Combatting climate change is a huge challenge, but it is important to understand the wider environmental impacts, both positive and negative, that might result from increased planting of perennial biomass crops. The fact that soil is not left bare over winter, and the deep root structures of willow and miscanthus means that the crops can reduce risk of soil erosion. The lower levels of soil disturbance compared to arable also means that they are good for soil health.
We will investigate the risks and opportunities posed by perennial biomass crops for different areas in the UK, in order to better understand the wider impacts on a range of ecosystem services that would result from land use change to these crops.
