Biography

Present Position:

Associate Professor

Qualifications:

B.Agr.Sc. (Forestry), University College Dublin, 1992.
Ph.D. (Soil Science), University College Dublin, 1999.
M.Eng.Sc. (Civil and Environmental Engineering), University College Cork, 2011.
Grad. Dip. (Teaching, Learning and Scholarship), University of Limerick, 2018.
Former Positions:Bord na Móna Newman Scholar, University College Dublin (1999-2002)Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University College Dublin (2002-2003)Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University College Cork (2004-2008)

Research Interests

My research focuses on the impact of land use and land use change on soil carbon stocks and greenhouse gas emissions. Other interests include carbon storage in harvested wood products, forest ecosystem services and nutrient stores in forest biomass.
Researcher staff and students
Completed
  • Ciara Hayes. 2010. Spatial variation in soil carbon stocks under a Miscanthus crop. M.Sc. University of Limerick.
  • Anthony O'Donnell. 2011. Forestry in the Republic of Ireland: Government policy, grant incentives and carbon sequestration value M.Sc. (Financial Services), University of Limerick. Minor thesis. Co-supervisor: Dr. M. Cummins.
  • Stephanie Brosnan. 2011. Partitioning of soil respiration in a beech forest using a trenching experiment. M.Sc., University of Limerick.
  • Dr. Jennifer Donlan. 2010-2011. Carbon stocks and stock changes in harvested wood products. Post-Doctoral Fellowship funded by the Council for Forest Research and Development.
  • Dr. Jennifer Donlan. 2014. Assessment of agricultural activity on drained organic soils. Post-Doctoral Fellowship funded by the Environmental Protection Agency.
  • Eva Ros Mangrinan. 2015. Nutrient pools in forest biomass. MSc. Co-supervisor Dr. Thomas Cummins, UCD. Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
  • Cormac O'Callaghan. 2015. Quantification and valuation of Irish forest ecosystem services in Irish forests. MSc at University College Cork co-supervised with Prof. J. O'Halloran and Dr S. Irwin. Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
  • Richard Lane. 2016. Soil carbon dynamics in afforested organo-mineral soils. PhD. University of Limerick. Funded by the Irish Research Council.
  • Caitlin Rigney. 2016. Greenhouse gas emissions from rewetted peatland forests. PhD. University of Limerick. Funded by the Environmental Protection Agency.
  • Gemma Torres-Sallan. 2016. Physical and biochemical characterisation of soil organic carbon in topsoil and subsoil of Irish grasslands. PhD. University of Limerick.Co-Supervisors: Dr. G. Lanigan and Prof. R. Creamer. Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
  • Jonay Antonio Jovani Sancho. 2017. Empirical and process based modeling of soil respiration in afforested peatlands. PhD. University of Limerick. Co-supervisor Dr. Thomas Cummins, UCD. Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
  • Dr. Jean O'Dwyer. 2015-2018. Economic and Environmental Mapping of Cascade Use of Wood. Postdoctoral Fellowship funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
  • Michael Clancy. 2018. Soil carbon stocks in forest soils. PhD. Soil carbon stocks and life cycle analysis of short rotation forestry. University of Limerick. Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
  • Dr. Michael Clancy. 2019-2021. BenchValue – Benchmarking the Sustainability Performances of Value Chains. Postdoctoral Fellowship funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
  • Richard Sikkema. 2021-2022. Life Cycle Analysis of forest management and timber use. Postdoctoral Fellowship funded by Science Foundation Ireland.
  • Kilian Walz. 2022. Assessment and modelling of the impact of land use on soil properties, and carbon and nitrogen stocks in Irish peatlands. Co-supervisor Dr. Florence Renou-Wilson, UCD. PhD funded by the Environmental Protection Agency.
  • Dylan Walshe. 2023. Integration of spatial Big Data for improved long term forest resource planning. Employment based PhD scholarship funded by the Irish Research Council. Co-supervisor Dr. Daniel McInerney, Coillte Teoranta.
  • Jill Pitcher Farrell. 2023. Root growth of forests on peatlands with a high pH subsoil or marl layer. MSc funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
  • Dr. Caren Jarmain. 2021-2023. Carbon stocks and fluxes in forest ecosystems across spatial and temporal scales. Postdoctoral Fellowship funded by Science Foundation Ireland.


Professional Activities

Award

  • 2011 - Visiting Scholarship to Trent University, Ontario, Canada.
  • 2007 - Member of the Nobel Peace Prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
  • 2003 - Honarary Diploma, Forest Research and Management Institute, Bucharest, Romania
  • 1999 - Newman Scholarship, University College Dublin

Association

  • Member, Soil Science Society of Ireland
  • Member, International Union of Soil Science

Peer Reviewed Journals

2016

A review of the range and value of ecosystem services

Bullock, C.H., O'Callaghan, C., Ní Dhubháin, A., Iwata, Y., O'Donoghue, C., Ryan, M., Upton, V., Byrne, K.A., Irwin, S., O'Halloran, J. and Kelly-Quinn. M. (2016) A review of the range and value of ecosystem services. Irish Forestry :65-95

Books

This author has not written any publications of this type yet.

Book Chapters

2017

Soils and carbon storage

Byrne, K.A., Laningan, G., Creamer, R. and Renou-Wilson, F. (2017) Soils and carbon storage. Switzerland : Springer Soils of Ireland :246-256

2015

Current and future degradation risks to forest soils in Ireland

Byrne, K.A., Aherne, J. and Cummins. T. (2015) Current and future degradation risks to forest soils in Ireland. Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 - 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz : Eusko Jaurlaritzaren Argitalpen Zerbitzua, Servicio Central de Publicaciones del Gobierno Vasco Soil Degradation Risks in Planted Forests :43-56

2011

Greenhouse Gas Balance in Disturbed Peatlands

Alm J.;Byrne K.;Hayes C.;Leifeld J.;Shurpali N. (2011) Greenhouse Gas Balance in Disturbed Peatlands. Soil Carbon In Sensitive European Ecosystems: From Science To Land Management :149-174

2011

Greenhouse gas balance in disturbed peatlands

Alm, J., Byrne, K.A., Hayes, C., Leifeld, J. and Shurpali, N.J. (2011) Greenhouse gas balance in disturbed peatlands. UK : Wiley-Blackwell Soil Carbon in Sensitive European Ecosystems: From Science to Land Management :149-174

2008

Climate impacts of peatland forestry

Minkkinen, K., Byrne, K.A., Trettin, C.C. (2008) Climate impacts of peatland forestry. Saarijärvi, Finland : International Peat Society and Saarijärven Offset Oy Peatlands and Climate Change :98-122

1997

The influence of forestry on blanket peatland

Byrne, KA; Farrell, EP (1997) The influence of forestry on blanket peatland. : The Royal Society of Chemistry Humic Substances, Peats and Sludges: Health and Environmental Aspects :262-277

Edited Books

This author has not written any publications of this type yet.

Other Journals

This author has not written any publications of this type yet.

Conference Publications

2005

14th European Bioenergy Conference

7. Schlamadinger, B. Edwards, R., Byrne, K.A., Cowie, A., Faaij, A., Green, C. Fijan-Parlov, S., Gustavsson, L., Hatton, T., Heding, N., Kwant, K., Pingoud, K., Ringer, M., Robertson, K., Solberg, B., Soimakallio, S. and Woess-Gallasch., S. (2005) 14th European Bioenergy Conference. :2029-2032

2005

Forest Research and Development in Ireland 2004 - Underpinning Industry Development

Byrne, K.A., Saiz, G., Blujdea, V., Black, K., Osborne, B., O' Sullivan, O., Schmidt, O., Dyckmans, J., Tobin, B., Gardiner, J.J., Nieuwenhuis, M., Dolan, S., Reidy, B., Bolger, T., and Farrell, E.P. , Proceedings of the COFORD conference, 20-21 September 2004, . COFORD, Dublin. 59-61. (2005) Forest Research and Development in Ireland 2004 - Underpinning Industry Development. :59-61

Conference Contributions

This author has not written any publications of this type yet.

Published Reports

2011

Greenhouse gas calculation methodologies for fuels based on peat and peat grown biomass. Service contract to improve understanding of greenhouse gas impacts of using peat or peat grown biomass for tra....

Holmgren, K., Alm, J, Byrne, K.A., Ekvall, T., Glatzel, S., Gustavsson, M., Hagberg, L., Minkkinen, K., Vasander, H., Westerdahl, J (2011) Greenhouse gas calculation methodologies for fuels based on peat and peat grown biomass. Service contract to improve understanding of greenhouse gas impacts of using peat or peat grown biomass for tra..... Brussels : European Commission

2006

2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Volume 4: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land-Use, Chapter 7, Wetlands: Peatland Section.

Blain, D., Row, C., Alm, J., Byrne, K. Parish, F (2006) 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Volume 4: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land-Use, Chapter 7, Wetlands: Peatland Section.. Hayama, Japan. : Institute for Global Environmental Strategies,

2004

EU peatlands: Current carbon stocks and trace gas fluxes

Byrne, K.A., Chojnicki, B., Christensen, T.R., Drösler, M., Freibauer, A., Friborg, T., Frolking, S., Lindroth, A., Mailhammer, J., Malmer, N., Selin, P., Turunen, J., Valentini, R. and Zetterberg, L. (2004) EU peatlands: Current carbon stocks and trace gas fluxes. Viterbo, Italy : CarboEurope GHG Report. Specific study 4

2004

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry, Chapter 3: LUCF sector good practice guidance.

Nabuurs, G.-J., Ravindranath, N.H., Freibauer, A., Hohenstein, B., Makundi, W., Paustian, K., Aalde, H., Abdelgair, A.Y., Abdu Khalil, A.S., Barton, J., Bickel, K., Bin-Musa, S., Blain, D., Boer, R., Byrne, K., Cerri, C., Ciccarese, L., Choque, D.-C., Duchemin, E., Dja, L., Ford-Robertson, J., Galinski, W., Germon, J.-C., Ginzo, H., Gytarsky, M., Heath, L., Loustau, D., Mandouri, T., Mindas, J., Pingoud, K., Raison, J., Savchenko, V., Schöne, D., Sievanen, R., Skog, K., Smith, K. and Xu, D. (2004) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry, Chapter 3: LUCF sector good practice guidance. . Hayama, Japan : Institute for Global Environmental Strategies

2003

Climate Change, Scenarios & Impacts for Ireland (2000-LS-5.2.1-M1). Final Report.

Sweeney, J., Brereton, T., Byrne, C., Charleton, R., Emblow, C., Fealy, R., Holden, N., Jones, M., Donnelly, A., Moore, S., Pursar, P., Byrne, K., Farrell, T., Mayes, E., Minchin, D., Wilson, J. and Wilson, J. (2003) Climate Change, Scenarios & Impacts for Ireland (2000-LS-5.2.1-M1). Final Report. . Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford, Ireland : Environmental Protection Agency

Editorials

Book Reviews

This author has not written any publications of this type yet.

Other Publications

2023

Corrigendum to ‘A market inventory of construction wood for residential building in Europe –in the light of the Green Deal & new circular economy ambitions’: Sustainable Cities and Society 9....

Sikkema R.;Styles D.;Jonsson R.;Tobin B.;Byrne K.A. (2023) Corrigendum to ‘A market inventory of construction wood for residential building in Europe –in the light of the Green Deal & new circular economy ambitions’: Sustainable Cities and Society 9..... Sustainable Cities And Society