Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Shelterbelt Seedling Production and Transportation in Saskatchewan, Canada

Lindsey Rudd; Ken Belcher; Suren Kulshreshtha; Colin Laroque; Murray Bentham

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajaf.20221003.11

| Peer-Reviewed

Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Shelterbelt Seedling Production and Transportation in Saskatchewan, Canada

Lindsey Rudd, Ken Belcher, Suren Kulshreshtha, Colin Laroque, Murray Bentham

Published in American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry (Volume 10, Issue 3)

Received: 4 April 2022 Accepted: 19 April 2022 Published: 7 May 2022

Views: Downloads:

Download PDF

Share This Article

Twitter
Linked In
Facebook

Abstract

Shelterbelts on Saskatchewan (SK) farms are rows of tree and shrub species established around farmyards and livestock enclosures and within crop fields to serve various roles, including protection against wind and water damage to crops and farm infrastructure, soil erosion and moisture loss. Shelterbelts also can contribute to environmental benefits, most important of which is mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which has been identified as an important climate change mitigation strategy. In the overall strategy of mitigation of GHGs, there is a need for quantifying emissions of these gases in various mitigation operations, including plating of shelterbelts on farms. In order for a farm to plant a shelterbelt, a seedling has to be produced. This information is not currently available and therefore, was selected as the focus of the study. This research developed a life-cycle assessment of production and transportation of shelterbelt seedlings. It provides details on the processes and emissions of the production and transportation stages in the generation of tree seedlings used to establish a one kilometer long farm shelterbelt. The production and transportation stages for 1,000 shrub shelterbelt seedlings was estimated to generate 2,200 kg of carbon dioxide emissions regardless of species. During these stages of the shelterbelt life-cycle, the primary sources of GHG emissions were energy use for heating and for lighting during seedling growth while transportation of seedlings from the point of production to point of use represented a significantly smaller proportion of overall emissions.

Published in	American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry (Volume 10, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajaf.20221003.11
Page(s)	85-93
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Carbon Dioxide Emissions, Life Cycle Assessment, Shelterbelt, Seedling Production, Seedlings Transportation

References

[1]	ACF Inc. 2019. Greenhouse Heater Calculator. Aaron’s Creek Farms. Retrieved from http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/heat-calc.shtml#cost.
[2]	Agriculture and Agri- Food Canada (AAFC). 2010. AAFC-AESB Prairie Shelterbelt Program Frequently Asked Questions. AESB Agroforestry Development Centre.
[3]	Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). 2012. Spacing recommendations. Government of Canada. Retrieved on September 30 2019 from http://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/science-and-innovation/agricultural-practices/agroforestry/shelterbelt-planning-and-establishment/spacing-recommendations/?id=1344895588418.
[4]	Amadi, C. C. 2016. Dynamics of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide fluxes in planted shelterbelts and adjacent cropped fields. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Saskatchewan, Canada.
[5]	Amadi, C. C., van Rees, K., & Farrell, R. E. 2016a. Greenhouse gas mitigation potential of shelterbelts: Estimating farm-scale emission reductions using the Holos model. Canadian Journal of Soil Science. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1139/cjss-2016-0017
[6]	Amadi, C. C., Van Rees, K. C. J., & Farrell, R. E. 2016b. Soil – atmosphere exchange of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in shelterbelts compared with adjacent cropped fields. Agriculture, Ecosystem and Environment 223: 123-134.
[7]	Amichev, B. Y., Bentham, M. J., Cerkowniak, D., Kort, J., Kulshreshtha, S., Laroque, C. P., Piwowar, J. M., & Van Rees, K. C. J. 2015. Mapping and quantification of planted tree and shrub shelterbelts in Saskatchewan, Canada. Agroforestry Systems 89: 49-65. Doi: 10.1007/s10457-014-9741-2.
[8]	Amichev, B. Y., Bentham, M. J., Kulshreshtha, S. N., Kurz, W. A., Laroque, C. P., Piwowar, J. M., & Van Rees, K. C. J. 2016. Carbon sequestration by planted shelterbelts in Saskatchewan: 3PG and CBM-CFS3 model simulations. Ecological Modelling. 325: 35-46.
[9]	Baah-Acheamfour, M., Chang, S., Bork, E. & Cameron N. Carlyle, C. 2017. The potential of agroforestry to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases in Canada: Insight from pairwise comparisons with traditional agriculture, data gaps and future research. The Forestry Chronicle. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.5558/tfc2017-024
[10]	Canada Energy Regulator. 2019. Provincial and Territorial Energy Profiles – Saskatchewan. Government of Canada. Retrieved on August 2019 from https://www.cer-rec.gc.ca/nrg/ntgrtd/mrkt/nrgsstmprfls/sk-eng.html.
[11]	Ecoinvent. 2007. Swiss Centre for Life Cycle Inventories (Ecoinvent Centre). Ecoinvent Database. Ecoinvent Centre, Dübendorf, 2004 and 2007. Retrieved from http://www.ecoinvent.org.
[12]	Finnveden, G., Hauschild, M. Z., Ekvall, T., Guinee, J., Heijungs, R., Hellweg, S., Koehler, A., Pennington, D., & Suh, S. 2009. Recent Developments in Life Cycle Assessment. Journal of Environmental Management 91 (1): 1-21.
[13]	Heidinger, S. June 2018. Personal interview (email).
[14]	Hesselink, B. June 2018. Personal interview (phone and email).
[15]	Hubner, R., Kuhnel, A., Lu, J., Dettmann, H., Wang, W., & Wiesmeier, M. 2021. Soil carbon sequestration by agroforestry systems in China: A meta-analysis. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2021.107437
[16]	International Organization for Standardization (ISO), 2006. ISO 14040 International Standard. In: Environmental Management – Life Cycle Assessment – Principles and Framework. International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland.
[17]	Kulshreshtha, S. N., Ken van Rees, K. v., Hesseln, H., Johnston, M. & Kort, J. 2010. Issues on Agroforestry Development on the Canadian Prairies. In Lawrence R. Kellimore (ed.). Handbook on Agroforestry: Management, Practices and Environmental Impact. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Publishers.
[18]	Master Plant-Prod Inc. 2019. Plant-Prod 20-8-20 All Purpose High Nitrate. High Productivity Plant Nutrition. Retrieved on May 17 2019 from https://www.plantprod.com/product/plant-prod-20-8-20-all-purpose-high-nitrate/.
[19]	NR Can (2014). Auto$mart -- Learn the facts: Fuel consumption and CO₂. Retrieved on February 16 2021 from https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/sites/www.nrcan.gc.ca/files/oee/pdf/transportation/fuel-efficient-technologies/autosmart_factsheet_6_.
[20]	O’Connor, J. 2004. Survey on actual service lives for North American buildings. Presented at Woodframe Housing Durability and Disaster Issues conference, Las Vegas. Retrieved on September 2019 from https://cwc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/DurabilityService_Life_E.pdf.
[21]	Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. 2010. Fact #621: May 3, 2010 Gross Vehicle Weight vs. Empty Vehicle Weight. Retrieved on May 2018 from https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/fact-621-may-3-2010-gross-vehicle-weight-vs-empty-vehicle-weight.
[22]	Perks, M., Khomik, M., Bathgate, S., Chapman, S. Slee, B., Yeluripati, J., Robertsd, D., & Morrison, J. 2018. Agroforestry in Scotland – potential benefits in a changing climate. Retrieved from: www.climatexchange.org.uk.
[23]	Rajagopal, D., Vanderghem, C., & MacLean, L. 2017. Life Cycle Assessment for Economists. Annual Review of Resource Economics 9: 361—381. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-resource-100815-095513.
[24]	Rempel, J. 2014. Costs, Benefits, and Barriers to the Adoption and Retention of Shelterbelts in Prairie Agriculture as identified by Saskatchewan Producers (MES thesis). University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
[25]	Rudd. L. 2020. Carbon life cycle assessment of shelterbelts in Saskatchewan. M. E. S. thesis. Saskatoon: University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan.
[26]	Rudd, L., Kulshreshtha, S., Belcher, K., Amichev, B. 2021. Carbon life cycle assessment of shelterbelts in Saskatchewan, Canada. Journal of Environmental Management. 297 (1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113400.
[27]	Ryan, J. 2014. New Study Verifies Steel Roofs Can Last as Long as the Buildings they Cover: Typically, 60 Years or More. Tag Archives: Life Expectancy. Metal Construction. Retrieved on September 2019 from https://blog.metalconstruction.org/tag/life-expectancy/.
[28]	SaskPower. 2019. Shand Greenhouse. Retrieved on January 2019 from https://www.SaskPower.com/Our-Power-Future/Our-Environmental-Commitment/Shand-Greenhouse.
[29]	SCAQMD (South Coast Air Quality Management District). 2008. Interim CEQA GHG Significance Threshold for Stationary Sources, Rules and Plans. Retrieved on August 2019 from http://www.aqmd.gov/docs/default-source/ceqa/handbook/greenhouse-gases-(ghg)-ceqa-significance-thresholds/ghgboardsynopsis.pdf?sfvrsn=2.
[30]	SimaPro. 2019. About SimaPro. Retrieved on February 2018 from https://simapro.com/about/.
[31]	Wiseman, G., Kort, J., & Walker, D. 2009. Quantification of Shelterbelt Characteristics Using High-Resolution Imagery, Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 131: 111–117.
[32]	Zilberman, D., Zhao, J., & Heiman, A. 2012. Adoption versus adaptation, with emphasis on climate change. Annual Review of Resource Economics 4: 27–53. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-resource-083110-115954.

Cite This Article

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Lindsey Rudd, Ken Belcher, Suren Kulshreshtha, Colin Laroque, Murray Bentham. (2022). Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Shelterbelt Seedling Production and Transportation in Saskatchewan, Canada. American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 10(3), 85-93. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20221003.11

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Lindsey Rudd; Ken Belcher; Suren Kulshreshtha; Colin Laroque; Murray Bentham. Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Shelterbelt Seedling Production and Transportation in Saskatchewan, Canada. Am. J. Agric. For. 2022, 10(3), 85-93. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20221003.11

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Lindsey Rudd, Ken Belcher, Suren Kulshreshtha, Colin Laroque, Murray Bentham. Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Shelterbelt Seedling Production and Transportation in Saskatchewan, Canada. Am J Agric For. 2022;10(3):85-93. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20221003.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajaf.20221003.11,
  author = {Lindsey Rudd and Ken Belcher and Suren Kulshreshtha and Colin Laroque and Murray Bentham},
  title = {Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Shelterbelt Seedling Production and Transportation in Saskatchewan, Canada},
  journal = {American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry},
  volume = {10},
  number = {3},
  pages = {85-93},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajaf.20221003.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20221003.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajaf.20221003.11},
  abstract = {Shelterbelts on Saskatchewan (SK) farms are rows of tree and shrub species established around farmyards and livestock enclosures and within crop fields to serve various roles, including protection against wind and water damage to crops and farm infrastructure, soil erosion and moisture loss. Shelterbelts also can contribute to environmental benefits, most important of which is mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which has been identified as an important climate change mitigation strategy. In the overall strategy of mitigation of GHGs, there is a need for quantifying emissions of these gases in various mitigation operations, including plating of shelterbelts on farms. In order for a farm to plant a shelterbelt, a seedling has to be produced. This information is not currently available and therefore, was selected as the focus of the study. This research developed a life-cycle assessment of production and transportation of shelterbelt seedlings. It provides details on the processes and emissions of the production and transportation stages in the generation of tree seedlings used to establish a one kilometer long farm shelterbelt. The production and transportation stages for 1,000 shrub shelterbelt seedlings was estimated to generate 2,200 kg of carbon dioxide emissions regardless of species. During these stages of the shelterbelt life-cycle, the primary sources of GHG emissions were energy use for heating and for lighting during seedling growth while transportation of seedlings from the point of production to point of use represented a significantly smaller proportion of overall emissions.},
 year = {2022}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Shelterbelt Seedling Production and Transportation in Saskatchewan, Canada
AU  - Lindsey Rudd
AU  - Ken Belcher
AU  - Suren Kulshreshtha
AU  - Colin Laroque
AU  - Murray Bentham
Y1  - 2022/05/07
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20221003.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajaf.20221003.11
T2  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
JF  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
JO  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
SP  - 85
EP  - 93
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8591
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20221003.11
AB  - Shelterbelts on Saskatchewan (SK) farms are rows of tree and shrub species established around farmyards and livestock enclosures and within crop fields to serve various roles, including protection against wind and water damage to crops and farm infrastructure, soil erosion and moisture loss. Shelterbelts also can contribute to environmental benefits, most important of which is mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which has been identified as an important climate change mitigation strategy. In the overall strategy of mitigation of GHGs, there is a need for quantifying emissions of these gases in various mitigation operations, including plating of shelterbelts on farms. In order for a farm to plant a shelterbelt, a seedling has to be produced. This information is not currently available and therefore, was selected as the focus of the study. This research developed a life-cycle assessment of production and transportation of shelterbelt seedlings. It provides details on the processes and emissions of the production and transportation stages in the generation of tree seedlings used to establish a one kilometer long farm shelterbelt. The production and transportation stages for 1,000 shrub shelterbelt seedlings was estimated to generate 2,200 kg of carbon dioxide emissions regardless of species. During these stages of the shelterbelt life-cycle, the primary sources of GHG emissions were energy use for heating and for lighting during seedling growth while transportation of seedlings from the point of production to point of use represented a significantly smaller proportion of overall emissions.
VL  - 10
IS  - 3
ER  -

Copy | Download

Author Information

Lindsey Rudd

School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
Ken Belcher

Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
Suren Kulshreshtha

Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
Colin Laroque

Department of Soil Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
Murray Bentham

Department of Soil Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada

Download PDF

Sections

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Lindsey Rudd, Ken Belcher, Suren Kulshreshtha, Colin Laroque, Murray Bentham. (2022). Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Shelterbelt Seedling Production and Transportation in Saskatchewan, Canada. American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 10(3), 85-93. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20221003.11

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Lindsey Rudd; Ken Belcher; Suren Kulshreshtha; Colin Laroque; Murray Bentham. Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Shelterbelt Seedling Production and Transportation in Saskatchewan, Canada. Am. J. Agric. For. 2022, 10(3), 85-93. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20221003.11

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Lindsey Rudd, Ken Belcher, Suren Kulshreshtha, Colin Laroque, Murray Bentham. Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Shelterbelt Seedling Production and Transportation in Saskatchewan, Canada. Am J Agric For. 2022;10(3):85-93. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20221003.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajaf.20221003.11,
  author = {Lindsey Rudd and Ken Belcher and Suren Kulshreshtha and Colin Laroque and Murray Bentham},
  title = {Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Shelterbelt Seedling Production and Transportation in Saskatchewan, Canada},
  journal = {American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry},
  volume = {10},
  number = {3},
  pages = {85-93},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajaf.20221003.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20221003.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajaf.20221003.11},
  abstract = {Shelterbelts on Saskatchewan (SK) farms are rows of tree and shrub species established around farmyards and livestock enclosures and within crop fields to serve various roles, including protection against wind and water damage to crops and farm infrastructure, soil erosion and moisture loss. Shelterbelts also can contribute to environmental benefits, most important of which is mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which has been identified as an important climate change mitigation strategy. In the overall strategy of mitigation of GHGs, there is a need for quantifying emissions of these gases in various mitigation operations, including plating of shelterbelts on farms. In order for a farm to plant a shelterbelt, a seedling has to be produced. This information is not currently available and therefore, was selected as the focus of the study. This research developed a life-cycle assessment of production and transportation of shelterbelt seedlings. It provides details on the processes and emissions of the production and transportation stages in the generation of tree seedlings used to establish a one kilometer long farm shelterbelt. The production and transportation stages for 1,000 shrub shelterbelt seedlings was estimated to generate 2,200 kg of carbon dioxide emissions regardless of species. During these stages of the shelterbelt life-cycle, the primary sources of GHG emissions were energy use for heating and for lighting during seedling growth while transportation of seedlings from the point of production to point of use represented a significantly smaller proportion of overall emissions.},
 year = {2022}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Shelterbelt Seedling Production and Transportation in Saskatchewan, Canada
AU  - Lindsey Rudd
AU  - Ken Belcher
AU  - Suren Kulshreshtha
AU  - Colin Laroque
AU  - Murray Bentham
Y1  - 2022/05/07
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20221003.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajaf.20221003.11
T2  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
JF  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
JO  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
SP  - 85
EP  - 93
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8591
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20221003.11
AB  - Shelterbelts on Saskatchewan (SK) farms are rows of tree and shrub species established around farmyards and livestock enclosures and within crop fields to serve various roles, including protection against wind and water damage to crops and farm infrastructure, soil erosion and moisture loss. Shelterbelts also can contribute to environmental benefits, most important of which is mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which has been identified as an important climate change mitigation strategy. In the overall strategy of mitigation of GHGs, there is a need for quantifying emissions of these gases in various mitigation operations, including plating of shelterbelts on farms. In order for a farm to plant a shelterbelt, a seedling has to be produced. This information is not currently available and therefore, was selected as the focus of the study. This research developed a life-cycle assessment of production and transportation of shelterbelt seedlings. It provides details on the processes and emissions of the production and transportation stages in the generation of tree seedlings used to establish a one kilometer long farm shelterbelt. The production and transportation stages for 1,000 shrub shelterbelt seedlings was estimated to generate 2,200 kg of carbon dioxide emissions regardless of species. During these stages of the shelterbelt life-cycle, the primary sources of GHG emissions were energy use for heating and for lighting during seedling growth while transportation of seedlings from the point of production to point of use represented a significantly smaller proportion of overall emissions.
VL  - 10
IS  - 3
ER  -

Copy | Download