Agroforestry systems (AFS) are land use systems that combine trees and shrubs with agricultural crops and/or livestock on the same land. To produce wood for energy, fast-growing tree species are planted in short-rotation agroforestry systems (SRAFS). To increase the momentum of such new agricultural concepts, the sustainability and profitability of these systems has to be proven.
Success factors for growing trees on agricultural land include system design and selection of suitable tree species. Farm managers must consider tree species-specific differences in growth rate, intraspecific competition, and response to environmental conditions and management measures.
In this work, experimental data on tree development for the cool-humid climate of the Bavarian Tertiary Hills are presented for the first time. In order to assess the economic and ecological performance of SRAFS, the work focused on determining yields and yield dynamics of different tree species and clones under conventional as well as organic management.