Untapped Potential: Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainable Bioenergy Production from Marginal Lands in the Northeast USA

• Published in: Bioenergy research 2015-06, Vol.8 (2), p.482-501
• Main Authors: Stoof, Cathelijne R, Richards, Brian K, Woodbury, Peter B, Fabio, Eric S, Brumbach, Alice R, Cherney, Jerry, Das, Srabani, Geohring, Larry, Hansen, Julie, Hornesky, Josh, Mayton, Hilary, Mason, Cedric, Ruestow, Gerry, Smart, Lawrence B, Volk, Timothy A, Steenhuis, Tammo S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural land; Agricultural production; Agriculture; Alternative energy; Alternative energy sources; Analysis; Aquatic resources; Biodiesel fuels; bioenergy; Biomass; Biomass energy; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cogeneration power plants; Cropping systems; Crops; Energy crops; Environmental impact; Food production; Fuel oil; Grass roots movement; grasses; heat; Heating; Impacts; issues and policy; Land; Land use; Life Sciences; Marginal land; Markets; Natural resources; Northeast; Northeast USA; Oil consumption; oils; Perennial grass; petroleum; Plant Breeding/Biotechnology; Plant Ecology; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant growth; Plant Sciences; Policies; Policy; Precipitation; Production; Raw materials; Regional; Regions; Renewable energy; Second-generation bioenergy feedstocks; Short-rotation woody crops; socioeconomics; Studies; Supply chains; Sustainable energy; Sustainable production; Water resources; Wood Science & Technology
• ISSN: 1939-1234; 1939-1242
• DOI: 10.1007/s12155-014-9515-8

Over two million hectares of marginal land in the Northeast USA no longer used for agriculture may be suitable and available for production of second-generation cellulosic bioenergy crops, offering the potential for increased regional bioenergy production without competing with food production on prime farmland. Current yields of perennial bioenergy grasses and short-rotation woody crops range from 2.3 to 17.4 and 4.5 to 15.5 Mg/ha, respectively, and there is great potential for increased yields. Regional advantages for bioenergy development include abundant water resources, close proximity between production and markets, and compatibility of bioenergy cropping systems with existing agriculture. As New York and New England (a subset of the Northeast region) account for ~85 % of the nation’s heating oil consumption, production of bioheat, biopower, and combined heat and power could substantially reduce the region’s dependence on imported petroleum. While numerous grassroots efforts are underway in the region across supply chains, bioenergy development faces several challenges and unknowns in terms of environmental impact, production, yields, socioeconomics, and policy. We explore the opportunities for second-generation bioenergy production on the unused marginal lands of the Northeast USA and discuss the challenges to be addressed to promote sustainable bioenergy production on the region’s underutilized marginal land base.