5EURES Training June 2006, Joensuu, Finland

1FINNISH FOREST RESEARCH INSTITUTEwww.metla.fi

5EURES TrainingJune 2006, Joensuu, Finland

Estimation of Forest Estimation of Forest Fuel PotentialFuel Potential Lauri Sikanen & Timo Tahvanainen Finnish Forest Research InstituteJoensuu


Aim of the lectureAim of the lecture

To describe approaches of estimating forest energy resources and availability

AND

To take a look to the influence of laws, regulations and subsidies to forest energy procurement


Forest Biomass

Energy Forest

Recycled wood

Primaryresidues

Secondaryresidues

Forest ResiduesLogging residuesResidues from first and intermediate thinningsStumps

Industrial ResiduesBarkSawdustShavings and chipsEndings and cross-cut endsBlack liquor

Short Rotation Forestry

Used wood fromConstructionDemolitionWooden Packages

Roundwoodfor energyTraditional firewood

Wood-based fuels

Definition of forest fuelDefinition of forest fuel


FUELS

Small scale users: Farms, Small scale users: Farms, private houses etc.private houses etc.

40 – 500 kW


FUELS

Medium scale users: Municipality sizeMedium scale users: Municipality size

0.5 – 20 MW


www.alholmenskraft.com

Wood45%

Peat45%

Charcoal10%

FUELSTotal use of wood fuels 1 500 GWh/aForest residues 150 000 m3 = 300 GWh/a

Large scale users: City sizeLarge scale users: City sizefor example: Alholmens KraftThe biggest biofuel energy plant in the world -

550 MWcombined heat and power


Boiler size

Quality requirement

Quality as restrictionQuality as restriction


Proportion of solids in uncompacted logging residues and tree-sections, wood chips and conventional pulpwood. All loads have the same solid content. (After Nilsson 1983).

Transportation of woodfuel fractionsTransportation of woodfuel fractions


Small diameter trees from early thinnings - Harvesting costs are high

- Cost difference to logging residue chips is about 10 - 15 €/m³

- Resources difficult to locate, measure and get to market

- Integration with roundwood harvesting is weak

Logging residues and stumps from final fellings

- A side product of final cuttings - Accumulation easy to estimate and locate - Integration with roundwood harvesting is great

- Harvesting costs are quite low

Rounwood from final fellings- Effective operations- Traditions exist- Good quality chips

(Industrial residues)(Energy wood plantations)

The main sources of forest fuelsThe main sources of forest fuels


Parts of the treeand their shareof dry massH= hardwoodsC=conifers Industrial roundwood

sawlog and pulpwood

Unmerchantablestem top

Crown Crown

Stump

Roots

BranchesH 14%C 18%

FoliageH 7%C 3%

C&H Whole stem 65%

H&C 14%

(Young et al. 1964)


Information sourcesInformation sources

Availability of forest energy and industrial roundwood can be estimated by the same methods.

Forest energy should be considered as a ”new timber assortment”

Forest statisticsHarvesting databases of forest companiesForest inventories

Aerial fotographySatellite imagery


Example 1. Availability of harvesting residuesExample 1. Availability of harvesting residues..

Statistics of all final cuttings made in one year on the certain area (should be sustainable in long term)• Site characteristics• Accumulation of industrial roundwood by species• Forwarding distance

Accumulation of energy fractions are estimated according to tree characteristics (see slide Availability 3)

Possible restrictions considered• Minimum accumulation• Maximum forwarding distance• Maximum transporting distance

Accumulatoin and transporting costs are estimated


Spruce stand, final cuttingEnergy accumulation > 100 m3/ha



Vaasa

100 km

m3/km2

> 6045 - 6030 - 4515 - 30< 15

All annual final cuttings in Joensuu surroundings

Availability polygons constructed from thesimilar material for Vaasa surroundings



Example 2. Estimation of the forest energy potential of young forests in FinlandExample 2. Estimation of the forest energy potential of young forests in Finland

Methods 1/2Methods 1/2

Municipal level estimatesof shares of development classes 3,4 and 5

Simulation of thinningcuttings

Expansion factor area represented by each

sample plot in each municipality

Crown-masses byHakkila’s (1991) models

Transportation distancesfrom logging residue study(Asikainen et al. 2001)

Theoretical potential

Systematic clusterwisesampleplots of NFI9


Theoretical potentialMethods 2/2Methods 2/2

Restrictions

• Accumulation of industrial roundwood, max. 25 m3/ha• Accumulation of energy fraction, min. 25 m3/ha • Peatland stands and stands on mineral soil with site poorer than Myrtillus-type were excluded • Minimum for mean stem size, 10 dm3 • Suggested cutting is urgent or delayed

Estimated technical potential



Accumulation, m3/year

Availability of forest chips from young stands Availability of forest chips from young stands when using different stand selection criterias when using different stand selection criterias

with 100 km procurement radiuswith 100 km procurement radius

0

300 000

600 000

900 000

Jyväskylä Joensuu Kajaani Vaasa Kouvola

Max 25 m³/ha Min 25 m³/ha Site fertility Stem size min 10 dm³ Cutting delayed

Results 1/2Results 1/2



0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000

160000

180000

200000

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110

DCL 5

DCL 4

DCL 3

TOTAL

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110

DCL 5

DCL 4

DCL 3

TOTAL

Development classes in harvesting potentialDevelopment classes in harvesting potential

Vaasa

Joensuu

Acc

um

ula

tio

n,

m3/y

ear

Distance, km

Distance, km

Results 2/2Results 2/2



Young birch stand in the urgent need of thinningEnergy accumulation > 50 m3/ha


Young pine stand, first thinning20 m3/ha > Energy accumulation > 50 m3/ha


M anual fe lling andpiling of sm all-sizedstems

Forest haulage of small-sized trees

ChippingPile of small-sized delim bedor undelim bed trees near forest road

Transportation to heatingplant

Heating plant

Accumulating feller-buncher

Felling fram e

Production methods of chips from small-sized treesProduction methods of chips from small-sized trees


Supply chains for logging residues (or log chips)Supply chains for logging residues (or log chips)

TERRAINCHIPPING-M ETHOD

Crushing of bundles or loose residues in the plant

Bundling of logging residues

CHIPPING INROAD SIDE-M ETHOD

Chipping of residueson road-side term inal

On-road transportation ofloose logging residues

On-road transportation by log trucks

Forest haulage bytractor equipped for log haulage

Logging residue compacting truck trailer

BUNDLINGM ETHOD

LOOSE RESIDUES


Brief analysis of technology selection for HighlandsBrief analysis of technology selection for Highlands

FACTS

• Low bearing capasity of soil

• Rounwood for fuel

• Existing harvesting traditions/entrepreneurs

• Several medium scale using places apart from each other

• Plenty of small using places apart from each other

• High moisture content of roundwood

• Chip burning boilers

• Gasification

EFFECTS ON SUGGESTED TECHNOLOGY

• Terrain chipping almost out of question

• Harvesters and forwarders already exist and are effective

• Large number of professionals already know what is the name of the game

• Chipping at plant out of question

• Mobile effective chipper with large enough feeding capacity

• Farm scale chippers and local part-time operators needed

• Storing (with covering) over the summer


Complex analysis

• Annual need for forest fuels and other fuels• Annual availability of forest fuels

- fuel mix (residues, small trees, stumps)

- transport distances in the forest/on road network

• Location of plant (centre of a town or in the sub urban area)?• Size of plant yard (storage)?• Municipal DH plant/Industrial CHP plant?• Dominating technology to produce chips to DH plants• Need for GIS-based availability and cost analysis

Selection of harvesting technologySelection of harvesting technology


Cost structure of forest fuels in FinlandCost structure of forest fuels in Finland

05

101520253035

Small

tree

s, 40

km

Small

tree

s, 80

km

Residu

es, 4

0 km

Residu

es, 8

0 km

Co

st, €

/m3

Management

Road transport

Chipping at roadside

Forwarding to roadside

Felling


Unit Costs of Fuel Chips Delivered to PlantUnit Costs of Fuel Chips Delivered to Plant Roadside Chipping, £ / tonne (preliminary calculations)

0,00

5,00

10,00

15,00

20,00

25,00

30,00

35,00

40,00

45,00

50,00

0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175

Distance, km

Co

st

at

pla

nt,

£ /

ton

ne

VAT

Overheads

Chipping

Harvesting

Lorry transportation

2.3 p/kWh

2.0 p/kWh

Rural development


WickWick

• Annual use 3 500 tonnes / boiler• With £40 / tonne => £140 000


Availability of logging residues in different parts of Finland

Availability of logging residues in different parts of Finland

0

200000

400000

600000

800000

1000000

1200000

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110

Transport distance, km

Cu

mu

lati

ve a

mo

un

t, M

Wh

Central

Southeast

East

North

West

Asikainen et al 2001


95 %

100 %

105 %

110 %

115 %

120 %

125 %

130 %

1000

0

3000

0

5000

0

7000

0

9000

0

1100

00

1300

00

1500

00

Hakkuutähteen korjuumäärä, m³/a

Su

hte

elli

ne

n k

äy

ttö

pa

ikk

ah

inta

Irtorisu

Palstahake

Vv-hake

Risutukki

Loose residuesStand chippingTerminal chippingBaled residues

Rel

ativ

e pr

ice

at th

e m

ill

Annual harvesting amount, m3

Relative price of fuel with different procurement methodsRelative price of fuel with different procurement methods

Asikainen et al 2001


Residues from integrated operations 15 Mm3

Stumwood from integrated operations 15 Mm3

Separate fuelwood operations 5 Mm3

Theoretical biomass potential 35 Mm3

Residues from integrated operations 7-11 Mm3

Stumwood from integrated operations 1-2 Mm3

Separate fuelwood operations 2-3 Mm3

Technically harvestable potential 10-16 Mm3

Residues from integrated operations 4 Mm3

Stumwood from integrated operations 0-1 Mm3

Separate fuelwood operations 1 Mm3

Goal of the Action Plan for 2010 5-6 Mm3

Basis of scenariosBasis of scenariosbiomass reserve in Finnish forestsbiomass reserve in Finnish forests

Integrated harvesting of industrial raw material and fuel

Separate harvesting of forest fuel

(Hakkila 2004)


Cumulative Yearly Harvesting possibilities (m³) by Road transport distancePeriods between Years 2003 - 2026

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

km

m³

2003-20062007-20112012-20162017-20212022-2026

Scotland


Scotland


Subsidies & legislationSubsidies & legislation


Bioenergy has to be a profitable business for:• energy companies

• contractors

• forest owners…

Taxes and subsidies to adjusts price-competiveness• subsidies for investments (20-30 %) • taxes for fossil fuels (1.6-6.3 €/MWh)• subsidies for green electricity (6.9 €/MWh)• subsidies for collecting fuel wood from young forests

• 0 – 5.5 €/MWh

Long-term national energy policy to secure investments- Make the market mechanism work for bioenergy!

Policy instruments neededPolicy instruments needed


05

101520253035

Small

tree

s, 40

km

Small

tree

s, 80

km

Residu

es, 4

0 km

Residu

es, 8

0 km

Co

st, €

/m3

Management

Road transport

Chipping at roadside

Forwarding to roadside

Felling

Harvesting subsidies in FinlandHarvesting subsidies in FinlandMax 11 € / mMax 11 € / m33


Harmful effects of subsidies Harmful effects of subsidies

Easily drives over-estimated investments

Can disturb the development of market mechanisms

Can make development of efficiency slower

Example:

Powerful support for wood energy installations at the same time

with increasing oil price created the demand of pellets last winter in

Germany and Austria bigger than supply. Runnig out of pellets in

market gave bad reputation for whole business.

Long term objective should be to make business without subsidies


Legislation Legislation

In every country, legislation has to be known before adopting approaches from elsewhere.

Examples:Max payload of trucks in Finland = 40 tonnes

in UK = 22 tonnes

In Russia, all timber has to harvested to roadside Large amounts of wastewood is harvested but almost nobody use it!

In Spain and Portugal, large amounts of biomass harvested with state support in order to prevent forest fires.


Legislation has to be Legislation has to be considered at least:considered at least:

• In emissions (environmental laws)

• In transportation (traffic laws)

• In harvesting (forest laws & environmental laws)

§§


builds the future of forest sector through researchbuilds the future of forest sector through research

Thank you for your attentionThank you for your attention

5EURES Training June 2006, Joensuu, Finland

Documents

Transcript of 5EURES Training June 2006, Joensuu, Finland