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Background and challenges
The price of energy products has increased constantly and the
availability of especially oil on global markets is under constant
political and economical pressures. The evidence of the effects
of the use of fossil fuels on climate change is also obvious, end
the needs of greenhouse gas emission reductions increase the
value of renewable energy gained from forests.
In recent years
the use of logging residues and trees harvested in thinnings for
energy production has increased rapidly and according to the national
forest policy in Finland, even higher annual energy wood
harvesting is set as a goal for coming years.
The new forestry
products need new types of technological solutions and production
chains and the new markets need to be analyzed at local,
national and global scales. The ecological constraints need to be
taken into account in the energy wood production.
The technology and logistics of energy wood harvesting, the
economy of production chains and the ecological effects, as well
as development of novel fuel products are studied are included
within this research program. The analysis of the profitability
of different stand treatment methods on can be largely based
on data available from long term field experiments and models
available in Metla, which are now reanalyzed for the needs of
bio-energy research.
The studies carried out within the Bioenergy from forests
program are merged with the studies to be started within the
climate-change program. |
EXPECTED RESULTS
The program provides detailed information on the impacts of
energy wood harvesting on forests, new harvesting models and
wood supply chains. New energy products will be developed
and information for decision making for forest owners, national
forestry planning and forest industry is produced.
ADMINISTRATION
The program will be lead by a coordinator assisted be a steering
committee. The members of it will be representatives of the main
users of information, stakeholders and scientific community.
RESOURCES AND COOPERATION
The approximate extent of the program is estimated as 30–50 scientist years/year of permanent and other staff. Projects of the program will do active (national and international) cooperation with projects and programs at Metla, universities, other research institutes and industry.
PROGRAMME DIRECTOR
Asikainen, Antti
The Finnish Forest Research Institute
Joensuu Office, PL 68
FI-80101 JOENSUU, FINLAND
phone:+358 29 532 3250
e-mail: antti.asikainen @ metla.fi
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