Practical Conservation

Lee et al. (2009) examined the impact of fall and spring harvests on biomass yield in switchgrass and other potential bioenergy grasses.  There was little drop-off in biomass yield in spring harvests compared to fall for switchgrass, and big bluestem actually produced slightly more in spring.  This is great news for wildlife conservation.  Spring biomass harvests would preserve valuable winter cover for birds and other critters, and more closely mimic natural disturbance regimes.  And, still provide a profitable biofuel crop.  Now that’s what we mean by practical conservation