News
Better predictions of yields from willow plantations in different climate zones
Published: 01 March 2016
Spatially accurate and reliable estimates from fast-growing willow plantations are an important factor for planning energy supply. A study, published in GCB-Bioenergy, aims at estimating the spatial distribution of production of biomass for energy from short rotation willow plantations by modeling their potential productivity based on climatic variables.
The study by researchers from SLU, University of Eastern Finland and the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, estimates the potential yield of Salix plantations at a 1x1 km resolution for Northern Europe, using machine learning methods to model relations yield - climate with no pre-assumptions.
Large regional variation
The maps delivered yield estimates for agricultural land for Norway, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. The results demonstrated a large regional variation that could be modelled although there were limitations: the data was from Sweden and there is uncertainty in distant regions. Also, soil information was not available at the necessary level.
All the resulting maps and estimates are publicly available as supporting information in the study.
Faster and more accurate predictions
The results of this approach indicate that they can provide faster and more accurate predictions than previous modeling approaches and can offer interesting possibilities in the field of yield modeling.