stability of land surface characterized Lodz
and
Kuyavian-Pomeranian
Voivodships
(Table 2). The environmental status of the
land surface is shaped mainly by such land
use forms as arable lands, forests and permanent grasslands. Land use pattern in Poland is
undergoing two major kinds of change: lands
sown to annual crops, lands under forest and
urban and built-up areas are increasing
whereas grasslands, lands under perennial
crops and idle lands are decreasing in area
(Harasim 2015).
• A system of large-scale management (farms
over 15 ha) with monocultures of plants and
simplified crop rotation (especially on the
lands of former State Agricultural Farm in
northern, central and eastern Poland) and
often improperly conducted cultivation technology. This method of management triggers
erosion processes that contribute to the
reduction of soil organic matter and to low
soil carbon sequestration (Wiśniewski and
Kistowski 2017a).
• Despite the fact that Poland has large resources of the agricultural substrate, there are very
few biogas power plants based on agricultural
biogas. At the end of 2016, according to the
Agricultural Market Agency (2016), only 83
business entities were involved in the production of agricultural biogas in Poland, producing electricity only in cogeneration system
in 93 plants with an annual capacity to produce agricultural biogas at the level of 385.9
million m
3 and total installed electric capacity
100.9 MW e . There is slight progress in the
development of biogas plants in Poland.
However, compared with other European
countries this segment is still relatively small
—Poland places 14 amongst the EU member
countries in spite of the wide availability of
feedstock for agricultural biogas generation
(Powałka et al. 2013; Szymańska and
Lewandowska 2015). Most agricultural biogas plants are located in West Pomeranian
Voivodship, where has 13 plants with a total
installed capacity of 12.7 MW e . For comparison, in Opole and Świętokrzyskie
Voivodships located on one of this type of
installation with a capacity of 2.0 and 0.8
MW e (Table 2).
• The dominance of coniferous forests. The
changes in species composition and structure
of plant communities, transformations of oakhornbeam habitats and soil related to intense
deforestation followed by reforestation of land
used in the meantime for agricultural purposes
are a consequence of the fact that irrespective
of the production potential of habitats, the
species preferred for reforestation were those
of low climatic and trophic requirements and
characterised by fast growing. In the mesotrophic and oligrophic habitats in Poland, the
species best meeting the above requirements
is Pinus sylvestris L., which for the last two
centuries has been predestined to be a dominant species in Polish forests. The monoculture domination of pine for the last two
centuries has resulted in simplification and
impoverishment of species composition of
tree stands leading to the present different
forms of secondary communities (Matuszkiewicz et al. 2013; Łaska 2014). Secondary
forest communities after afforestation represent often phytocenoses of tree-stands
incompatible with the habitat conditions,
which reduces the importance of their ecological and protective functions (Łaska 2014;
Stefańska‒Krzaczek and Pech 2014; Wiśniewski and Kistowski 2015).
C. Opportunities
Opportunities to maintain or increase the ability
to absorb CO 2 and reduce emissions from agricultural land and soil based on rural resources in
Poland should be sought primarily in:
• The growing importance of intercropping,
short-rotation plantations, and areas with
nitrogen-fixing crops, with a high potential of
humus reproductive matter to maintain and
increase soil organic matter (legumes, grasses,
Fabaceae and their mixtures). Their cultivation has attracted attention both within agri154
P. Wiśniewski
and
Kuyavian-Pomeranian
Voivodships
(Table 2). The environmental status of the
land surface is shaped mainly by such land
use forms as arable lands, forests and permanent grasslands. Land use pattern in Poland is
undergoing two major kinds of change: lands
sown to annual crops, lands under forest and
urban and built-up areas are increasing
whereas grasslands, lands under perennial
crops and idle lands are decreasing in area
(Harasim 2015).
• A system of large-scale management (farms
over 15 ha) with monocultures of plants and
simplified crop rotation (especially on the
lands of former State Agricultural Farm in
northern, central and eastern Poland) and
often improperly conducted cultivation technology. This method of management triggers
erosion processes that contribute to the
reduction of soil organic matter and to low
soil carbon sequestration (Wiśniewski and
Kistowski 2017a).
• Despite the fact that Poland has large resources of the agricultural substrate, there are very
few biogas power plants based on agricultural
biogas. At the end of 2016, according to the
Agricultural Market Agency (2016), only 83
business entities were involved in the production of agricultural biogas in Poland, producing electricity only in cogeneration system
in 93 plants with an annual capacity to produce agricultural biogas at the level of 385.9
million m
3 and total installed electric capacity
100.9 MW e . There is slight progress in the
development of biogas plants in Poland.
However, compared with other European
countries this segment is still relatively small
—Poland places 14 amongst the EU member
countries in spite of the wide availability of
feedstock for agricultural biogas generation
(Powałka et al. 2013; Szymańska and
Lewandowska 2015). Most agricultural biogas plants are located in West Pomeranian
Voivodship, where has 13 plants with a total
installed capacity of 12.7 MW e . For comparison, in Opole and Świętokrzyskie
Voivodships located on one of this type of
installation with a capacity of 2.0 and 0.8
MW e (Table 2).
• The dominance of coniferous forests. The
changes in species composition and structure
of plant communities, transformations of oakhornbeam habitats and soil related to intense
deforestation followed by reforestation of land
used in the meantime for agricultural purposes
are a consequence of the fact that irrespective
of the production potential of habitats, the
species preferred for reforestation were those
of low climatic and trophic requirements and
characterised by fast growing. In the mesotrophic and oligrophic habitats in Poland, the
species best meeting the above requirements
is Pinus sylvestris L., which for the last two
centuries has been predestined to be a dominant species in Polish forests. The monoculture domination of pine for the last two
centuries has resulted in simplification and
impoverishment of species composition of
tree stands leading to the present different
forms of secondary communities (Matuszkiewicz et al. 2013; Łaska 2014). Secondary
forest communities after afforestation represent often phytocenoses of tree-stands
incompatible with the habitat conditions,
which reduces the importance of their ecological and protective functions (Łaska 2014;
Stefańska‒Krzaczek and Pech 2014; Wiśniewski and Kistowski 2015).
C. Opportunities
Opportunities to maintain or increase the ability
to absorb CO 2 and reduce emissions from agricultural land and soil based on rural resources in
Poland should be sought primarily in:
• The growing importance of intercropping,
short-rotation plantations, and areas with
nitrogen-fixing crops, with a high potential of
humus reproductive matter to maintain and
increase soil organic matter (legumes, grasses,
Fabaceae and their mixtures). Their cultivation has attracted attention both within agri154
P. Wiśniewski