract:

Within the scope of the new Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, in coherence with other EU policies, new incentives are developed for farmers to deploy practices that are beneficial for climate, water, soil, air, and biodiversity. Such practices include establishment of multifunctional biomass production systems, designed to reduce environmental impacts while providing biomass for food, feed, bioenergy, and other biobased products. Here, we model three scenarios of large-scale deployment for two such systems, riparian buffers and windbreaks, across over 81,000 landscapes in Europe, and quantify the corresponding areas, biomass output, and environmental benefits. The results show that these systems can effectively reduce nitrogen emissions to water and soil loss by wind erosion, while simultaneously providing substantial environmental co-benefits, having limited negative effects on current agricultural production. This kind of beneficial land-use change using strategic perennialization is important for meeting environmental objectives while advancing towards a sustainable bioeconomy. 

Society faces the double challenge of increasing biomass production to meet the future demands for food,materials and bioenergy, while addressing negative impacts of current (and future) land use. In the discourse,land use change (LUC) has often been considered as negative, referring to impacts of deforestation and expansion of biomass plantations. However, strategic establishment of suitable perennial production systems in agricultural landscapes can mitigate environmental impacts of current crop production, while providing biomass for the bioeconomy.

Here, we explore the potential for such “beneficial LUC” in EU28. First, we map and quantify thedegree of accumulated soil organic carbon losses, soil loss by wind and water erosion, nitrogen emissions towater, and recurring floods, in ∼81.000 individual landscapes in EU28. We then estimate the effectiveness inmitigating these impacts through establishment of perennial plants, in each landscape.

The results indicate that there is a substantial potential for effective impact mitigation. Depending on criteria selection, 10–46% of the land used for annual crop production in EU28 is located in landscapes that could be considered priority areas for beneficial LUC. These areas are scattered all over Europe, but there are notable “hot-spots” where priority areas are concentrated, e.g., large parts of Denmark, western UK, The Po valley in Italy, and the Danube basin. While some policy developments support beneficial LUC, implementation could benefit from attempts to realize synergies between different Sustainable Development Goals, e.g., “Zero hunger”, “Clean water and sanitation”, “Affordable and Clean Energy”, “Climate Action”, and “Life on Land”. 

This is the input dataset to a Python script (https://github.com/oskeng/MF-bio-grass) used to model the effects of widespread deployment of grass in rotations with annual crops to provide biomass while remediating soil organic carbon (SOC) losses and other environmental impacts.

For more information about the dataset and the study, see the original article:

Englund, O., Mola-Yudego, B., Börjesson, P., Cederberg, C., Dimitriou, I., Scarlat, N., Berndes, G. Large-scale deployment of grass in crop rotations as a multifunctional climate mitigation strategy. GCB Bioenergy

Usage Notes:

The data file (Geopackage) can be opened using standard GIS software, preferably GRASS GIS or QGIS (both open source).This dataset is intended as input to a Python script (https://github.com/oskeng/MF-bio-grass) that must be run from within a GRASS GIS session.

Society faces the double challenge of increasing biomass production to meet the future demands for food, materials and bioenergy, while addressing negative impacts of current (and future) land use. In the discourse, land use change (LUC) has often been considered as negative, referring to impacts of deforestation and expansion of biomass plantations. However, strategic establishment of suitable perennial production systems in agricultural landscapes can mitigate environmental impacts of current crop production, while providing biomass for the bioeconomy. Here, we explore the potential for such “beneficial LUC” in EU28. First, we map and quantify the degree of accumulated soil organic carbon losses, soil loss by wind and water erosion, nitrogen emissions to water, and recurring floods, in ∼81.000 individual landscapes in EU28. We then estimate the effectiveness in mitigating these impacts through establishment of perennial plants, in each landscape. The results indicate that there is a substantial potential for effective impact mitigation. Depending on criteria selection, 10–46% of the land used for annual crop production in EU28 is located in landscapes that could be considered priority areas for beneficial LUC. These areas are scattered all over Europe, but there are notable “hot-spots” where priority areas are concentrated, e.g., large parts of Denmark, western UK, The Po valley in Italy, and the Danube basin. While some policy developments support beneficial LUC, implementation could benefit from attempts to realize synergies between different Sustainable Development Goals, e.g., “Zero hunger”, “Clean water and sanitation”, “Affordable and Clean Energy”, “Climate Action”, and “Life on Land”.

The land sector needs to increase biomass production to meet multiple demands while reducing negative land use impacts and transitioning from being a source to being a sink of carbon. The new Common Agricultural Policy of the EU (CAP) steers towards a more needs-based, targeted approach to addressing multiple environmental and climatic objectives, in coherence with other EU policies. In relation to this, new schemes are developed to offer farmers direct payments to adapt practices beneficial for climate, water, soil, air and biodiversity. Multifunctional biomass production systems have potential to reduce environmental impacts from agriculture while maintaining or increasing biomass production for the bioeconomy across Europe. Here, we present the first attempt to model the deployment of two such systems, riparian buffers and windbreaks, across >81.000 landscapes in Europe (EU27 + UK), aiming to quantify the resulting ecosystem services and environmental benefits, considering three deployment scenarios with different incentives for implementation. We found that these multifunctional biomass production systems can reduce N emissions to water and soil loss by wind erosion, respectively, down to a “low” impact level all over Europe, while simultaneously providing substantial environmental co-benefits, using less than 1% of the area under annual crops in the EU. The GHG emissions savings of utilizing the biomass produced in these systems for replacing fossil alternatives, combined with the increases in soil organic carbon, correspond to 1-1,4% of total GHG emissions in EU28. The introduction of “eco-schemes” in the new CAP may resolve some of the main barriers to implementation of large-scale multifunctional biomass production systems. Increasing the knowledge of these opportunities among all EU member states, before designing and introducing country-specific Eco-scheme options in the new CAP, is critical.

The land sector needs to increase biomass production to meet multiple demands while reducing negative land use impacts and transitioning from being a source to being a sink of carbon. The new Common Agricultural Policy of the EU (CAP) steers towards a more needs-based, targeted approach to addressing multiple environmental and climatic objectives, in coherence with other EU policies. In relation to this, new schemes are developed to offer farmers direct payments to adapt practices beneficial for climate, water, soil, air and biodiversity. Multifunctional biomass production systems have potential to reduce environmental impacts from agriculture while maintaining or increasing biomass production for the bioeconomy across Europe. Here, we present the first attempt to model the deployment of two such systems, riparian buffers and windbreaks, across >81.000 landscapes in Europe (EU27 + UK), aiming to quantify the resulting ecosystem services and environmental benefits, considering three deployment scenarios with different incentives for implementation. We found that these multifunctional biomass production systems can reduce N emissions to water and soil loss by wind erosion, respectively, down to a “low” impact level all over Europe, while simultaneously providing substantial environmental co-benefits, using less than 1% of the area under annual crops in the EU. The GHG emissions savings of utilizing the biomass produced in these systems for replacing fossil alternatives, combined with the increases in soil organic carbon, correspond to 1-1,4% of total GHG emissions in EU28. The introduction of “eco-schemes” in the new CAP may resolve some of the main barriers to implementation of large-scale multifunctional biomass production systems. Increasing the knowledge of these opportunities among all EU member states, before designing and introducing country-specific Eco-scheme options in the new CAP, is critical.

Within the scope of the new Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, in coherence with other EU policies, new incentives are developed for farmers to deploy practices that are beneficial for climate, water, soil, air, and biodiversity. Such practices include establishment of multifunctional biomass production systems, designed to reduce environmental impacts while providing biomass for food, feed, bioenergy, and other biobased products. Here, we model three scenarios of large-scale deployment for two such systems, riparian buffers and windbreaks, across over 81,000 landscapes in Europe, and quantify the corresponding areas, biomass output, and environmental benefits. The results show that these systems can effectively reduce nitrogen emissions to water and soil loss by wind erosion, while simultaneously providing substantial environmental co-benefits, having limited negative effects on current agricultural production. This kind of beneficial land-use change using strategic perennialization is important for meeting environmental objectives while advancing towards a sustainable bioeconomy.

As the global population increases and becomes more affluent, biomass demands for food and biomaterials will increase. Demand growth is further accelerated by the implementation of climate policies and strategies to replace fossil resources with biomass. There are, however, concerns about the size of the prospective biomass demand and the environmental and social consequences of the corresponding resource mobilization, especially concerning impacts from the associated land-use change. Strategically integrating perennials into landscapes dominated by intensive agriculture can, for example, improve biodiversity, reduce soil erosion and nutrient emissions to water, increase soil carbon, enhance pollination, and avoid or mitigate flooding events. Such ?multifunctional perennial production systems? can thus contribute to improving overall land-use sustainability, while maintaining or increasing overall biomass productivity in the landscape. Seven different cases in different world regions are here reviewed to exemplify and evaluate (a) multifunctional production systems that have been established to meet emerging bioenergy demands, and (b) efforts to identify locations where the establishment of perennial crops will be particularly beneficial. An important barrier towards wider implementation of multifunctional systems is the lack of markets, or policies, compensating producers for enhanced ecosystem services and other environmental benefits. This deficiency is particularly important since prices for fossil-based fuels are low relative to bioenergy production costs. Without such compensation, multifunctional perennial production systems will be unlikely to contribute to the development of a sustainable bioeconomy.

The agricultural sector can contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing its own greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and sequestering atmospheric carbon in vegetation and soils, and by providing biomass for substituting fossil fuels and other GHG intensive products in the energy, industry and transport sectors. New policies at EU level provide incentives for more sustainable land use practices, for example, cultivation systems using perennial plants that provide biomass for food, bioenergy and other biobased products along with land carbon sequestration and other environmental benefits. Based on spatial modelling across more than 81,000 landscapes in Europe, we find that introduction of grass-clover leys into rotations with annual crops could result in soil organic carbon sequestration corresponding to 5-10% of total current GHG emissions from agriculture in EU27+UK, annually until 2050. The combined annual GHG savings from soil carbon sequestration and use of biogas produced in connection to grass-based biorefineries equals 13-48% of current GHG emissions from agriculture. The assessed environmental co-benefits (reduced wind and water erosion, reduced nitrogen emissions to water, and mitigation of impacts associated with flooding) are considerable. Besides policy instruments, new markets for grass biomass, e.g., as feedstock for producing biofuels and protein concentrate, can incentivize widespread deployment of in-rotation grass cultivation.

The agriculture sector can contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing its own greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, sequestering carbon in vegetation and soils, and providing biomass to substitute for fossil fuels and other GHG intensive products. The sector also needs to address water, soil, and biodiversity impacts caused by historic and current practices. Emerging EU policies create incentives for cultivation of perennial plants that provide biomass along with environmental benefits. One such option, common in northern Europe, is to include grass in rotations with annual crops to provide biomass while remediating soil organic carbon (SOC) losses and other environmental impacts. Here, we apply a spatially explicit model on >81,000 sub-watersheds in EU27+UK (Europe) to explore the effects of widespread deployment of such systems. Based on current accumulated SOC losses in individual sub-watersheds, the model identifies and quantifies suitable areas for increased grass cultivation and corresponding biomass- and protein supply, SOC sequestration, and reductions in nitrogen emissions to water as well as wind and water erosion. The model also provides information about possible flood mitigation. The results indicate a substantial climate mitigation potential, with combined annual GHG savings from soil-carbon sequestration and displacement of natural gas with biogas from grass-based biorefineries, equivalent to 13-48% of current GHG emissions from agriculture in Europe. The environmental co-benefits are also notable, in some cases exceeding the estimated mitigation needs. Yield increases for annual crops in modified rotations mitigate the displacement effect of increasing grass cultivation. If the grass is used as feedstock in lieu of annual crops, the displacement effect can be negative, i.e., a reduced need for annual crop production elsewhere. Incentivizing widespread deployment will require supportive policy measures as well as new uses of grass biomass, e.g., as feedstock for green biorefineries producing protein concentrate, biofuels and other biobased products.

Forest fuel is an important source of energy with potential for increased use in the Nordic countries. Profitable forest operations are dependent on logistics as the forest is a natural resource with varying conditions over widespread areas. In comparison to saw log and pulp wood supply, forest fuel supply has to face challenges like low product value, seasonality and irregularity of customer demand, low bulk density and the need to process the biomass prior to delivery. In order to utilize both the economic potential and societal benefits from replacing fossil-based fuels with renewable forest fuels these challenges must be managed. This requires efficient long distance transports, with changes of transport mode typically required.

This thesis examines preconditions necessary for logistic planning to achieve cost and energy efficient long distance transports within supply chains for forest fuel. The thesis has an explorative approach, including both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Paper I provides a review of the development within forestry logistics in Sweden and Finland since the beginning of the century, with focus on transports, terminal usage and storage related aspects. Paper II uses qualitative interviews to deepen the understanding of a specific forest fuel supply chain by focusing on communications and relations between the actors. Paper III is a study of  the influence of a terminal before maritime transport of wood chips using simulation. 

Paper I shows that forestry logistics faces challenges, primarily related to increased variations in field conditions caused by climate change. The importance of terminal storage for the supply of forest products will likely increase as an effect. Also the entrepreneurs interviewed in Paper II stressed the benefits of terminals in the supply chain, e.g. enhanced planning opportunities and a more even workflow over the year. Paper III puts cost for extra terminal handling in relation to storage costs in a port and demonstrates the importance of including variation in logistic planning. The terminal flows were not profitable in the case of a small port. In order to make a well-founded decision gains in other parts of the supply chain must also be considered, even when they are harder to quantify. This deserves attention in future research.

Maritime transport facilitates trade with bioenergy feedstocks in the Baltic region. The study aims to provide guidance on efficient organisation of logistics at the port of loading for maritime transport of wood chips. The economic effects of using an intermediate terminal as opposed to direct delivery to port were studied, as well as the relationships between production capacity and storage capacity. Discrete-Event Simulation was used to analyse scenarios where a variable part of the volume is handled through the terminal. The total supply cost, including chipping, transportation, storage and handling at inland terminal and port, as well as loading of the ship, varied between €6.73 and 7.85 per MWh in the different scenarios. The volume passing through the terminal had a significant influence on total cost, showing a supply chain cost increase of €0.78 per m3 (approxi-mately €4.67 per dry tonne) for material delivered through the terminal. The difference in storage cost between port and inland terminal determines whether the terminal volumes affect costs, which was shown by a sensitivity analysis. Even so, the terminal offers a possibility to manage uncertainty, both in production rates and inshipping date, and influences the supply network. The main advantage of using a simulation technique for planning production and logistic flows is the visualisation of risks and margins.

The objective of the pilot study was to compare validity and reliability properties of Polar RS800CX (Polar Electro Oy, Kempele, Finland) against simultaneously recorded electrocardiogram (ECG) measuring time- and frequency-based short-term heart rate variability (HRV) parameters, in dogs during stationary standing position. Five-minute recordings with less than 5% error rates from inter-beat interval (IBI) series obtained by Polar RS800CX and ECG, in 8 adult dogs, were used for HRV analysis. Polar data were statistically compared to the ECG data to assess for systematic differences in time- and frequency-based HRV parameters. Relative and absolute reliabilities were estimated by intraclass correlation coefficient, Spearman ρ, Bland and Altman analysis, standard error of measurement, and standard error of measurements in percentage. Paired t test was used to determine the statistical significance of differences between the measurement methods. Results: There were high correlation coefficients between HRV parameters obtained from Polar RS800CX and ECG. Intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.98-1.00, and Spearman ρ was 0.93-0.98. There were differences between the methods in 2 HRV parameters, the standard deviation of normal-to-normal IBIs (SDNN) (P = 0.035) and the square root of the mean squared differences of successive normal-to normal IBIs (RMSSD) (P = 0.034). Standard error of measurements was between 2.8-11.6% in ECG and between 2.6-11.8% in Polar, indicating rather high measurement error in 3 of the HRV parameters in both measurement methods. Close agreements and high correlation estimates in this pilot study indicated acceptable relative reliability in Polar RS800CX measuring time- and frequency-based HRV parameters in the group of dogs studied. However, the present pilot study revealed differences between Polar RS800CX and ECG in time-based standard deviation of normal-to-normal and square root of the mean squared differences of successive normal-to normal parameters, and that small amounts of erroneous IBI segments from Polar negatively impact on the validity and reliability properties of Polar RS800CX. © 2015 Elsevier Inc.

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to assess criterion validity, and relative and absolute reliability of Polar® RS800CX heart rate monitor, compared to simultaneously recorded electrocardiogram (ECG) data, in measuring heart rate of dogs during standing position and at trot on a treadmill.

Methods

Heart beats from Polar® RS800CX and Cardiostore ECG were recorded simultaneously during seven continuous minutes in standing position and at trot, in 10 adult healthy dogs. Polar® data was statistically compared to ECG data for a variety of mean beats per minute (BPM), standard deviation and confidence interval. Criterion validity was calculated by Pearson product moment correlation method and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC_2.1). Relative and absolute reliability were calculated by ICC_2.1, the Bland and Altman analysis and standard error of measurement (SEM and SEM%).

Results

The correlation, criterion validity, between Polar® and ECG data in standing position was r = 0.99 (p < 0.0005) and at trot r = 0.97 (p < 0.0005). Polar® data was not significantly different from ECG data. Mean difference between ECG and uncorrected Polar® data was − 0.6 BPM in standing position and − 0.6 BPM at trot. Polar® was over- and underestimating ECG data. SEM and SEM% in standing were ± 2.6 BPM and 3.0%, at trot ± 3.8 BPM and 3.1%, indicating that measurement errors were low.

Conclusion

This study showed that the criterion validity and the instrument reliability were excellent in Polar® RS800CX heart rate measuring system. The equipment seemed to be valid and reliable in measuring BPM in the dogs studied during submaximal cardiovascular conditions such as in standing position and at trot on a treadmill.

The present study deals with the numerical simulation of softwood pulp flow in the rotating and non-rotating grooves in an aim to investigate the fluid flow and forces acting on a representative surface mounted in the groove. The viscosity of softwood pulp in different consistencies is available from the experimental measurements reported in the literature providing the opportunity to examine the effects of fiber consistency on the velocity and pressure distribution within the groove. The simulations are carried out in OpenFOAM for different values of gap thickness and angular velocity from which the pressure coefficient and shear forces values are obtained. It is found that the pressure increases at the stagnation point located at the gap entrance in the non-rotating groove due to tangential motion of the upper wall which induces the helical motion of the pulp flow in the groove’s cavity. However, such an effect is not observed in the rotating cavity close to the groove inlet. Meanwhile, by moving further along the channel length toward the outlet the helical motion is enhanced and an increase in the pressure is observed at the stagnation point. The shear forces over the representative surface are found to be independent of representative surface’s location and it is in the same level in the rotating and non-rotating grooves. In addition to the numerical simulations, an analytical discussion is also presented to provide a deeper understanding of pressure coefficient and shear forces variations with different parameters in the rotating and non-rotating grooves.

Particles in mechanical pulp are a heterogeneous popu-lation, but commonly described using averages based on wide and skewed distributions. It was found that these aver-ages may lead to erroneous conclusions regarding the char-acter of the material and also how the material has been de-veloped along the process. This study is based on measure-ments of individual particle dimensions (length, curl, and ex-ternal fibrillation) in mill operation of CTMP and TMP as detected in an optical analyser.

Effects of hot-pressing on anisotropic sheets with less good formation was here investigated. The main objective was to study water absorption capacity in relation to the wet strength of hot-pressed paper. A pilot paper machine was used to produce papers from TMP and CTMP furnishes. The results indicate that it is not only the high dry content after wetting that contributes to the high wet strength of the paper hot-pressed at 200C. If it is required to have a paper with both low absorption of water and high wet strength, hot-pressing at 200C seems to be more desirable than using con-ventional drying and adding wet chemical agents to the furnish.

Dricker fiskar vatten? Har stora människor större celler? Varför nyser man inte när man sover? Virvlar vatten åt olika håll på norra och södra halvklotet? Varför finns det så många väderkvarnar i Nederländerna? Tänker man sämre på engelska? Varför korvar sig telefonsladden?

Dricker fiskar vatten? är en djup brunn av kunskap att ösa ur för den vetgirige – men också mycket underhållande och rolig att läsa. I den här boken ryms allt från det mest vardagliga till djupt existentiella spörsmål. Här finns just de frågor som du inte visste att du alltid undrat över.

Och hur var det nu med fiskarna? Dricker de vatten? Det överraskande svaret finns i boken. Världen omkring oss är sällan så enkel att det duger med bara ett ja eller ett nej.

Down woody debris (DWD) plays a vital role in forest ecosystem structure and function. Although volume is likely the most common metric used to characterize DWD, an evaluation of the formulae used for volume estimation on individual DWD pieces has received little attention. We determined actual volume of 155 diverse DWD pieces (types, species, lengths, and diameters) by detailed field measurements. By comparing the actual and calculated volumes from six commonly used formulae, we assessed their bias, precision, and accuracy. Based on observed DWD forms, we developed a new formula, namely the “conic-paraboloid”, which was included in the assessment. Among the formulae that require length and two end diameter measurements, the conic-paraboloid had the lowest bias, highest precision, and hence greatest accuracy. Newton’s and the centroid formulae had higher accuracy yet require more field measurements. Smalian’s, conical frustum, and average-of-ends formulae had poor performance relative to the others. Accuracy of all formulae decreased with increasing piece length. Thus, partitioning pieces into two, three, and four sections for additional measurement improved accuracy. As decay advances, pieces become progressively more elliptical in cross section. Using the cross-sectional area derived from only the long axis of the ellipse leads to substantial volume overestimates for well-decayed DWD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]