Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2026
Authors
Kathrin Yvonne Weber Erlend Grenager Sørmo Gerard Cornelissen Alice Budai Daniel Rasse Harald Bier Troy RobichaudAbstract
Biochar has emerged as a promising carbon dioxide removal (CDR) solution that combines long-term carbon storage with benefits for soil health, waste management, and industrial applications. This report provides a comprehensive assessment of the current state of biochar across feedstocks, production technologies, material properties, and end-use pathways, with a particular focus on its role in climate mitigation. Drawing on scientific literature and international case studies, the report evaluates the carbon sequestration potential, environmental performance, and technological maturity of biochar systems. It distinguishes between applications that deliver durable carbon removal and those that primarily contribute to emission reductions. The report further examines deployment barriers, including feedstock availability, regulatory frameworks, market development, and safety considerations, and reviews the status of biochar implementation across Mission Innovation countries. Based on these insights, it outlines key opportunities and recommendations to support the responsible scale-up of biochar as a climate solution.
Abstract
The experiment aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a Monil virtual fence collar for small ruminants on mature Norwegian White ewes at the NIBIO Tjøtta station. The study aimed to evaluate the animals' learning ability and welfare, compare two auditory cues (Original vs. Modified; collar treatment), and examine the effects of wool (Shaved vs. Unshaved) on the efficacy of the virtual fence system. A total of 16 ewes were randomly assigned to two groups of 8, each equipped with one of the collars, and further divided based on wool treatment. Two mirrored training arenas were set up for the two groups. For two days, the collared animals had unrestricted access to graze the entire arena (VF-Off). This was followed by two days of restricted access to 2/3 of the arena using the virtual fence collars (VF-On). After the fourth day, the animals were switched to the other arena as a crossover design, and the sequence of VF-Off and VF-On was repeated. Data collected included position and cue logs from the virtual fence collars, heart rate monitors, and observation data gathered through three methods: Video Surveillance, Direct Observation Time Budget, and Pressure Marks Assessment. Our results indicate that the ewes were able to learn to avoid restricted zones effectively, relying more on auditory cues than on electrical cues. The virtual fence cueing imposed short-lived stress (acute stress), with both behavioral and physiological metrics returning to baseline levels within five minutes. Additionally, exclusively auditory cues resulted in less stress compared to cues associated with electrical stimulation. No indicators of chronic behavioral stress were observed. However, we found that the collars needed to move freely on the animals' necks to prevent pressure marks, suggesting that the ewes should be shaved around their necks before wearing the collars. While collar treatment showed no significant effects, wool treatment indicated that the shaved group was more compliant with the virtual fence system due to reduced insulation, which enhanced the effectiveness of electrical cues. During the deployment with the unshaved group, there were three instances in which the animals received an electrical cue that did not elicit the animal response, allowing for their “escape” over the virtual fence boundary. Therefore, equipping the virtual fence on shaved animals is paramount for enhancing the system's reliability. If the suggestion is followed, the system can effectively be used for sheep without compromising animal welfare.
Authors
Shumaila Khatri Hanne Kathrine Sjølie Kristina Bringedal Gedde Lizhen Huang Per Kr. Rørstad Roja Modaresi Lone RossAbstract
This report summarizes the main findings of the research conducted within the CircWOOD project during the period 2022-2026 and presents key recommendations for decision-makers towards wood reuse in the construction sector. CircWOOD aimed to enable and support a transition to a sustainable, competitive, and technologically optimized circular wood value chain through a transdisciplinary research approach. The project was carried out by five research institutions and universities, exploring technical, environmental, economic, and social dimensions in the value chain. Our research findings demonstrate potentials for wood reuse, while also highlighting a variety of practical and market-related challenges. The report presents eight key recommendations for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and other decisionmakers to drive wood reuse. Improving sorting systems and quality control for wood waste from construction and demolition activities and prioritizing deconstruction over demolition can enable reuse. Developing supporting infrastructure such as material banks, reuse centers, and logistics systems is also important. Wood reuse can create new opportunities for businesses, while continued research, better data, and AI can strengthen decision-making and support a more resource-efficient built environment.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Stephan Hoffmann Mostafa Hoseini Moritz Wingartz Mahmoud Rajabi Helle Ross Gobakken Rasmus AstrupAbstract
A functional and low-impact forest road network is essential for sustainable forest management, yet maintaining such infrastructure is costly and requires monitoring tools that are reliable and simple enough for operational use. We present an automated approach to detect, map, and evaluate forest road surface deterioration, designed to support end-users, including those with limited road expertise, to indicate required maintenance actions. The system relies on data collected by the vehicle-mounted near-field sensor platform RoadSens, which integrates stereo camera imagery with GNSS-based geo-referencing to capture detailed road surface information. Collected data are processed within a monitoring and scheduling environment using a YOLOv8 object detection model trained on nearly 14,000 annotated images. The model identifies six key deterioration features: potholes, wheel ruts, gullies, washboards, stones, and vegetation. These detections are used to locate maintenance-relevant features and classify road segments into three deterioration levels based on coverage thresholds, which are then visualized through a traffic-light system. A case study on a forest road in southern Norway demonstrated the system’s ability to detect and classify maintenance needs. While performance was strong for more uniform features such as vegetation, irregular structures like wheel ruts proved more challenging, occasionally leading to misclassification of actual maintenance requirements. Nevertheless, the findings confirm the technical feasibility of integrating object detection models into data-driven forest road maintenance scheduling. Future improvements will require larger and more diverse training datasets, as well as classification frameworks tailored to local conditions and specific road-user needs.309671
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
This animated short film shows how beneficial insects such as ladybirds and hoverflies can help control pests like aphids. By providing flower strips and suitable habitats in and around fields, farmers can support pollinators and natural enemies of pests — contributing to more resilient crop production over time.
Abstract
The decline of soil organic carbon (SOC) content is a major concern in agricultural soils, and reduction of tillage frequency is proposed as a measure to counteract this tendency. Here, we assessed the effect of tillage and renewal frequency on grassland SOC content based on a long–term experiment at Fureneset, Western Norway. The objective was to compare permanent and unrenewed grassland treatments with treatments ploughed and renewed 6 to 15 times from 1974 to 2016. Mean SOC content of the permanent grassland was 64 ± 9 g kg−1 (one standard deviation) at 0 to 40 cm depth and soil contained 210 Mg C ha−1, compared to 60 ± 6 g kg−1 and 190 Mg C ha−1 for grassland renewed with ploughing. Higher SOC contents were associated with reduced forage dry matter yields (DMY) of the permanent grassland, but not in frequently renewed grasslands. High SOC contents correlate with high porosity and water content, as soil properties approach those of organic soils. This may cause a wetter soil and reduced plant growth and increase soil compaction. In areas with generally high SOC contents in agricultural soils, increased carbon content due to no tillage may thus make the soils more agronomically challenging to manage
Authors
Johannes Kollmann Larissa Uhe Marcello D’Amico Jan C. Habel Tina Heger Svenja B. Kroeger Tommy Lennartsson Hans Martin HanslinAbstract
Roadside habitats have abiotic and biotic conditions that deviate from natural habitats and thus constitute “novel ecosystems” with insufficient adaptation of native biota. In roadsides, the net effect of positive and negative impacts determines population viability. This situation constitutes an “ecological trap,” when attractive habitats become demographic sinks due to locally reduced reproduction or increased mortality. The impact could be exacerbated by novel ecological factors. To investigate to what extent, for which species, and under which conditions ecological traps are actually occurring, we reviewed the effects of roadsides on plant and animal performance and population dynamics. We identified 390 relevant publications with 470 different effect cases based on a standardized literature review (2008–2018). Overall, 30% of these cases reported positive effects of roadsides on plant and animal populations, 31% of cases reported negative effects, and 39% showed no effects at all. In only 18 cases, negative effects were combined with positive ones, most often due to attractive but unsuitable habitats that constituted ecological traps. Ecological novelty was not used to interpret these effects. We conclude that there is abundant literature on ecological effects of roadsides, while specific research is needed on ecological traps, including potential effects of ecological novelty.
Authors
Tommy Lennartsson Marcello D’Amico Weronika Axelsson Linkowski Hans Martin Hanslin Johannes Kollmann Svenja B. Kroeger Larissa Uhe Anna Westin Jörgen WissmanAbstract
Roads impose several types of negative impact on landscapes and biodiversity, but may also favor some organisms by providing habitats and dispersal corridors. To prioritize, plan, design, and perform activities for promoting biodiversity in road verges, it is essential to understand which key environmental factors contribute to forming different types of roadside habitats. In this chapter, we explore relationships between biodiversity and environmental factors in road verges based on a literature review with a primary focus of vascular plants and arthropods. Roadside literature indicates a number of interacting ecological factors, which together form the roadside habitat and determine community composition. These key factors can be assigned to three groups: (1) ecological conditions such as soil, topography, and microclimate, (2) ecological processes such as vegetation succession and disturbance or management of ground and vegetation, and (3) the surrounding landscape. Based on the identified key factors, we suggest an ecological classification of roadside habitats into four major groups, namely successional roadsides, dry roadsides, tallgrass roadsides, and meadow roadsides. Trees and shrubs can occur in all groups, for example as tree avenues or hedgerows, resulting in a cross-cutting subgroup: successional/dry/tallgrass/meadow roadsides with trees and shrubs.