Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
-
- Climate Solutions (4)
- Biodiversity (1)
- Bioenergy (1)
- Bioenergy emissions (1)
- Biogenic carbon (1)
-
- Biomass harvesting (1)
- Carbon debt (1)
- Carbon sequestration and storage (1)
- Char (1)
- Collaborative learning (1)
- Distance education (1)
- Eastern North America (1)
- Extension (1)
- Foodborne illnesses (1)
- Forest biomass (1)
- Forest ecosystem modeling (1)
- Forest planning (1)
- GAPs (1)
- Good agricultural practices (1)
- Greenhouse gas accounting (1)
- Harvesting guidelines (1)
- Hortic anthrosols (1)
- Microbial contamination (1)
- Multi-criteria analysis (1)
- Multi-objective forest management (1)
- Northern hardwood forests (USA) (1)
- Northern hardwoods (1)
- Online learning (1)
- Organic farming (1)
Articles 1 - 8 of 8
Full-Text Articles in Environmental Sciences
Technical Feasibility Of Small-Scale Oilseed And On-Farm Biodiesel Production: A Vermont Case Study, Emily J. Stebbins-Wheelock, Robert Parsons, Qingbin Wang, Heather Darby, Vernon Grubinger
Technical Feasibility Of Small-Scale Oilseed And On-Farm Biodiesel Production: A Vermont Case Study, Emily J. Stebbins-Wheelock, Robert Parsons, Qingbin Wang, Heather Darby, Vernon Grubinger
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications
This article investigates the technical feasibility of small-scale oilseed production and on-farm processing of biodiesel and livestock feed using primary data from two Vermont farms. Results indicate that small-scale production of sunflowers, canola, and soybeans, and on-farm processing of livestock feed and biodiesel are technically feasible, but yields depend on many factors. Increased local expertise, information-sharing among the farm and Extension communities, and improved access to harvesting and processing equipment can improve productivity and efficiency. Additional experience in seed drying and expeller pressing techniques should reduce fat content in the seed meal, improve meal value, and improve oil production efficiency. …
Bioenergy Harvesting Impacts On Ecologically Important Stand Structure And Habitat Characteristics, Caitlin E. Littlefield, William S. Keeton
Bioenergy Harvesting Impacts On Ecologically Important Stand Structure And Habitat Characteristics, Caitlin E. Littlefield, William S. Keeton
Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications
Demand for forest bioenergy fuel is increasing in the northern forest region of eastern North America and beyond, but ecological impacts, particularly on habitat, of bioenergy harvesting remain poorly explored in the peer-reviewed literature. Here, we evaluated the impacts of bioenergy harvests on stand structure, including several characteristics considered important for biodiversity and habitat functions. We collected stand structure data from 35 recent harvests in northern hardwood-conifer forests, pairing harvested areas with unharvested reference areas. Biometrics generated from field data were analyzed using a multi-tiered nonparametric uni-and multivariate statistical approach. In analyses comparing harvested to reference areas, sites that had …
Genetic Patterns Of Domestication In Pigeonpea (Cajanus Cajan (L.) Millsp.) And Wild Cajanus Relatives, Mulualem T. Kassa, R. Varma Penmetsa, Noelia Carrasquilla-Garcia, Birinchi K. Sarma, Subhojit Datta, Hari D. Upadhyaya, Rajeev K. Varshney, Eric J.B. Von Wettberg, Douglas R. Cook
Genetic Patterns Of Domestication In Pigeonpea (Cajanus Cajan (L.) Millsp.) And Wild Cajanus Relatives, Mulualem T. Kassa, R. Varma Penmetsa, Noelia Carrasquilla-Garcia, Birinchi K. Sarma, Subhojit Datta, Hari D. Upadhyaya, Rajeev K. Varshney, Eric J.B. Von Wettberg, Douglas R. Cook
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications
Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) is an annual or short-lived perennial food legume of acute regional importance, providing significant protein to the human diet in less developed regions of Asia and Africa. Due to its narrow genetic base, pigeonpea improvement is increasingly reliant on introgression of valuable traits from wild forms, a practice that would benefit from knowledge of its domestication history and relationships to wild species. Here we use 752 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) derived from 670 low copy orthologous genes to clarify the evolutionary history of pigeonpea (79 accessions) and its wild relatives (31 accessions). We identified three well-supported lineages …
Do Anthropogenic Dark Earths Occur In The Interior Of Borneo? Some Initial Observations From East Kalimantan, Douglas Sheil, Imam Basuki, Laura German, Thomas W. Kuyper, Godwin Limberg, Rajindra K. Puri, Bernard Sellato, Meine Van Noordwijk, Eva Wollenberg
Do Anthropogenic Dark Earths Occur In The Interior Of Borneo? Some Initial Observations From East Kalimantan, Douglas Sheil, Imam Basuki, Laura German, Thomas W. Kuyper, Godwin Limberg, Rajindra K. Puri, Bernard Sellato, Meine Van Noordwijk, Eva Wollenberg
Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications
Anthropogenic soils of the Amazon Basin (Terra Preta, Terra Mulata) reveal that pre-Colombian peoples made lasting improvements in the agricultural potential of nutrient-poor soils. Some have argued that applying similar techniques could improve agriculture over much of the humid tropics, enhancing local livelihoods and food security, while also sequestering large quantities of carbon to mitigate climate change. Here, we present preliminary evidence for Anthropogenic Dark Earths (ADEs) in tropical Asia. Our surveys in East Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) identified several sites where soils possess an anthropogenic development and context similar in several respects to the Amazon's ADEs. Similarities include riverside locations, …
Biogenic Vs. Geologic Carbon Emissions And Forest Biomass Energy Production, John S. Gunn, David J. Ganz, William S. Keeton
Biogenic Vs. Geologic Carbon Emissions And Forest Biomass Energy Production, John S. Gunn, David J. Ganz, William S. Keeton
Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications
In the current debate over the CO2 emissions implications of switching from fossil fuel energy sources to include a substantial amount of woody biomass energy, many scientists and policy makers hold the view that emissions from the two sources should not be equated. Their rationale is that the combustion or decay of woody biomass is simply part of the global cycle of biogenic carbon and does not increase the amount of carbon in circulation. This view is frequently presented as justification to implement policies that encourage the substitution of fossil fuel energy sources with biomass. We present the opinion that …
Carbon Storage, Timber Production, And Biodiversity: Comparing Ecosystem Services With Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, W. Scott Schwenk, Therese M. Donovan, William S. Keeton, Jared S. Nunery
Carbon Storage, Timber Production, And Biodiversity: Comparing Ecosystem Services With Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, W. Scott Schwenk, Therese M. Donovan, William S. Keeton, Jared S. Nunery
Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications
Increasingly, land managers seek ways to manage forests for multiple ecosystem services and functions, yet considerable challenges exist in comparing disparate services and balancing trade-offs among them. We applied multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) and forest simulation models to simultaneously consider three objectives: (1) storing carbon, (2) producing timber and wood products, and (3) sustaining biodiversity. We used the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) applied to 42 northern hardwood sites to simulate forest development over 100 years and to estimate carbon storage and timber production. We estimated biodiversity implications with occupancy models for 51 terrestrial bird species that were linked to FVS …
Eorganic: The Organic Agriculture Community Of Practice For Extension, Alexandra G. Stone, Danielle D. Treadwell, Alice K. Formiga, John P.G. Mcqueen, Michelle M. Wander, James Riddle, Heather M. Darby, Debra Heleba
Eorganic: The Organic Agriculture Community Of Practice For Extension, Alexandra G. Stone, Danielle D. Treadwell, Alice K. Formiga, John P.G. Mcqueen, Michelle M. Wander, James Riddle, Heather M. Darby, Debra Heleba
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications
eOrganic is the organic agriculture community of practice (CoP) and resource area for eXtension. eOrganic's primary community of interest (CoI) is organic farmers and the agricultural professionals who support them. The 250 members of the eOrganic CoP include farmers, researchers, certifiers, and extension/other agricultural professionals. eOrganic's mission is to build a diverse national CoP and use web technologies to synthesize existing information, emerging science, and practical knowledge into information resources and training materials for its CoI. eOrganic strategies to achieve that mission include collaborative publication, stakeholder engagement, community development, projectmanagement, evaluation, and fundraising. eOrganic's public site currently offers 240 articles, …
Costs Of Food Safety Certification On Fresh Produce Farms In Vermont, Florence A. Becot, Virginia Nickerson, David S. Conner, Jane M. Kolodinsky
Costs Of Food Safety Certification On Fresh Produce Farms In Vermont, Florence A. Becot, Virginia Nickerson, David S. Conner, Jane M. Kolodinsky
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications
This article addresses the economic costs of good agricultural practices (GAPs) audits of small and medium size farms in Vermont. It focuses on the costs of infrastructure, equipment, and labor required to successfully pass a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) GAPs audit. In-depth interviews and surveys of produce farmers in 2011 revealed that the cost of GAPs certification ranges between $37 and $54 per acre, and an additional 7 hours were required each week during the growing season. Based on this exploratory research, certifying all the farms in Vermont would cost between $228,216 and $3,019,114. Our study explored all the …