BioMatNet Item: Wood - Short Rotation Willow Coppice

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Short Rotation Willow Coppice - Growers Manual

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Short Rotation Willow Coppice - Growers Manual

Introduction
The Swedish Institute for Agricultural Engineering has produced a short guide to growing willow so as to get the best possible return in yield and profit. The original booklet was published in Swedish reflecting the fact that in Sweden, willow as an energy crops has become a commercial proposition, with a total of 16,000 ha of coppice in 1997. On the basis of this experience recommendations are given on how to plan and run a short-rotation coppice plantation in order to be profitable. Background and practical information was given on aspects including soil types, planting, weed control, fertilisation and so on. Other sections cover harvesting, transport and short term storage. Machinery for planting, management and harvesting are described and illustrated as are many other aspects, using original drawings, in the style of that on the cover.

As a number of other European countries are now planting willow, the handbook was translated into English, with some changes to make allowance for varying climatic, agricultural and economic conditions in other countries.

Content

The booklet has chapters on the following topics

Background
Establishment and management
Harvesting
Soil compaction
Terminating a willow cultivation
Environmental consequences
Economy in short-rotation willow coppice
Willow cultivation step by step
Machinery manufacturers and agents in Sweden
Research and development
Recommended reading on willow cultivation

Willow cultivation step by step

As an example of the information contained, the following is given as a summary of measures to be taken in establishing the crop:

Preparation in the year before planting

Choose the site
Plan all the work tasks and measures prior to establishing the plantation, from the first weed control input until harvest
Discuss agreements with contractors and purchasers of the biofuel
Plant the selection of varieties and purchase of cuttings
Weed control - Autumn ploughing and harrowing

The first year

Spring harrowing - check with a contractor
Planting
Rolling immediately after planting and possibly spraying with a soil-applied herbicide
Prepare for mechanical weed control - following development carefully
Repeat mechanical weed control on several occasions
Wait for winter and dormancy
Decide on whether the annual shoots should be pruned or not during the winter

The second year

Examine the plantation after the winter
Study the development of weeds
Control the weeds if necessary - by chemical or mechanical means
Top-dress with about 45 kg N per ha - using a conventional fertiliser spreader

The third year

Examine the plantation after the winter
Top-dress with 100 to 150 kg N per ha

The fourth year

Examine the plantation after the winter
Top-dress with 90 to 120 kg N per ha

The year before harvesting (year 4 or 5)

Examine the plantation after the winter
Measure or assess growth
Reach agreement on harvesting and marketing
Harvest after winter dormancy has set in (between December and March)

Subsequent cutting cycles

Maintenance, weed control and fertiliser application are carried out as in year 2 onwards and the cycles repeated.

Acknowledgments

This material has been abstracted with permission. The translation was by Nigel Rollison, Haken Johansson and Kevin Lindegaard. It was illustrated by Kim Gutekonst and edited by Kaarina Ringstad (both of JTI). The Swedish version was funded by the Swedish Farmers' Foundation for Agricultural Research, Swedish National Board for Industrial and Technical Development and Vattenfall AB. The work of translation and adjusting the present version was partly financed by the EC, DG XII within the FAIR Programme, in close association with project AIR2-CT94-1617 and partly by the ALTENER programme.

Publication details and further information

Short-Rotation Willow Coppice Growers Manual (1998)
Birger DANFORS, Stig LEDIN, Hakean ROSENQVIST
ISBN 91-7072-123-8
Distributed by Svalof Weibull AB

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