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TALL TREES CAN INCREASE CARBON SEQUESTRATION
The relationship between carbon levels and biomass has long been known al-
beit not fully understood. In an effort to gain more knowledge and understanding of
this relationship an EU-funded project grew and analysed several hectares of poplar
trees.
To fully understand the effect of global change on biospheres, the experimental
forests had to be specifically designed at an ecosystem level. Lab tests or small-scale
experiments can provide information, but conditions are not as closely matched to
real-life situations as desired.
The Euroface project therefore set out to grow a series of forests over a nine
hectare area to be compared with six experimental plots. Each hectare of forest with
one type of poplar would support 5 000 trees and these would then be used to assess
elevated atmospheric C0
2
concentrations over a long-term period. This ecosystem-
scaled project has had a spin off benefit, found primarily in the fact that it supports
enough biomass to encourage investigations by numerous other research scientists.
Armed with this amount of data, they can conduct investigations into a variety of dif-
ferent aspects of an ecosystems response to CO, enrichment.
The experimental plot was divided into six fields, with three different poplar
genotypes planted at a density of 10 000 trees per hectare. Each tree was spaced one
square metre apart and after the three-year long growth cycle, the trees reached a
height of almost ten metres. A second rotation cycle later produced trees of 12m
high, and in both cases, the total biomass of the trees were given to an electrical
power plant to help produce C-neutral electrical power.
While the supply of timber for the production of energy proved to be an added
bonus to the project research, its initial cause was to establish an infrastructure the
larger scientific community could benefit from. Furthermore, the uptake and storage
of carbon under conditions of global change can be quantified.
Net primary production of the experimental plots showed an increase of up to
36 % on the control. This being the case, rising atmospheric C0
2
could increase the
potential for carbon sequestration. Further research and developmental support is
sought, with current results available for demonstration.
WATER MANAGEMENT IN CITIES
As cities evolve the need for more sustainable systems of water resources and
infrastructure becomes more apparent. This project sets out to investigate how exist-
ing systems can be improved with the help of computer tools.
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