Powered by OpenAIRE graph
Found an issue? Give us feedback
image/svg+xml art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina, Beao, JakobVoss, and AnonMoos Open Access logo, converted into svg, designed by PLoS. This version with transparent background. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Open_Access_logo_PLoS_white.svg art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina, Beao, JakobVoss, and AnonMoos http://www.plos.org/ Agroforestry Systemsarrow_drop_down
image/svg+xml art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina, Beao, JakobVoss, and AnonMoos Open Access logo, converted into svg, designed by PLoS. This version with transparent background. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Open_Access_logo_PLoS_white.svg art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina, Beao, JakobVoss, and AnonMoos http://www.plos.org/
Agroforestry Systems
Article . 2025 . Peer-reviewed
License: CC BY
Data sources: Crossref
addClaim

Hidden gems: small woody landscape features on agricultural land are overlooked in current assessments of agroforestry in Germany

Authors: Nora Obladen; Zoe Schindler; Jonathan P. Sheppard; Katja Kröner; Elena Larysch; Pawan Datta; Thomas Seifert; +1 Authors

Hidden gems: small woody landscape features on agricultural land are overlooked in current assessments of agroforestry in Germany

Abstract

Abstract In the light of escalating climate challenges, agroforestry is receiving renewed attention for its potential to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions while enhancing the resilience of agricultural systems. The main difference between agroforestry and conventional agricultural systems is the presence and management of woody landscape features (WLF). The few datasets assessing WLF on agricultural land are limited in their spatial resolution and apply minimum mapping thresholds, potentially biasing derived estimates of WLF characteristics. Our study aimed to assess the current extent of WLF in Germany with high spatial resolution, including size variability and WLF type composition. We investigated WLF on agricultural land across seven federal states. In each of the seven states, 100 grid cells totalling 25 km 2 of agricultural land were selected, amounting to a total area of 175 km 2 . Within this area, WLF were manually identified, delineated and classified using digital orthophotos. The results were compared with state-of-the-art datasets, particularly the Digital Basic Landscape Model (ATKIS). We identified a total of 4.8 km 2 land hosting WLF, covering 2.7% of the investigated area. The extent of WLF estimated in our study was twice as large as the estimate derived from the ATKIS dataset. Overall, we identified a much larger number of WLF, which were on average much smaller in size compared to the WLF in the ATKIS dataset. Extrapolating our results to the national level, we estimate WLF coverage at 4,899 km 2 , corresponding to 57.2 Tg above-ground biomass or 28.6 Tg carbon. The biomass and carbon content were estimated based on literature-derived biomass densities. Our study indicates that accurately assessing WLF requires higher spatial resolutions than previously used. Datasets based on low-resolution images and those using minimal mapping units are not suited for capturing small WLF.

Related Organizations
  • BIP!
    Impact byBIP!
    selected citations
    These citations are derived from selected sources.
    This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
    0
    popularity
    This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
    Average
    influence
    This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
    Average
    impulse
    This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
    Average
Powered by OpenAIRE graph
Found an issue? Give us feedback
selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
hybrid