Towards integrated landscape design and biofuel supply chain optimization

Although usually studied separately, integrating the landscape design problem with biomass supply chain network design (SCND) has the potential to identify farm to fuel production systems that work cohesively and are holistically sustainable. Expanding the SCND system boundary to include landscape design presents spatially explicit modeling challenges, but also allows better control of feedstock supply, a more accurate forecast of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the consideration of alternative sustainability metrics, and the ability to account for landscape-specific uncertainties. The opportunities for integrated models are supported by recent advancements in the field-scale modeling of crop yields, land use change (LUC), and advanced SCND models focused on fine spatial resolutions.