Wildlife Biodiversity as a Component of Sustainability.

In his 2006 State of the Union Address, President Bush espoused the goal of making cellulosic ethanol “practical and competitive within six years” (Bies 2006).  In February 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that reaffirms this goal.  Furthermore, amendments to the 2008 Farm Bill included provisions for use of CRP lands for biomass production.  Such provisions should ensure the “development of planting and harvest techniques (harvest frequency, stubble height, and vegetative composition)…consistent with fish, wildlife, habitat, soil, nutrient management, and water conservation goals” (The Wildlife Society 2007).  If wildlife and other ecosystem resources are to be protected in conjunction with the inevitable large-scale conversion of lands to biofuels production, it is imperative that appropriate harvest strategies be determined.  Research at South Dakota State University will evaluate the effects of, and economic trade-offs associated with, harvest intensity (i.e., stubble height) and season (fall/spring) on biomass and wildlife production.  Results will serve as a springboard for future research looking at size, placement, and composition of plots used to maximize both wildlife and biofuels production.