The aim of the project was to generate knowledge on forest industries and wood use cycles as an integral part of the national energy system, and to develop sustainable solutions for the utilisation of forest bioenergy and for the mitigation of climate change.
This project provided an integrated framework to analyse the sustainable use of forest-based biomass to produce energy, industrial raw materials, and climate benefits in Finland. The framework consists of several models, which will be used in linkage with each other: 1) an optimization model allocating the wood material into alternative processing technologies and end-uses, including estimation of the greenhouse gas emissions and the impacts of substituting fossil fuels and sequestering carbon; 2) a stand-level and a regional-level forest resource and supply model, and 3) an optimization model to study market reactions and cost-effectiveness of policy measures, describing the demand for and supply of energy and material wood from forests in Finland.
EFI was involved in the work on the forest-resource model (2) by further developing the EFISCEN model and analyses. The forest-resource model was used to analyse forest carbon sequestration and forest bioenergy use as partly coinciding and partly opposing goals. Silviculture that benefits both of these goals involves intensive management and high growth rates.
The results were expected to be useful for designing policy instruments that provide incentives for balanced use of bioenergy and wood products.
Some of the results are published in Wood-based biodiesel in Finland. Market-mediated impacts on emissions and costs.Juha Forsström, Kim Pingoud, Johanna Pohjola, Terhi Vilén, Lauri Valsta & Hans Verkerk. 2012. VTT Technology 7.