Eucalyptus beyond Its Native Range: Environmental Issues In Exotic Bioenergy Plantations
1Center Forest Disturbance Science, US Forest Service Southern Research Station, Athens, GA, USA
2University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
3National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
4Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
Eucalyptus beyond Its Native Range: Environmental Issues In Exotic Bioenergy Plantations
Description
Of the more than 700 species of Eucalyptus, less than 20 have been widely planted outside their native range. Since the 1800s, they have been planted in many countries where they are considered naturalized or invasive, and today Eucalyptus species account for significant areas of plantation forests. In their native environments, they do not seem to spread far from mother trees and regenerate with difficulty. Early plantings in the US were limited to Hawaii, California, and Florida where climate was similar to their native Australia. Recent advances in tree improvement have produced a fast-growing hybrid of E. urophylla and E. grandis that has improved tolerance to low temperatures down to −10ºC and extends the range of potential planting sites for Eucalyptus. Additionally, field trials in the 1970s in the southern US identified at least eight Eucalyptus species potentially adaptable to local climate: E. camaldulensis, E. benthamii, E. viminalis, E. macarthurii, E. grandis, E. robusta, E. saligna, and E. amplifolia. Thus, there may be opportunities to use Eucalyptus as a bioenergy feedstock in the southern United States.
We invite authors to submit original research and review articles that present results of scientific investigations, literature reviews, or management experiences that provide an understanding of the behavior of Eucalyptus species and would help predict how expansion of Eucalyptus plantings in the southern US might affect native ecosystems. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- Invasiveness
- Fire risk
- Water use at stand and landscape scales
- Biodiversity at stand and landscape scales
- Gene flow among planted Eucalyptus varieties
Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijfr/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/ according to the following timetable: