The Effects of Short Rotation Coppice on the Visual Landscape

verfasst von

Thiemen Boll, Christina von Haaren, Michael Rode

Abstract

Agrarian landscapes are changing due to the increasing cultivation of bioenergy crops and may change even more rapidly in the future if crops like maize are replaced by even taller short rotation coppice (SRC) plantations of willow and poplar. The aim of this study was to assess the visual impacts of the cultivation of SRC in different landscapes. In an online survey, the general public was asked to evaluate different scenarios of SRC cultivation. The scenarios were visualised from the bird's-eye perspective for five landscape types and differed in terms of the percentages of SRC in the landscape and the manner of cultivation. Different edge designs of SRC plantations were visualised from the pedestrian perspective. These varied in terms of species, height, cultivation system, and the width and type of margin. It was found that the cultivation of SRC can have both positive and negative effects on the visual landscape depending on the landscape type, the percentages of SRC in the landscape and the cultivation system. Landscapes with a high scenic value like small-structured agrarian landscapes (and to a lesser extent forest and heathland landscapes) were more sensitive to the introduction of SRC, whereas landscapes with a low scenic value like open arable landscapes were enhanced by the introduction of SRC. The aesthetic quality of SRC can be significantly improved by choosing an appropriate edge design with a grass, flower or hedge strip alongside the plantation. If the different options to enhance the effect on the visual landscape of the cultivation of SRC are taken into consideration by land managers, the recreational value of these landscapes and the acceptance of bioenergy can be increased considerably.

Organisationseinheit(en)

Institut für Umweltplanung

Typ

Beitrag in Projektbericht/Forschungsbericht

Seiten

105-120

Anzahl der Seiten

16

Publikationsdatum

01.10.2015

Publikationsstatus

Veröffentlicht

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Energie (insg.)

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

SDG 15 – Lebensraum Land

Elektronische Version(en)

https://doi.org/10.1002/9783527682973.ch9 (Zugang: Geschlossen)