Baltic ForBio

The Interreg project Baltic ForBio increased production of renewable energy by using forest biomass in Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and triggered new business models for small-scale forest bioenergy plants across the Baltic Sea region.

The challenge

There is a growing demand for forest biomass from by-products of the wood industry to be used as a source of renewable energy. Targeted harvesting of wood biomass and evaluation of its bioenergy would trigger new business ideas for renewable energy production. The full utilisation of logging residues and small trees would increase production possibilities. Better collaboration between research and technology developers would lead to aligned approaches and concrete solutions in the field of forest bioenergy.

Besides, the development of small-scale bioenergy plants in rural areas would gear renewable energy production and sustainable development of the bionergy market in the Baltic Sea region. Facing such challenges as investment financing, suitable business models, and steady supply of biomass feedstock, the bionergy plants are experiencing tough conditions to increase their production.

The project intended to exploit logging residues, which are usually discarded after forest harvests, and small trees that are cut during forest thinning. Along with guidelines for using new technology, the project aimed to compile information on wood energy potential to shape innovative business models.

Budgets

Baltic ForBio
in numbers

2.55

Million

Total
2.00

Million

Erdf
0.00

Million

Eni + Russia
0.00

Million

Norway

Achievements

All in all, more than a hundred enterprises and public authorities from the six partner countries learnt about cost-effective and sustainable methods to harvest wood biomass, how to identify suitable areas for harvesting, as well to estimate the bioenergy potential of wood biomass. This knowledge should stimulate new business ideas for the production of renewable energy from local forest biomass.

Forest biomass as a source of renewable energy

The partners investigated the potential of local forest biomass for the production of renewable energy. They developed a forest energy atlas. It is a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) platform, combined with the biomass database, that enables spatial analysis and visualisation of biomass hotspots and attractive locations for investments in forest-based bioenergy production. The platform covers five Baltic Sea region countries Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. This information is especially helpful for local and regional authorities as well as private companies that are interested in the availability of energy wood for bioenergy development projects. During the project, companies, forest management enterprises, as well as local and regional authorities from the project countries learnt how to use the platform for planning business decisions.

A user-friendly decision support tool developed

In addition, the partners developed and tested a user-friendly decision support tool for planning the harvest of logging residues and biomass recovery at early thinning. This tool helps forest agencies, forest owners’ organisations, and forest advisory organisations. The tools are valuable while consulting forest owners to identify suitable areas for the harvest of logging residues and small trees, and to produce profitable and environment-friendly harvest plans conditional on site-specific circumstances.

A new business model for small-scale bioenergy plants introduced

The project developed a business model for the sustainable development of small-scale bioenergy plants. The model included securing the supply of wood chips with required quality from local sources and financial and organisational aspects of establishing small-scale bioenergy plants. The project recommended establishing small-scale bioenergy plants as co-operative firms of local residents. Besides, the partners carried out a case study in German Altlandsberg, The case study showcased that co-operative ownership of infrastructure and technology within the supply chain, long term agreements between partners and choice of partners in the immediate neighbourhood seemed promising. The partners continued to use this knowledge e.g. for helping municipalities with heat supply and energy and climate plans.

Outputs

Decision support tool for harvest of logging forest residues as energy

The decision support tool enables the user to produce an assessment of the profitability of harvesting forest biomass, and identify the most profitable harvest options. Using this tool forest agencies and advisory organisations can help companies plan the harvest of logging residues and biomass recovery at early thinning. The decision support tool also enables large forest companies with their own forest management planning capacity to improve their capacity to harvest and plan logistics. Generally, the tool estimates forest residues production costs in two steps. In the first step, the total amount of residues is estimated for the forest stand that is planned for final felling, pre-commercial thinning, or commercial thinning by using stand-level or individual tree biomass functions. In the second step, various costs along the residue production chain are calculated, including costs for harvesting, forwarding, chipping, and transporting.

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Forest energy atlas

Forest energy atlas is a GIS platform that enables users to explore spatially-explicit energy wood potential. It collects the harvesting potential of energy wood in Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. This information is especially helpful for stakeholders that are interested in the availability of energy wood for bioenergy development projects. In the forest energy atlas, the user can first choose the assortment the user wants to know about and then define the area where the harvesting potential information is needed from. Different countries have different assortments where to choose from since the background data available varies from one country to another.

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Training programme “Energy wood harvest in the forest management process”

The training programme is developed for private forest owners, societies and associations, forestry companies or enterprises, as well as those employed in the forest sector. It provides a broader insight into the role and potential of energy wood and educates forest owners and entrepreneurs on the use of felling residues and small wood in energy production.

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