Life Environment Wilwater programme

Wilwater programme involved 5 main activities:

• Planting 100 new hectares: It is important to develop a significant acreage of plantations in western France in order to reduce the mechanisation costs significantly and develop this system under acceptable economic conditions.

• Development of specialised production methods: SRC requires specific machines which are specially adapted to local conditions for planting, weed control, fertiliser application and harvesting.

• Monitoring the purification effect of willow: Experimental equipment is located at each of the plantations with the aim of identifying the effect of the volume of sludge or effluent applied on biomass production and on the environment.

• Validating the environmental and economic importance of the system: The positive environmental impact is a strong point in favour of SRC cultivation. The impact of the crop on the soil, water quality, fauna, flora, landscape and the greenhouse effect have been evaluated as a function of the application level tested and the conditions at each site. By identifying the risks, it is possible to define clear recommendations for management of the crop. The economic cost-effectiveness of SRC was assessed for each site as it can vary greatly from one case to another (growing costs, yield, own consumption of wood, type of application, etc).

• Experience sharing: The results of this experimental project will be disseminated so that the techniques can be transferred to other regions in Europe.

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