Increased biomass harvesting for bioenergy

Abstract

Increased biomass harvesting for bioenergy Nordic co-operationNordic cooperation is one of the world's most extensive forms of regional collaboration, involving Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and three autonomous areas: the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland.Nordic cooperation has firm traditions in politics, the economy, and culture. It plays an important role in European and international collaboration, and aims at creating a strong Nordic community in a strong Europe.Nordic cooperation seeks to safeguard Nordic and regional interests and principles in the global community. The current supply of renewable bioenergy in Finland, Norway, and Sweden is equivalent to 83 TWh, 15 TWh, and 104 TWh, respectively, of which more than 90% comes from the forest sector. Assessments for total supplies of bioenergy by 2020 vary but are in the order of 126 TWh, 34 TWh, and 151 TWh for Finland, Norway and Sweden, respectively. Many biomass harvesting options exist but they are not all equally likely in the Nordic countries. Based on various public recommendations and the current debate on the use of biomass, the following options need to be considered from forests, farmland and mires and wetlands. Increased harvesting of logging residues, stumps, trees from tending and thinning of young forest, and non-standard wood from current logging areas, especially from forestry districts near roads and facilities for effective use of the biomass resources (e.g., heating plants, industrial facilities).  Increased intensity of forest cultivation activities, such as building of forest roads, soil preparation, nitrogen fertilization, planting, various thinning regimes, use of high-yield varieties or species, and shorter rotation time, on current logging areas.  Increased harvesting of woody residues from clearing of power line corridors and along roads where effective transportation to facilities for use of the biomass is possible.  Increased harvesting from currently non-commercial forest as well as increased afforestation may be relevant under suitable economical constraints, especially in Norway.  Increased cultivation of energy crops on arable land, such as grains, oilseed crops, and grasses, primarily in Finland and Sweden. Increased biomass harvesting for bioenergy 10 Increased short rotation forestry with willows and poplars on farmland, primarily in Finland and Sweden.  Increased harvesting of wood resources from marginal agricultural land, field edges etc, to a limited extent where the biomass can be exploited locally.  Biomass harvesting from mires and wetlands may primarily be in the form of harvesting of Sphagnum and canary reed grass on former peat mining areas and harvesting reed in shallow water bodies, mainly in Finland.The following biomass harvesting measures will in most cases be acceptable or have only minor negative effects: Harvesting of logging residues, including trees from tending of young forest and thinning, seems to be among the more acceptable forms of biomass harvesting. It will probably ha...

Global guidelines for the sustainable use of non-native trees to prevent tree invasions and mitigate their negative impacts

“…Tailored management practices should be followed in the case of planted forests with NNTs for bioenergy production (Short Rotation Forestry SRF, Short Rotation Coppice SRC): choosing new planting sites; mitigating negative impacts on biodiversity (Weih 2008;Framstad et al 2009;Vanbeveren and Ceulemans 2019); preventing spread into surrounding habitats e.g., using buffer zones (Crosti et al 2016); protecting hydrology (Christen and Dalgaard 2013); conserving landscape values; and planning for the restoration of the site after the cultivation cycle (Hardcastle et al 2006;Neary 2013;Caplat et al 2014). For example, experience with Eucalyptus plantations under intensive short-rotation regimes in China (Zhou et al 2020) suggests that, in the long term, the intensively managed monospecific plantations under short-rotations should be progressively converted into mixed plantations with short-, medium-and long-term rotations.…”