The Impacts of Calamity Logging on the Sustainable Development of Spruce Fuel Biomass Prices and Spruce Pulp Prices in the Czech Republic

Abstract

Currently, due to the calamity of unplanned harvesting, the amount of biomass from wood products has increased. Forests occupy 33.7% of the total area of the Czech Republic; therefore, wood and non-wood forest products are important renewables for the country. Wood biomass consists mainly of branches and bark that are not used in the wood or furniture industry. However, it can be used in bioenergy, including wood processing for fuel. As spruce production in the Czech Republic increased from the planned 15.5 million to almost 36.8 million trees in 2020, the price of wood biomass can be expected to be affected. This study aims to develop a predictive model for estimating the decline in the price of wood biomass for wood processors, such as firewood or sawdust producers, as well as for the paper industry. Wood biomass prices are falling with each additional million m3 of spruce wood harvested, as is the decline in wood pulp, which is intended for the paper and packaging industries. The proposed predictive model based on linear regressions should determine how the price of wood biomass will decrease with each additional million harvested spruce trees in the Czech Republic. This tool will be used for practical use in the forestry and wood industry. The linear regression model is suitable for practical forestry use due to its simplicity and high informative value. The aim of the research is to model the dependence of the prices of firewood in the form of wood briquettes and pellets for domestic and industrial processing, as well as the prices of wood pulp on the volume of unplanned logging. It is a guide for the practice of how to use excess spruce wood from unplanned mining in the field of alternative processing with a sustainable aspect for households or heat production for households. The intention is to carry out modelling in such a way that it does not include prices of higher quality wood assortments, which are intended for the woodworking industry.

Substituting Solid Fossil Fuels with Torrefied Timber Products

“…Combined with factors that hindered the ability of Czech foresters to act quickly (e.g., the regulatory framework and operational factors), Czechia experienced multiple years when the volume of harvested timber exceeded typical volumes by a factor of two [45]. For example, in the year 2018, the volume of salvage-logged timber exceeded 23 million m 3 [46], i.e., 90% of the total harvests of 25.69 million m 3 [47]. The processing of the disturbance is not over, as can be seen from figures for the year 2021, when the volume of harvested timber reached 30.26 million m 3 of timber, of which, 26.28 million m 3 was salvage logging.…”

The Possibility of Using Non-Native Spruces for Norway Spruce Wood Replacement—A Case Study from the Czech Republic

“…The Norway spruce is a widely used coniferous tree species in Europe, especially in the construction industry, in which it is used for structural purposes. However, its large-scale dieback places a question mark on the future use of its wood [11,48]. The main aim of this study was to answer the following research question: "Can the wood of any of the introduced spruces in the Czech Republic replace the wood of native Norway spruce?"…”

Integrated Lipidomic and Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Phospholipid Changes in Somatic Embryos of Picea asperata in Response to Partial Desiccation

“…Spruce is an important industrial timber tree in the world. Its straight trunk, light and soft wood make it the main raw material for construction, instruments, furniture, paper and wood fiber industry [ 32 , 33 , 34 ]. In addition, its root, stem and leaves are potential sources of aromatic oils, turpentine and tannin extracts [ 35 ].…”