How can bioenergy crops contribute to increasing diversity in the landscape?
Perennial bioenergy crops can increase overall biodiversity in the landscape by adding one or more new crops (switchgrass, hybrid poplar, and/or willow) on existing agricultural lands. These new perennial crops can replace less profitable agricultural crops so that there will be more different kinds of plants growing on individual farms; thereby increasing the landscape complexity in different areas of the country. Biomass crops require less pesticides and herbicides for establishment and production, which decreases the adverse effects on soil organisms and contributes to improving soil health and biodiversity.
