The Necessity of Biomass Energy for the Turkish Economy

Wood as an Energy Source: Potential Trends, Usage of Wood, and Energy Politics

“…Forests cover about 26% of Turkey's surface area (Turker et al, 1999;Sürmen, 2002). The total volume of wood has increased by 75% for the period 1965-1995.…”

“…The forests of this country are characterized by comparatively low yielding capacities. Their average value varies for the period concerned from 42.1 up to 55.2 m 3 /ha (Turker et al, 1999;Demirbaş, 2001b;Sürmen, 2002). The statistical data on the forests in Turkey are given in Table 2.…”

“…The total forest potential of Turkey is around 935 million m 3 with an annual growth of about 28 million m 3 (WECTNC, 1996;Demirbaş, 2001b;Sürmen, 2002). The average annual growth rate of the forests is about 3%.…”

“…Essentially, this means the forest residues left after forest harvesting residual trees and scrub or under-managed woodland. Forest residues alone count for some 50% of the total forest biomass and are currently left in the forest to rot (Küçük, 1994;Kaygusuz, 1996;Demirbaş, 2001b;Sürmen, 2002).…”

“…The lumber, pulp, and paper industries burn their own wood wastes in large furnaces and boilers to supply 60 percent of the energy needed to run factories. In our homes, we burn wood in stoves and fireplaces to cook meals and warm our residences (Sürmen, 2002). The characteristics of important fuelwoods indicate that the density of woods varies between 400 and 900 kg/m 3 , and the energy content (kcal/kg) varies between 4200 and 5400.…”