Abstract
Land-management choices made for economic and societal gains intrinsically influence landscapes and species that are dependent upon them. We propose a simple analysis framework to examine critical intersections between land-management choices and the life-history conditions of selected species of concern, thereby facilitating the identification of mitigation practices that can reduce negative impacts on species at risk. We test the proposed framework through application to gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), a keystone species that is the focus of conservation efforts across the southeastern region of United States of America, where wood pellets are being produced for bioenergy. Production of these wood pellets for export to Europe and Asia has drastically increased in the past decade, raising concerns about potential harm to biodiversity since many species in the forests sourcing pellet production were already at risk prior to the development of this new commodity. Identifying the mechanisms of potential impacts of wood pellet production on species of concern is essential to establishing meaningful management recommendations that can enhance conservation efforts while supporting sustainable bioenergy. By considering the intersections between life-history conditions of gopher tortoise and forest-management practices related to woody biomass extraction for pellet production, we identify several mechanisms by which the wood-pellet industry might affect this species of concern, both positively and negatively. We then identify mitigation practices that can help offset the potential impacts of logging, thinning, and dead wood removal on gopher tortoise. Our analysis framework may be transferable to other species of concern and land-management practices across diverse landscapes. This article is categorized under: Bioenergy > Economics and Policy Bioenergy > Climate and Environment.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e385 |
| Journal | Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2021 |
Funding
We would like to thank Rebecca Efroymson of Oak Ridge National Laboratory for her helpful comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript. We would also like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions to improve this article. This manuscript has been authored by UT‐Battelle, LLC under Contract No. DE‐AC05‐00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non‐exclusive, paid‐up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes. The Department of Energy will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan ( http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan ). The views and opinions of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. This research was supported by the USA Department of Energy (DOE) under the Bioenergy Technologies Office. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is managed by the UT‐Battelle, LLC, for DOE under contract DE‐AC05‐00OR22725. Part of this research, carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, was under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, copyright 2018 California Institute of Technology. We would like to thank Rebecca Efroymson of Oak Ridge National Laboratory for her helpful comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript. We would also like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions to improve this article. This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes. The Department of Energy will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan). The views and opinions of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. This research was supported by the USA Department of Energy (DOE) under the Bioenergy Technologies Office. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is managed by the UT-Battelle, LLC, for DOE under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725. Part of this research, carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, was under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, copyright 2018 California Institute of Technology.
Keywords
- biodiversity
- bioenergy
- forest management
- keystone species
- renewable fuel
- sustainability