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  • Glossary item | Last updated: 16 Apr 2024

Short rotation forestry

Silvicultural practice in which fast-growing tree species are grown under intensive management. The most widely used species in SRF belong to the genera Eucalyptus, Populus and Salix.

Tord Johansson, Almir Karačić, Increment and biomass in hybrid poplar and some practical implications, Biomass and Bioenergy, Volume 35, Issue 5, 2011, Pages 1925-1934, ISSN 0961-9534, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2011.01.040.

Source category: Scientific & Technical Literature


Silvicultural practice in which high density, sustainable plantations of fast growing tree species produce wood biomass either on agricultural fertile lands, wastelands or degraded lands generally outside the traditional forests. The trees are grown with single stems or as coppice systems, with a rotation period of less than 30 years and with an annual wood production of at least 10 tonnes DM/ha.

IUFRO, The Global Network for Forest Science, unit 1.03.00 - Short-rotation forestry, accessed 16 April 2024

Source category: International Organisations