Research interests

• Sustainable land management 
• Environmental services from planted forests 
• Greenhouse accounting for forests, wood products and bioenergy
• Soil carbon management
• Emissions trading in the forest and agricultural sectors
• Dryland forestry
• Biochar as a soil amendment

Background

Dr Annette Cowie is a Senior Research Scientist in DPI’s Science and Research Division. She leads the New Forests research program in the Forest Resources Research unit. The New Forests program demonstrates and quantifies environmental services from planted forests, particularly in the areas of carbon sequestration, salinity mitigation and land rehabilitation.  Annette has a background in soil and plant science and her personal research program focuses on key aspects of greenhouse science: documenting greenhouse mitigation benefits of forestry systems for carbon sequestration and production of biofuel; management of soil carbon, including soil amendment with biochar to sequester carbon and enhance productivity; and development of greenhouse accounting systems for emissions trading.

Annette is the Australian National Team Leader for IEA Bioenergy Task 38 “Greenhouse gas balances of biomass and bioenergy systems”, and has recently become Co-leader of the International Task Group.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Rural Science. (Hons I), 1983 University of New England
• Master of Agricultural Science 1988 University of Queensland
• Ph.D. 1994 University of New England

Current and recently completed projects

• Greenhouse mitigation benefits of biochar as a soil amendment
• Carbon sequestration potential of dryland tree species
• Soil carbon dynamics in bioenergy systems
• Realising the revenue potential for environmental plantings under the NSW carbon market
• Land management to increase soil carbon sequestration in NSW
• Piloting a CMA to Create Greenhouse Gas Abatement Certificates

Selected Recent Publications

Ximenes FA, Gardner WD, Cowie AL (2007) The decomposition of wood products in landfills in Sydney, Australia. Waste management (In Press)

Cowie AL and Gardner WD (2007) Competition for the biomass resource: Greenhouse impacts and implications for renewable energy incentive schemes. Biomass and Bioenergy 31, 601–607.

Cowie AL, Kirschbaum MUF and Ward M (2007) Options for including all lands in a future greenhouse gas accounting framework. Environmental Science and Policy 10, 306-321

Cowie AL, Schneider UA and Montanarella L (2007) Potential synergies between existing multilateral environmental agreements in the implementation of land use, land-use change and forestry activities. Environmental Science and Policy 10, 335-352.

Cowie AL, Pingoud K and Schlamadinger B (2006) Stock changes or fluxes? Resolving terminological confusion in the debate on land-use change and forestry. Climate Policy 6,161–179

Forrester DI, Bauhus J, Cowie AL (2006) Carbon allocation in a mixed-species plantation of Eucalyptus globulus and Acacia mearnsii. Forest Ecology and Management 233, 275-284

Forrester DI, Bauhus J, Cowie AL and Vanclay JK (2006) Mixed-species plantations of Eucalyptus with nitrogen fixing trees: a review. Forest Ecology and Management 233, 211-230.

Guo L, Cowie AL, Montagu KD, Gifford R (2007) Carbon and nitrogen stocks in a native pasture and an adjacent 16 year old Pinus radiata D. Don.plantation in Australia. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment (In press)

Cowie AL, Smith P and Johnson D (2006) Does soil carbon loss in biomass production systems negate the greenhouse benefits of bioenergy? Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 11, 979-1002.

Forrester DI, Bauhus J, Cowie AL (2005) On the success and failure of mixed-species tree plantations: lessons learned from a model system of Eucalyptus globulus and Acacia mearnsii. Forest Ecology and Management, 209:147-155

Montagu KD, Duttmer K, Barton CVM, Cowie AL (2005) Developing general allometric relationships for regional estimates of carbon sequestration – an example using Eucalyptus pilularis from seven contrasting sites. Forest Ecology Management, 204:113-127.

Kirschbaum MUF and Cowie AL (2004) Giving credit where credit is due. A practical method to distinguish between human and natural factors in carbon accounting. Climatic Change 67: 417 – 436

Professional associations and activities

• Member Australian Society of Soil Science

Fields of Research

• 070504 Forestry Management and Environment

Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)

Keyword/phrase list of research interests

• Forest carbon cycle 
• Greenhouse gas accounting 
• Soil carbon dynamics
• Greenhouse benefits of bioenergy 
• Biochar

Contact details