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Dynamic life-cycle carbon analysis for fast pyrolysis biofuel produced from pine residues: implications of carbon temporal effects

Abstract Background Woody biomass has been considered as a promising feedstock for biofuel production via thermochemical conversion technologies such as fast pyrolysis. Extensive Life Cycle Assessment studies have been completed to evaluate the carbon intensity of woody biomass-derived biofuels via fast pyrolysis. However, most studies assumed that woody biomass such as forest residues is a carbon–neutral feedstock like annual crops, despite a distinctive timeframe it takes to grow woody biomass. Besides, few studies have investigated the impacts of forest dynamics and the temporal effects of carbon on the overall carbon intensity of woody-derived biofuels. This study addressed such gaps by developing a life-cycle carbon analysis framework integrating dynamic modeling for forest and biorefinery systems with a time-based discounted Global Warming Potential (GWP) method developed in this work. The framework analyzed dynamic carbon and energy flows of a supply chain for biofuel production from pine residues via fast pyrolysis. Results The mean carbon intensity of biofuel given by Monte Carlo simulation across three pine growth cases ranges from 40.8–41.2 g CO 2 e MJ −1 (static method) to 51.0–65.2 g CO 2 e MJ −1 (using the time-based discounted GWP method) when combusting biochar for energy recovery. If biochar is utilized as soil amendment, the carbon intensity reduces to 19.0–19.7 g CO 2 e MJ −1 (static method) and 29.6–43.4 g CO 2 e MJ −1 in the time-based method. Forest growth and yields (controlled by forest management strategies) show more significant impacts on biofuel carbon intensity when the temporal effect of carbon is taken into consideration. Variation in forest operations and management (e.g., energy consumption of thinning and harvesting), on the other hand, has little impact on the biofuel carbon intensity. Conclusions The carbon temporal effect, particularly the time lag of carbon sequestration during pine growth, has direct impacts on the carbon intensity of biofuels produced from pine residues from a stand-level pine growth and management point of view. The carbon implications are also significantly impacted by the assumptions of biochar end-of-life cases and forest management strategies.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Siberian Pine Decline and Mortality in Southern Siberian Mountains

The causes and resulting spatial patterns of Siberian pine mortality in eastern Kuznetzky Alatau Mountains, Siberia were analyzed based on satellite (Landsat, MODIS) and dendrochronology data. Climate variables studied included temperature, precipitation and Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) drought index. Landsat data analysis showed that stand mortality was first detected in the year 2006 at an elevation of 650 m, and extended up to 900 m by the year 2012. Mortality was accompanied by a decrease in MODIS derived vegetation index (EVI).. The area of dead stands and the upper mortality line were correlated with increased drought. The uphill margin of mortality was limited by elevational precipitation gradients. Dead stands (i.e., >75% tree mortality) were located mainly on southern slopes. With respect to slope, mortality was observed within a 7 deg - 20 deg range with greatest mortality occurring on convex terrain. Tree radial incrementmeasurements correlate and were synchronous with SPEI (r sq = 0.37, r(sub s) = 80). Increasing synchrony between tree ring growth and SPEI indicates that drought has reduced the ecological niche of Siberian pine. The results also showed the primary role of drought stress on Siberian pine mortality. A secondary role may be played by bark beetles and root fungi attacks. The observed Siberian pine mortality is part of a broader phenomenon of "dark needle conifers" (DNC, i.e., Siberian pine, fir and spruce) decline and mortality in European Russia, Siberia, and the Russian Far East. All locations of DNC decline coincided with areas of observed drought increase. The results obtained are one of the first observations of drought-induced decline and mortality of DNC at the southern border of boreal forests. Meanwhile if model projections of increased aridity are correct DNC, within the southern part of its range may be replaced by drought-resistant Pinus silvestris and Larix sibirica.

tree die-off↗

Long-term effects of thinning and woody control on longleaf pine plantation development, understory abundance, and tree damage from an ice storm

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) plantations have been established across the southeastern United States as the first step in restoring the declining savanna ecosystem, yet their long-term stability and development to open canopied woodlands may depend on early density and vegetation management treatments. Commercial thinning (CT) was applied in 2012 (year 18) to a long-term study of longleaf pine community restoration at the Savannah River Site near Aiken, SC to increase abundance of herb species. Although precommercial thinning (PCT) and woody vegetation control increased herb species cover during the first five years of the study, measurements from years 17 to 22 indicated a continuing decline in their cover since year 9 despite application of CT in year 18. Herb species richness, however, increased from 21 to 43 species per 100 m2 area during the last six years of the study, likely a result of disturbances associated with CT and an ice storm in year 20. Application of PCT in 1994, when the plantations were 8–11 years old, reduced their susceptibility to stem bending and breakage from the ice storm, which occurred 20 years later in 2014. Measured 5 months before the storm, pine height: dbh ratio (HD) averaged 78 and 90 for trees growing with and without PCT, respectively, and stem breakage (% of trees) from the ice storm increased linearly (r2 = 0.53) with HD. Pine mortality from the combined effects of glaze ice and wind differed with (28%) versus without (45%) PCT, indicating that long-term stability of longleaf pine plantations depends on early density management.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Initial plant community responses to hardwood control treatments in restoration of remnant longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) woodlands

Changes in land use over the past century have contributed to substantial losses of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) woodlands in the southeastern USA and replacement with higher density, mixed pine and hardwood stands that suppress understory development and limit application of prescribed fire. To increase understanding of limiting factors and identify potential approaches for restoring longleaf pine woodlands, we studied in this work initial availability of light and soil water and 2-year (2018–2019) plant community responses after controlling overstory hardwoods in five remnant longleaf pine woodlands having no evidence of previous agriculture at the Savannah River Site near Aiken, SC, USA. Seven hardwood control treatments and a non-treated check were compared in a randomized compete block experiment: cutting, cutting + shredding of logging residues, stem injection with imazapyr herbicide, cutting + basal spray with imazapyr herbicide, cutting + basal spray with triclopyr herbicide, cutting + directed foliar spray with a mixture of glyphosate and imazapyr herbicides, and cutting + broadcast foliar spray with the same herbicide mixture. In the year prior to hardwood cutting (2016), understory light availability averaged 23% of full sun. Throughout the year of treatment installation (2017), average soil water content (SWC) was below permanent wilting point (5.5% SWC) where overstory hardwoods were retained; whereas, it was above wilting point (7.5%) where they had been cut. Thus, combined effects of shade and root competition from overstory hardwoods probably limited cover of herbaceous species in the non-treated check. In the 2 years following treatment, hardwood survival averaged > 99%, 62%, 42% and < 1% for the non-treated check, cutting, shredding, and herbicide treatments, respectively. Relative to the non-treated check, herbaceous species richness was increased by shredding, stem injection, basal spray, or directed foliar treatments; herbaceous cover was increased by basal spray or directed foliar treatments; and woody cover was decreased by directed or broadcast foliar treatments. The directed foliar spray was the most effective treatment for achieving many of the desired understory characteristics of a longleaf pine woodland, including a diverse understory dominated by herbaceous vegetation capable of supporting periodic prescribed fires. Although the imazapyr basal spray treatment increased cover of remnant woodland indicator species, none of the treatments increased richness of this species group, suggesting that restoration of native species composition will be expedited by enrichment seedings or plantings.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

NLR diversity and candidate fusiform rust resistance genes in loblolly pine

Resistance to fusiform rust disease in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) is a classic gene-for-gene system. Early resistance gene mapping in the P. taeda family 10-5 identified RAPD markers for a major fusiform rust resistance gene, Fr1. More recently, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers associated with resistance were mapped to a full-length gene model in the loblolly pine genome encoding for a nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich repeat (NLR) protein. NLR genes are one of the most abundant gene families in plant genomes and are involved in effector-triggered immunity. Inter- and intraspecies studies of NLR gene diversity and expression have resulted in improved disease resistance. To characterize NLR gene diversity and discover potential resistance genes, we assembled de novo transcriptomes from 92 loblolly genotypes from across the natural range of the species. In these transcriptomes, we identified novel NLR transcripts that are not present in the loblolly pine reference genome and found significant geographic diversity of NLR genes providing evidence of gene family evolution. We designed capture probes for these NLRs to identify and map SNPs that stably cosegregate with resistance to the SC20-21 isolate of Cronartium quercuum f.sp. fusiforme (Cqf) in half-sib progeny of the 10-5 family. We identified 10 SNPs and 2 quantitative trait loci associated with resistance to SC20-21 Cqf. The geographic diversity of NLR genes provides evidence of NLR gene family evolution in loblolly pine. The SNPs associated with rust resistance provide a resource to enhance breeding and deployment of resistant pine seedlings.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F US-KS1 Kennedy Space Center (slash pine)

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-KS1 Kennedy Space Center (slash pine). This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-KS1 Kennedy Space Center (slash pine) produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The Kennedy Space Center Slash Pine Flatwoods site is located in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on the east coast of central Florida. Occupying 310 ha of local forest, the slash pine flatwoods ecosystem is managed as an uneven-aged stand with a sparsely populated overstory and a dense oak-dominated understory. Disturbances tend to occur on a 7 to 10 year cycle, mostly related to fire or hurricane activity. Prescribed fires have been conducted since 1969 to control understory fuel. The most recent burn was conducted in February of 1995. Following the burn, the stand was allowed to naturally regenerate into a open canopy of slash pines, less than 15% of canopy coverage ( on the order of 15-30 trees per ha), with a understory mostly composed of saw palmetto and scrub oak. There was a seasonally wet swale to the southeast that was on the margin of the flux tower footprint. A severe drought gripped most of Florida beginning in 1998 until the later half of 2001 resulting in four years of relatively low annual precipitation totals. Exceptionally high annual rainfall amounts in 2004 were the result of a pair of hurricanes that hit the area in August and September of 2004. Wind directions for the site are as follows: W and NW in the winter, afternoon E sea breeze in the summer.

Drake, Bert↗

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F US-Vcp Valles Caldera Ponderosa Pine

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Vcp Valles Caldera Ponderosa Pine. This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Vcp Valles Caldera Ponderosa Pine produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The Valles Caldera Ponderosa Pine site is located in the 1200km2 Jemez River basin of the Jemez Mountains in north-central New Mexico at the southern margin of the Rocky Mountain ecoregion. The Ponderosa Pine forest is the warmest and lowest (below 2700m) zone of the forests in the Valles Caldera National Preserve. Its vegetation is composed of a Ponderosa Pine (Pinus Ponderosa) overstory and a Gambel Oak (Quercus gambelii) understory.

Litvak, Marcy↗

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F US-Wi0 Young red pine (YRP)

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Wi0 Young red pine (YRP). This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Wi0 Young red pine (YRP) produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The Wisconsin Young Red Pine site is located in the Washburn Ranger District of the northeastern section of Chequamegon National Forest. A member of the northern coniferous-deciduous biome, surveys from the mid-19th century indicate the region consisted of a mixed stand of red, white, and jack pines. After extensive timber harvesting, wildfires, and farming activity, the region turned into a fragmented mosaic of stands of various ages and composition. As an assemblage, the ten Wisconsin sites are indicative of the successional stages of development in the predominant stand types of a physically homogeneous landscape. Thinned every 7 years until they reach 100 to 150 years of age, the red pine plantations of all ages occupy approximately 25% of the region.

Chen, Jiquan↗

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F US-Wi4 Mature red pine (MRP)

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Wi4 Mature red pine (MRP). This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Wi4 Mature red pine (MRP) produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The Wisconsin Mature Red Pine site is located in the Washburn Ranger District of the northeastern section of Chequamegon National Forest. A member of the northern coniferous-deciduous biome, surveys from the mid-19th century indicate the region consisted of a mixed stand of red, white, and jack pines. After extensive timber harvesting, wildfires, and farming activity, the region turned into a fragmented mosaic of stands of various ages and composition. As an assemblage, the ten Wisconsin sites are indicative of the successional stages of development in the predominant stand types of a physically homogeneous landscape. Thinned every 7 years until they reach 100 to 150 years of age, the red pine plantations of all ages occupy approximately 25% of the region.

Chen, Jiquan↗

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F US-Wi5 Mixed young jack pine (MYJP)

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Wi5 Mixed young jack pine (MYJP). This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Wi5 Mixed young jack pine (MYJP) produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The Wisconsin Mixed Young Jack Pine site is located in the Washburn Ranger District of the northeastern section of Chequamegon National Forest. A member of the northern coniferous-deciduous biome, surveys from the mid-19th century indicate the region consisted of a mixed stand of red, white, and jack pines. After extensive timber harvesting, wildfires, and farming activity, the region turned into a fragmented mosaic of stands of various ages and composition. As an assemblage, the ten Wisconsin sites are indicative of the successional stages of development in the predominant stand types of a physically homogeneous landscape. Clearcut on 40 to 70 year intervals, jack pine stands occupy approximately 13% of the region.

Chen, Jiquan↗

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F US-Wi9 Young Jack pine (YJP)

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Wi9 Young Jack pine (YJP). This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Wi9 Young Jack pine (YJP) produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The Wisconsin Young Jack Pine site is located in the Washburn Ranger District of the northeastern section of Chequamegon National Forest. A member of the northern coniferous-deciduous biome, surveys from the mid-19th century indicate the region consisted of a mixed stand of red, white, and jack pines. After extensive timber harvesting, wildfires, and farming activity, the region turned into a fragmented mosaic of stands of various ages and composition. As an assemblage, the ten Wisconsin sites are indicative of the successional stages of development in the predominant stand types of a physically homogeneous landscape. Clearcut on 40 to 70 year intervals, jack pine stands occupy approximately 13% of the region.

Chen, Jiquan↗

The Pine Ridge-Mayo National Aeronautics and Space Administration Telemedicine Project: Program Activities and Participant Reactions

OBJECTIVE: To determine the response of participants to the Pine Ridge-Mayo National Aeronautics and Space Administration telemedicine project. DESIGN: We describe a 3-month demonstration project of medical education and clinical consultations conducted by means of satellite transmission. Postparticipation questionnaires and a postproject survey were used to assess the success of the activity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients and employees at the Pine Ridge Indian Health Service Hospital in southwestern South Dakota and employees at Mayo Clinic Rochester participated in a telemedicine project, after which they completed exit surveys and a postproject questionnaire to ascertain the acceptability of this mode of health care. RESULTS: Almost all Pine Ridge and Mayo Clinic participants viewed the project as beneficial. The educational sessions received favorable evaluations, and almost two-thirds of the patients who completed evaluations thought the consultation had contributed to their medical care. More than 90% of the respondents from Pine Ridge and more than 85% of the respondents from Mayo Clinic Rochester said that they would recommend participation in this project to others. More than 90% of respondents from Pine Ridge and 80% of Mayo respondents agreed with the statement that the project should continue. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that a program of clinical consultation services, professional education, and patient education available by telemedicine might be viewed as beneficial.

United States Indian Health Service↗

Pectin-associated mannans and xylans play distinct roles in cell-cell adhesion in pine and poplar wood

Wood particles of pine required longer treatments of acidic chlorite and dilute alkali to achieve similar proportions of cell separation as of poplar. Chemical extraction and enzymatic digestion studies indicated that rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I), mannan and xylan contribute to cell-cell adhesion in pine wood. Mannan associated with lignin in an acidic chlorite fraction and with xylan in a dilute alkali fraction. RG-I and xylan were extracted in both chlorite and dilute alkali in poplar. Scanning electron microscopy and a probe diffusion study using Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching showed that lignin, RG-I and mannan initiated cell separation at cell corners and dilute alkali extraction of xylan was required for complete cell separation in pine. Cell-cell separation increased enzymatic saccharification within 24 h by 2-fold in poplar and 3.4-fold in pine. Finally, our results inform a strategy to reduce particle size in woody biomass and provide insights into different molecular bases of cell-cell adhesion.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Increased leaf area index and efficiency drive enhanced production under elevated atmospheric [ CO 2 ] in a pine‐dominated stand showing no progressive nitrogen limitation

Abstract Enhancement of net primary production (NPP) in forests as atmospheric [CO 2 ] increases is likely limited by the availability of other growth resources. The Duke Free Air CO 2 Enrichment (FACE) experiment was located on a moderate‐fertility site in the southeastern US, in a loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda L.) plantation with broadleaved species growing mostly in mid‐canopy and understory. Duke FACE ran from 1994 to 2010 and combined elevated [CO 2 ] (eCO 2 ) with nitrogen (N) additions. We assessed the spatial and temporal variation of NPP response using a dataset that includes previously unpublished data from 6 years of the replicated CO 2 × N experiment and extends to 2 years beyond the termination of enrichment. Averaged over time (1997–2010), NPP of pine and broadleaved species were 38% and 52% higher under eCO 2 compared to ambient conditions. Furthermore, there was no evidence of a decline in enhancement over time in any plot regardless of its native site quality. The relation between spatial variation in the response and native site quality was suggested but inconclusive. Nitrogen amendments under eCO 2 , in turn, resulted in an additional 11% increase in pine NPP. For pine, the eCO 2 ‐induced increase in NPP was similar above‐ and belowground and was driven by both increased leaf area index ( L ) and production efficiency (PE = NPP/ L ). For broadleaved species, coarse‐root biomass production was more than 200% higher under eCO 2 and accounted for the entire production response, driven by increased PE. Notably, the fraction of annual NPP retained in total living biomass was higher under eCO 2 , reflecting a slight shift in allocation fraction to woody mass and a lower mortality rate. Our findings also imply that tree growth may not have been only N‐limited, but perhaps constrained by the availability of other nutrients. The observed sustained NPP enhancement, even without N‐additions, demonstrates no progressive N limitation.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Microbiomes of commercially-available pine nuts and sesame seeds

Metagenomic analysis of food is becoming more routine and can provide important information pertaining to the shelf life potential and the safety of these products. However, less information is available on the microbiomes associated with low water activity foods. Pine nuts and sesame seeds, and food products which contain these ingredients, have been associated with recalls due to contamination with bacterial foodborne pathogens. The objective of this study was to identify the microbial community of pine nuts and sesame seeds using targeted 16S rRNA sequencing technology. Ten different brands of each seed type were assessed, and core microbiomes were determined. A total of 21 and 16 unique taxa with proportional abundances >1% in at least one brand were identified in the pine nuts and sesame seeds, respectively. Members of the core pine nut microbiome included the genera Alishewanella, Aminivibrio, Mycoplasma, Streptococcus, and unassigned OTUs in the families of Desulfobacteraceae and Xanthomonadaceae. For sesame seeds, the core microbiome included Aminivibrio, Chryseolina, Okibacterium, and unassigned OTUs in the family Flavobacteriaceae. The microbiomes of these seeds revealed that these products are dominated by environmental bacterial genera commonly isolated from soil, water, and plants; bacterial genera containing species known as commensal organisms were also identified. Understanding these microbiomes can aid in the risk assessment of these products by identifying food spoilage potential and community members which may co-enrich with foodborne bacterial pathogens.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Needle bacterial community structure across the species range of limber pine

Abstract Bacteria on and inside leaves can influence forest tree health and resilience. The distribution and limits of a tree species’ range can be influenced by various factors, with biological interactions among the most significant. We investigated the processes shaping the bacterial needle community across the species distribution of limber pine, a widespread Western conifer inhabiting a range of extreme habitats. We tested four hypotheses: (i) Needle community structure varies across sites, with site-specific factors more important to microbial assembly than host species selection; (ii) dispersal limitation structures foliar communities across the range of limber pine; (iii) the relative significance of dispersal and selection differs across sites in the tree species range; and (iv) needle age structures bacterial communities. We characterized needle communities from the needle surface and tissue of limber pine and co-occurring conifers across 16 sites in the limber pine distribution. Our findings confirmed that site characteristics shape the assembly of bacterial communities across the host species range and showed that these patterns are not driven by dispersal limitation. Furthermore, the strength of selection by the host varied by site, possibly due to differences in available microbes. Our study, by focusing on trees in their natural setting, reveals real needle bacterial dynamics in forests, which is key to understanding the balance between stochastic and deterministic processes in shaping forest tree-microbe interactions. Such understanding will be necessary to predict or manipulate these interactions to support forest ecosystem productivity or assist plant migration and adaptation in the face of global change.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Offshore-onshore record of Last Glacial Maximum–to–present grounding line retreat at Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica

Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica, is the largest Antarctic contributor to global sea-level rise and is vulnerable to rapid retreat, yet our knowledge of its deglacial history since the Last Glacial Maximum is based largely on marine sediments that record a retreat history ending in the early Holocene. Using a suite of 10 Be exposure ages from onshore glacial deposits directly adjacent to Pine Island Glacier, we show that this major glacier thinned rapidly in the early to mid-Holocene. Our results indicate that Pine Island Glacier was at least 690 m thicker than present prior to ca. 8 ka. We infer that the rapid thinning detected at the site farthest downstream records the arrival and stabilization of the retreating grounding line at that site by 8–6 ka. By combining our exposure ages and the marine record, we extend knowledge of Pine Island Glacier retreat both spatially and temporally: to 50 km from the modern grounding line and to the mid-Holocene, providing a data set that is important for future numerical ice-sheet model validation.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

PINE: Photonic Integrated Networked Energy efficient datacenters

We review the motivation, goals, and achievements of the Photonic Integrated Networked Energy efficient datacenter (PINE) project, which is part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) ENergy-efficient Light-wave Integrated Technology Enabling Networks that Enhance Dataprocessing (ENLITENED) program. Here, the PINE program leverages the unique features of photonic technologies to enable alternative mega-datacenters and high-performance computing (HPC) system architectures that deliver more substantial energy efficiency improvements than can be achieved through link energy efficiency alone. In phase 1 of the program, the PINE system architecture demonstrated an average factor of 2.2× improvement in transactions/joule across a diverse set of HPC and datacenter applications. In phase 2, PINE will demonstrate an aggressive 1.0 pJ/bit total link budget with high-bandwidth-density dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) links to enable additional 2.5× or more efficiency gains through deep resource disaggregation.

42 ENGINEERING↗