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Crop residues like wheat straw and corn stover---i.e. stalks and leaves---have been proposed as a sustainable feedstock for a “next-generation” cellulosic ethanol industry in the United States. However, use of agricultural residues should not be considered to have low environmental impacts simply because they are a by-product of an existing use of the land. Such residues currently replenish and protect soils on working agricultural lands, and their removal is unlikely to be sustainable unless accompanied by adoption of agricultural best management practices such as no-till production, cover crops, and precision fertilizer management.