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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.

2010

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Abstract

In 2004 the Terrestrial Environmental Monitoring Project in Central Asia (TEMP-CA) was established. The project will be closed in 2010. In the project, financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kyrgyzian, Tajik, Uzbek and Norwegian scientists cooperated. Objective for the project was the establishment of terrestrial environmental monitoring reference areas around the Fergana Valley. In total 10 monitoring reference sites were established. As many of the monitoring sites are situated in and around the Fergana valley it is also possible to say something about the environmental status and challenges of this area, including the surrounding mountainous areas. The Fergana Valley was always very important for the food supply of the total region. Today the area has many big challenges concerning management of its natural resources and environmental status.

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Abstract

The primary aim of this study was to investigate the suitability of interferometric X-band SAR (InSAR) for inventory of boreal forest biomass. We investigated the relationship between SRTM X-band InSAR height and above-ground biomass in a study area in southern Norway. We generated biomass reference data for each SRTM pixel from a field inventory in combination with airborne laser scanning (ALS). One set of forest inventory plots served for calibrating ALS based biomass models, and another set of field plots was used to validate these models. The biomass values obtained in this way ranged up to 250 t/ha at the stand level. The relationship between biomass and InSAR height was linear, no apparent saturation effect was present, and the accuracy was high (RMSE = 19%). The relationship differed between Norway spruce and Scots pine, where an increase in InSAR height of 1 m corresponded to an increase in biomass of 9.9 and 7.0 t/ha. respectively. Using a high-quality terrain model from ALS enabled biomass to be estimated with a higher accuracy as compared to using a terrain model from topographic maps. Interferometric X-band SAR appears to be a promising method for forest biomass monitoring. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Abstract

Ambitious targets for renewable energy production in Norway draw attention to biomass potent-ials. The objective of this report is to review the state of the art regarding research on estimation methods, the availability and production of tree biomass resources for energy purposes in Norway in order to indentify knowledge gaps and thus facilitate appropriate focus, development and priorities regarding research for the coming years. The review focuses on biomass from pri-mary forest production with emphasis on Norwegian conditions, but also considers international research, especially from the other Nordic countries. Three main subject areas are considered: - biomass estimation - biomass resources and availability - biomass production. The first part of this report comprises an overview of existing biomass equations and associated inventory methods applied for estimating biomass in Norway. The overview includes a description of the Norwegian National Forest Inventory data as a basis for large-scale biomass assessments. The second part of the report comprises an overview of previous Norwegian assessments of biomass as an energy supplier as well as suggestions for improvements in such assessments. Improvement possibilities regarding the impacts of environmentally oriented restrictions, appropriate models for productivity and cost calculations regarding biomass harvesting systems, and implementation of biomass-related features in existing decisions support systems to facilitate analyses, where timber production and biomass production for energy purposes are equally important, are identified. The final part of the review focuses on silvi-cultural options aiming at optimizing the value of total biomass instead of the conventional approach to silviculture where the main focus is timber values.