Author(s)

Roger T. Sarmiento^*, Rowena P. Varela

College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Caraga State University, Ampayon, Butuan City, Philippines.

Energy requirements in both urban and rural areas are increasing giving added stress to the power generators and energy sources, thus blackouts are becoming common scenarios. Renewable energy from tree biomass is being eyed to provide solution to insufficient energy supply. A component of the green energy generation project is to assess the biomass potential of major industrial tree plantation species in the region at various ages, to determine the sustainability of a biomass-based green energy generation. Actual field measurements of biomass in selected plantations were conducted. In the field inventory, a plot measuring 10 × 50 meters was laid out randomly on the sampling site. For all trees inside the plot, the basal diameter and diameter at breast height for ages 1 to 2 years old and 3 to 5 years old, respectively were recorded. The results revealed that the biomass of major industrial tree species in Year 1 followed the order: Mangium (Acacia mangium) > Ipil-ipil (Leucaena leucocephala) > Falcata (Paraserianthes falcataria) > Bagras (Eucalyptus deglupta). However, as the trees mature, the biomass generation changed with Falcata overtaking Mangium. The order then was: Falcata (Paraserianthes falcataria) > Mangium (Acacia mangium) > Ipil-ipil (Leucaena leucocephala) > Bagras (Eucalyptus deglupta). Of the major industrial tree species, Falcata (Paraserianthes falcataria) and Mangium (Acacia mangium) are noted to have the biggest potential in supplying the biomass requirement of the green energy plant.

Industrial Tree Plantation Species, Biomass, Green Energy Generation, Renewable Energy

Sarmiento, R. and Varela, R. (2015) Assessing the Biomass Potential of Major Industrial Tree Plantation Species for Green Energy Production. Open Journal of Forestry, 5, 557-562. doi: 10.4236/ojf.2015.55049.