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.
2018
Abstract
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Abstract
Norway is strongly committed to the Paris Climate Agreement with an ambitious goal of 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emission by 2030. The land sector, including agriculture and forestry, must critically contribute to this national target. Beyond emission reduction, the land sector has the unique capacity to actively removing CO2 from the atmosphere through biological carbon storage in biomass and in soils. Soils are the largest reservoir of terrestrial carbon, and relatively small changes in soil carbon content can have an amplified mitigation effect on the Earth’s climate. Therefore, improved management of soils for carbon storage is receiving a lot of attention, for example through international political initiatives such as the “4-permill” initiative. However, in Norway, many mitigation measures targeting soil carbon might negatively impact food production and economic activity. For example, soil carbon storage can be increased by shifting from cereal crop production to grasslands, but Norway already has abundant grassland and a comparatively small area dedicated to cereals. Another such issue is cultivation on drained peatland, where food is produced at the expense of large losses of soil carbon as CO2 to the atmosphere. Therefore, there is a need to look for win-win solutions for soil carbon storage, which benefit both food production and climate mitigation. Large-scale conversion of agricultural and forest waste biomass to biochar is such an option, and is considered the activity with the largest potential for soil carbon sequestration in Norway. Biochar has been demonstrated to have a mean residence time exceeding 100 years in Norwegian field conditions (Rasse et al, 2017), and no negative effects on plant and soils has been observed. However, despite the convincing benefits of biochar as a climate mitigation solution, it has not yet advanced much beyond the research stage, notably because its effect on yield are too modest. Here, we will first present the comparative advantage of biochar technology as compared to traditional agronomy methods for large-scale C storage in Norwegian agricultural soils. We will further discuss the need for developing innovations in pyrolysis and nutrient-rich waste recycling leading to biochar-fertilizer products as win-win solution for carbon storage and food production.
Authors
Synnøve Rivedal Samson Øpstad Torbjørn Haukås Johannes Deelstra Peter Dörsch Trond Børresen Sissel Hansen Sverre HeggsetAbstract
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Synnøve RivedalAbstract
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Authors
Kari SkjånesAbstract
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Abstract
The Baltic region includes in this report Fennoscandia (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark), the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) and Poland. This region is fairly heterogeneous as regards forest history, forest policy, forest economy as well as climate and conditions for forest growth. The climate of the Baltic region is cool, but still drastically modified by the Gulfstream which skirts the western coast of Scandinavia, giving rise to much warmer summers and milder winters than expected based on the latitude. The warming associated with climate change is expected to be particularly pronounced in winter and at high latitudes. In coastal areas precipitation may increase notably. With elevated temperature, the frequency of both spring frost and drought events is predicted to increase in continental parts. The vegetation and forest types are heterogeneous. Fennoscandia has a large proportion of boreal vegetation where coniferous forests dominate and many broadleaves common in Central Europe are rare and scattered. In the Baltic region the most distinct marginal populations are those at the northern fringe of their distribution. The distribution ranges are limited by a combination of different factors such as low winter temperatures, short growing season either for growth or for seed maturation, soil types and human influence. Fragmentation may limit gene flow between stands, and some populations also show slight inbreeding. The countries in the region have protected jointly 4,9 M ha in the main MCPFE categories. The northern part of the region seems to put more weight on nature conservation through no intervention whereas the southern part emphasizes conservation through active management. The countries of the Baltic region have uploaded altogether 1'172 in situ genetic conservation units in the European Information System on Forest Genetic Resources (EUFGIS).
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No abstract has been registered
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No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered