Large Scale Supply of Forest Fuels in the EU - Transfer of Nordic Technology and Experience to other Countries

This paper gives an overview of the driving forces behind the current technical solutions of forest fuel procurement systems in Finland and Sweden and perspectives on future developments and transfer of experiences to other countries. Focus is in the primary forest residues for energy production including logging residues, stump and root wood, small diameter wood and other wood not in demand by the traditional forest industries. Finland consumed 7.5 mill. m3 forest chips and Sweden 7.6 mill m3 in 2011 . Both countries aim to almost double the use of forest biomass for energy by 2020. Experiences in Finland and Sweden show that forest fuel supply benefits from the integration with industrial wood harvesting: Industrial roundwood and residual forest biomass for energy are often extracted from the same stands and by using the same base machines. According to many feasibility studies, Nordic energy wood technology can be applied in the Baltic countriesand in Central Europe with minor modifications.
Proceedings of the 21st European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 3-7 June 2013, Copenhagen, Denmark, pp. 1-4