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Half‐butt eucalypts (genera: Eucalyptus and Corymbia) have both thick outer bark at the stem base (half‐butt) conferring resistance to surface fire, and thin photosynthetic canopy bark that reduces moisture stress. Here we examine how the functional ecology of dual outer bark types influences the wide distribution of Australian half‐butt species. We evaluate the proposition that half‐butts should predominate in semi‐arid environments prone to surface fires. We measured the bark thickness, butt height relative to flame/fire char height and tree height, height of first branch, and the location and prevalence of epicormic resprouting of co‐occurring Eucalyptus miniata (half‐butt) and E. tetrodonta (fibrous bark only) individuals, across 15 sites with contrasting fire frequencies (2000–2015) in the Darwin region. Total tree height was compared with butt height for all E. miniata individuals. The survival of half‐butt and other eucalypt species, as well as non‐eucalypts, was investigated at three sites affected by intense gamba grass (Andropogon gayanus) fire. The proportion of half‐butt species in each of Australia’s 85 bioregions was calculated from geographic distribution records of 618 eucalypt species. Mean annual fire frequency (1997–2010), fire type (crown or surface fires) and climate in each bioregion was determined from satellite‐derived records. Butt height at a site, including gamba grass sites, was not induced by flame height or affected by fire frequency and was approximately half the canopy height of the tree, suggesting it is internally regulated. The half‐butt E. miniata and full‐bark eucalypts were similarly resilient (survival) under surface fire conditions. Half‐butt species predominated in arid and semi‐arid bioregions characterised by surface fire, consistent with our proposition that half‐butt bark is an adaptation to surface fire, and thin photosynthetic outer canopy bark reduces moisture stress, accounting for the wide distribution of half‐butt eucalypts in arid and seasonally dry regions of Australia.
Michael J. Lawes; Leigh‐Ann Woolley; Sam Van Holsbeeck; Brett P. Murphy; Geoffrey E. Burrows; Jeremy J. Midgley. Bark functional ecology and its influence on the distribution of Australian half‐butt eucalypts. Austral Ecology 2021, 1 .
AMA StyleMichael J. Lawes, Leigh‐Ann Woolley, Sam Van Holsbeeck, Brett P. Murphy, Geoffrey E. Burrows, Jeremy J. Midgley. Bark functional ecology and its influence on the distribution of Australian half‐butt eucalypts. Austral Ecology. 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMichael J. Lawes; Leigh‐Ann Woolley; Sam Van Holsbeeck; Brett P. Murphy; Geoffrey E. Burrows; Jeremy J. Midgley. 2021. "Bark functional ecology and its influence on the distribution of Australian half‐butt eucalypts." Austral Ecology , no. : 1.
Research Highlights: A set of 128 potential bioenergy facility locations is established and evaluated based on the transport cost to select optimal locations. Background and Objectives: The identification of optimal facility locations to process recovered forest biomass is an important decision in designing a bioenergy supply chain at the strategic planning level. The result of this analysis can affect supply chain costs and the overall efficiency of the network, due to the low density and dispersed nature of forest biomass and the high costs associated with its logistics operations. In this study, we develop a two-stage decision support system to identify the optimal site locations for forest biomass conversion based on biomass availability, transport distance and cost. Materials and Methods: In the first stage, a GIS-based analysis is designed to identify strategic locations of potential bioenergy sites. The second stage evaluates the most cost-effective locations individually using a transportation cost model, based on the results from stage one. The sensitivity of inputs, such as maximum allowable transport cost, the distance of transport and their relations to the profit balance, and changes in fuel price are tested. The method is applied to a real case study in the state of Queensland, Australia. Results and Conclusions: The GIS analysis resulted in 128 strategic candidate locations being suggested for bioenergy conversion sites. The logistics analysis estimated the optimal cost and transportation distance of each one of the locations and ranked them according to the overall performance between capacities of 5 and 100 MW.
Sam Van Holsbeeck; Sättar Ezzati; Dominik Röser; Mark Brown. A Two-Stage DSS to Evaluate Optimal Locations for Bioenergy Facilities. Forests 2020, 11, 968 .
AMA StyleSam Van Holsbeeck, Sättar Ezzati, Dominik Röser, Mark Brown. A Two-Stage DSS to Evaluate Optimal Locations for Bioenergy Facilities. Forests. 2020; 11 (9):968.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSam Van Holsbeeck; Sättar Ezzati; Dominik Röser; Mark Brown. 2020. "A Two-Stage DSS to Evaluate Optimal Locations for Bioenergy Facilities." Forests 11, no. 9: 968.
There are large volumes of forest biomass available, distributed over extensive geographic areas in Australia. However, it is largely a low-value resource sensitive to high procurement costs. Transportation cost is typically the biggest factor in the cost of a forest biomass supply chain and is a critical factor in the planning of profitable bioenergy conversion facilities. This study presents an example of using geographical information systems (GIS) to 1) evaluate the feasibility of setting up new bioenergy facilities, 2) evaluate the location of existing bioenergy facilities, and 3) optimize the locations of facilities in Queensland, Australia. This study uses forest biomass availability estimated from 5-year harvest log volumes. The log volumes are refined to biomass energy (PJ) using a model that considers forest type, sustainable retention of residues on sites, residue proportions of total above-ground biomass and energy conversion factors. The strategic locations of bioenergy conversion facilities are defined using cluster and outlier analysis of biomass energy distribution and transportation distance using the local index of spatial autocorrelation (LISA) in a GIS environment. The tactical selection of bioenergy conversion facilities is then established based on the required number of facilities and capacity, together with the maximal distance for transporting the forest biomass. This study uses Queensland, Australia as the study area to demonstrate the effectiveness of modern GIS tools to achieve more scientific planning in bioenergy conversion facility networks and supply chain.
Sam Van Holsbeeck; Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava. Feasibility of locating biomass-to-bioenergy conversion facilities using spatial information technologies: A case study on forest biomass in Queensland, Australia. Biomass and Bioenergy 2020, 139, 105620 .
AMA StyleSam Van Holsbeeck, Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava. Feasibility of locating biomass-to-bioenergy conversion facilities using spatial information technologies: A case study on forest biomass in Queensland, Australia. Biomass and Bioenergy. 2020; 139 ():105620.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSam Van Holsbeeck; Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava. 2020. "Feasibility of locating biomass-to-bioenergy conversion facilities using spatial information technologies: A case study on forest biomass in Queensland, Australia." Biomass and Bioenergy 139, no. : 105620.
The use of forest biomass for bioenergy in Australia represents only 1% of total energy production but is being recognized for having the potential to deliver low-cost and low-emission, renewable energy solutions. This review addresses the potential of forest biomass for bioenergy production in Australia relative to the amount of biomass energy measures available for production, harvest and transport, conversion, distribution and emission. Thirty-Five Australian studies on forest biomass for bioenergy are reviewed and categorized under five hierarchical terms delimiting the level of assessment on the biomass potential. Most of these studies assess the amount of biomass at a production level using measures such as the allometric volume equation and form factor assumptions linked to forest inventory data or applied in-field weighing of samples to predict the theoretical potential of forest biomass across an area or region. However, when estimating the potential of forest biomass for bioenergy production, it is essential to consider the entire supply chain that includes many limitations and reductions on the recovery of the forest biomass from production in the field to distribution to the network. This review reiterated definitions for theoretical, available, technological, economic and environmental biomass potential and identified missing links between them in the Australian literature. There is a need for further research on the forest biomass potential to explore lower cost and lowest net emission solutions as a replacement to fossil resources for energy production in Australia but methods the could provide promising solutions are available and can be applied to address this gap.
Sam Van Holsbeeck; Mark Brown; Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava; Mohammad Reza Ghaffariyan. A Review on the Potential of Forest Biomass for Bioenergy in Australia. Energies 2020, 13, 1147 .
AMA StyleSam Van Holsbeeck, Mark Brown, Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava, Mohammad Reza Ghaffariyan. A Review on the Potential of Forest Biomass for Bioenergy in Australia. Energies. 2020; 13 (5):1147.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSam Van Holsbeeck; Mark Brown; Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava; Mohammad Reza Ghaffariyan. 2020. "A Review on the Potential of Forest Biomass for Bioenergy in Australia." Energies 13, no. 5: 1147.
Vera De Cauwer; Esther Fichtler; Hans Beeckman; F Patrick Graz; Jan Mertens; Sam Van Holsbeeck; Bart Muys. Predicting site productivity of the timber tree Pterocarpus angolensis. Southern Forests: a Journal of Forest Science 2017, 79, 259 -268.
AMA StyleVera De Cauwer, Esther Fichtler, Hans Beeckman, F Patrick Graz, Jan Mertens, Sam Van Holsbeeck, Bart Muys. Predicting site productivity of the timber tree Pterocarpus angolensis. Southern Forests: a Journal of Forest Science. 2017; 79 (3):259-268.
Chicago/Turabian StyleVera De Cauwer; Esther Fichtler; Hans Beeckman; F Patrick Graz; Jan Mertens; Sam Van Holsbeeck; Bart Muys. 2017. "Predicting site productivity of the timber tree Pterocarpus angolensis." Southern Forests: a Journal of Forest Science 79, no. 3: 259-268.
Sam Van Holsbeeck; Vera De Cauwer; Maaike De Ridder; Esther Fichtler; Hans Beeckman; Jan Mertens. Annual diameter growth of Pterocarpus angolensis (Kiaat) and other woodland species in Namibia. Forest Ecology and Management 2016, 373, 1 -8.
AMA StyleSam Van Holsbeeck, Vera De Cauwer, Maaike De Ridder, Esther Fichtler, Hans Beeckman, Jan Mertens. Annual diameter growth of Pterocarpus angolensis (Kiaat) and other woodland species in Namibia. Forest Ecology and Management. 2016; 373 ():1-8.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSam Van Holsbeeck; Vera De Cauwer; Maaike De Ridder; Esther Fichtler; Hans Beeckman; Jan Mertens. 2016. "Annual diameter growth of Pterocarpus angolensis (Kiaat) and other woodland species in Namibia." Forest Ecology and Management 373, no. : 1-8.