Bio-energy from forests (BIO) 2007–2011

Research themes

The programme has four main themes, represented by subprogrammes. Under each sub-programme there are a number of research projects:

Sub-programme1. Production of forest biomass and forest-based bioenergy resources

• Management of low-productive drained peatlands for bio-energy -project produces knowledge for utilization of drained peatland forests that will be left outside production forestry in the future.
• Yield effects and profitability of integrated energy and round wood harvesting in thinning -project studies energy wood procurement and aims at increasing the volume of energy wood harvesting from thinnings without endangering site productivity and wood yield.
• Deciduous trees as energy wood: growing, harvesting and quality -project aims at finding out the biological, technical and economic possibilities to grow birch, aspen and alder for energy wood.

Sub-programme 2. Impacts of intensive biomass biomass harvesting on forests

• Bioenergy from logging residues – effects on soil and tree stand -project determines the effects of logging residue removals on the growth of remaining trees and new tree generation, it also studies the use of fertilizers for compensating the nutrient removal.
• Ecological and silvicultural impacts of stump removal and collecting of logging residue -project produces information on the impacts of the rapidly growing biomass harvesting on the environment in general and on restocking.
• Effect of stump harvesting on forest damages and saproxylic species -project surveys infectious material left on regeneration areas after stump harvesting and makes asssessments on potential forest damage risks.
• Effects of stemwood and wholetree harvesting in drained peatlands on leaching of nutrients and heavy metals to water courses and nutrient sufficiency for sustainable tree production -project compares in two sub-projects the effects of the stem only vs. whole-tree harvesting on the nutrients sufficiency and leaching in peatland forests.

Sub-programme 3. Biomass supply, business models and means of energy policy

• Wood energy resources and markets of energy technology in European Union and international bioenergy trade -project aims at opening new markets and business opportunities for Finnish bioenergy technology and produces information on the changes of the international bioenergy trade and their expected impacts for domestic markets.
• Global forest energy resources, certification of supply and markets for energy technology -project investigates the global markets for Finnish bioenergy technology and also studies the sustainability criterion and certification of energy biomass trade.
• Bioenergy and forest products markets: Global changes and impacts to Finnish forest sector -project is under preparation.
• Measurement of forest biomass develops and studies the technology, precision and costs of new measurement methods for biomass. It supports also the preparation of legislations related with timber and biomass measurement.

Sub-programme 4. Novel products

• Use of wood in ethanol and chemical production -project generates knowledge and techniques for better utilization of forest resources for e.g. traffic fuels, energy and chemical production through extraction and use of wood hemicelluloses, anaerobic fermentation in chemical and energy production, chemical production of wood and use of cellulose for ethanol production.