Invasive Tree Species Robinia pseudoacacia: A Potential Biomass Resource in Nagano Prefecture, Japan

Abstract

The introduced tree species, Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust), has spread extensively in many countries. Because of its active regeneration and rapid initial growth, R. pseudoacacia has not been successfully eradicated despite many efforts. To manage this species, developing information on the growth of R. pseudoacacia as a biomass resource is desirable, and this will motivate logging and could contribute to the extermination or sustainable use of this species. In the present study, the stand volume and growth of R. pseudoacacia forests in riverbeds along the Chikumagawa River in Nagano Prefecture in Japan were examined by tree ring and stem analyses. Seven plots were established in R. pseudoacacia riparian forests of varying ages, and 611 measurements of diameter at breast height and 386 measurements of tree height were made. Stand volumes, which were estimated using equations of stem volume curve based on the results of stem analysis of 47 sample trees, were almost the same as or higher than those of native broadleaf forests in Japan. Stand volumes continued to increase for more than 20 years. Current annual increments of four plots (aged 13-22 years) indicated that it could take\5 years after regeneration for the annual increment of R. pseudoacacia forests to reach a maximum level. Growth of R. pseudoacacia was comparable to or faster than native broadleaved species in Japan, showing the possibility of short rotation harvesting.H. Kurokochi and K. Toyama contributed equally to this study.

Exploring the use of residues from the invasive Acacia sp. for weed control

“…Within the strategies responsible for the invasiveness of exotic plant species, an important role is played by allelopathy (i.e., the release of allelopathic compounds that interfere with the normal performance of surrounding species) (Wolfe et al, 2008; Thorpe et al, 2009; Lorenzo et al, 2011, 2013). Furthermore, invasive plants usually produce a great amount of biomass, such as Ailanthus altissima , so that some of them are increasingly viewed as biomass sources (Annighöfer et al, 2012; Kurokochi and Toyama, 2015). The management of invasive plants has become a worldwide priority in recent years and costs billions of dollars every year (van Wilgen et al, 2016), which means the assessment of economic investment in invasive alien plant management is currently gaining importance (Sims et al, 2016).…”

First-Year Vitality of Reforestation Plantings in Response to Herbivore Exclusion on Reclaimed Appalachian Surface-Mined Land

“…Positive height growth was observed for all species in this study; however, black locust growth was significantly higher than that of shortleaf pine and white oak. Black locust is a pioneer species that naturally colonizes disturbed areas and can persist in environmentally harsh conditions due to its rapid initial growth rates [50,51] and ability to form symbiotic relationships with N 2 -fixing bacteria [52], justifying its use for the reforestation of mined lands, landfills, and degraded areas that are often nutrient-depleted [39,53]. First-year growth of black locust in this study was much greater than that of black locusts planted on adjacent reclaimed mined sites in eastern KY (9.4 cm) and was even higher than that of fertilized black locusts (20.4 cm) [54].…”

Non-Native Invasive Species as Ecosystem Service Providers

“…Robinia pseudoacacia L. also known as black locust, is a species native to North America where it was used to control erosion, for reforestation, and as an ornamental tree. Nowadays it has been widely naturalised all across Europe, South Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand [48][49][50].…”