IEA Task 43: Sustainability across the supply chain of land-based biomass

IEA Task 43: International Workshop "Sustainability across the supply chain of land-based biomass", Kamloops BC, Canada, 1-4 June.

Concerns over current and future energy security, economic and social sustainability, and environmental impact of traditional energy sources have led to a resurgence in worldwide interest in alternative, renewable forms of energy. Bioenergy is the most widespread and oldest source of converted energy, and research and development into its expansion in modern economies is rapidly expanding. Bioenergy not only provides  energy produced at local to regional scales, but many believe that it can offset greenhouse gas emissions, provide additional support for traditional and new fibre production and transport systems,  and provide markets for previously unvalued fibre in certain ecosystems. However, creating a viable bioenergy sector at appropriate scales requires that we address concerns over the sustainability of ecosystem services, including but not limited to productive capacity of fibre  producing systems, and the economic and social challenges related to the production,  transport, and conversion of biomass to energy.

RÖSER D, SIKANEN L, PRINZ R, MOLA-YUDEGO B, EMER B, NUUTINEN Y, GROOME S, NICOL A, ROBERTSON A, STRACHAN F, ERKKILÄ A, HILLEBRANT K, KORHONEN J. 2010. Partial debarking and covering to promote drying of roundwood for energy in Finland, Scotland and Italy. Abstract. International Workshop "Sustainability across the supply chain of land-based biomass", Kamloops BC, Canada, 1-4 June.[PDF]

RÖSER D, SIKANEN L, PRINZ R, MOLA-YUDEGO B, WINDISCH J. 2010. Technology transfer, know-how and markets of small scale wood fuel systems in the EU. Abstract. International Workshop "Sustainability across the supply chain of land-based biomass", Kamloops BC, Canada, 1-4 June.[PDF]

Estimating shrub coverage

The study of the coverage of shrubs in mediterranean forest is necessary in order to minimize the risk of forest fires. In addition, they can be a significant source of forest biomass for bioenergy, which can be an important added value. The estimation of its biomass is therefore important for a proper forest planning, and can be the basis for future studies in ecology, forest fires management and bioenergy. The following study has been recently published at the European Journal of Forest Research, and it aims to address some of the above mentiones issues.

COLL L, GONZÁLEZ-OLABARRIA J R, MOLA-YUDEGO B, PUKKALA T, MESSIER C. Predicting understory maximum shrubs cover using altitude and overstory basal area in different Mediterranean forests. European Journal of Forest Research.

Abstract

In some areas of the Mediterranean basin where the understory stratum represents a critical fire hazard, managing the canopy cover to control the understory shrubby vegetation is an ecological alternative to the current mechanical management techniques. In this study, we determine the relationship between the overstory basal area and the cover of the understory shrubby vegetation for different dominant canopy species (Pinaceae and Fagaceae species) along a wide altitudinal gradient in the province of Catalonia (Spain). Analyses were conducted using data from the Spanish National Forest Inventory. At the regional scale, when all stands are analysed together, a strong negative relationship between mean shrub cover and site elevation was found. Among the Pinaceae species, we found fairly good relationships between stand basal area and the maximum development of the shrub stratum for species located at intermediate elevations (Pinus nigra, Pinus sylvestris). However, at the extremes of the elevationclimatic gradient (Pinus halepensis and Pinus uncinata stands), stand basal area explained very little of the shrub cover variation probably because microsite and topographic factors override its effect. Among the Fagaceae species, a negative relationship between basal area and the maximum development of the shrub stratum was found in Quercus humilis and Fagus sylvatica dominated stands but not in Quercus ilex. This can be due to the particular canopy structure and management history of Q. ilex stands. In conclusion, our study revealed a marked effect of the tree layer composition and the environment on the relationship between the development of the understory and overstory tree structure. More fine-grained studies are needed to provide forest managers with more detailed information about the relationship between these two forest strata.

Pellet markets in northern Europe

We have analysed in this recent publication the situation of pellet markets in northern Europe, including Finland, Sweden and Scotland. You can find the publication at the METLA Working Papers.

SELKIMÄKI M, PRINZ R, MOLA-YUDEGO B, RÖSER D. 2010. Pellet market, raw materials, handling and logistics in Northern Periphery. PELLETime. Working Papers of the Finnish Forest Research Institute. 157: 25 pp.

Abstract

Wood pellets have become an important fuel in heat and power production. The pellet market and supply structures are currently undergoing rapid development. Ensuring the quality of pellets through the whole production, delivery and handling chain is important in order to increase the use of pellets and sustain its ability to compete with other fuels. This study focuses on the development of the pellet market, raw materials and supply structures mainly in Sweden and Finland.

Sweden has a highly developed pellet market, where fuel taxation has promoted the use of wood pellets especially in large scale boilers of >2MW, where more than half of the pellets are combusted. There are about 120 000 households using pellet heating systems in addition to the 20 000 households using pellet stoves. Sweden is the world’s largest producer and consumer of pellets. In 2007 a total of 94 pellet plants/producers were producing 1.4 million tonnes of pellets, while at the same time the consumption was

1.7 million tonnes. In addition, about 400 000 tonnes of pellets were imported to meet domestic demand.

In Finland, pellet production has been growing steadily despite the fact that domestic consumption has remained relatively small until recently. Today there are 24 pellet plants/producers. In 2007 production was around 330 000 tonnes while the domestic consumption was 117 000 tonnes. The pellet market in Finland has long been export oriented; with 75% and 58% of production being exported in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Domestic consumption has been growing mainly in the small scale consumer sector; it is estimated that 15 000 households had pellet heating systems in 2008.

Concerning supply structures, Sweden has well established pellet distribution networks, for domestic household consumers pellets are mainly delivered in sacks (80%) directly from the plant or through extensive network of retailers while bulk deliveries are less common (20%). In Finland pellets are delivered to users mainly in bulk (71%) using pneumatic or normal trucks when the share of sack deliveries is much smaller, large sacks (25.5%) and small sacks (3.5%). In the future, the increasing number of pellet users requires an organized delivery network and good equipment for bulk pellet deliveries, currently the equipment used varies significantly.