Short-rotation coppice of willows for the production of biomass in Eastern Canada

Eastern Canada is one region where willow short-rotation coppice has been the focus of numerous research projects over the last 15-20 years. Most experimental data published during this period concerning Quebec have found a high biomass potential, due to a combination of several factors, including the very high biomass yield of certain willow varieties, favourable pedoclimatic conditions and the very low incidence of severe pests and diseases. These high biomass yields have encouraged some growers to choose willows as an alternative agricultural crop, leading to a dramatic expansion of land devoted to willow short-rotation coppice in the province, especially over the last five years. However, thefuture evolution of this crop’s production will most certainly be influenced by the development of an active market for such biomass, which would encourage farmers to grow willow over a much larger surface area. In particular, developments in the technology of feedstock transformation and marketing issues related to product potential both merit further study. The high potential of willow for bioenergy production and environmental applications, including phytoremediation, in the Quebec context has been clearly demonstrated.