Renewable energy potentials: Woody biomass

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200210693

Several European policies and directives advocate both the increased utilization of forests for the provision of biomass for the bioeconomy, and decreased forest harvesting rates in order to promote the sequestration of atmospheric CO2 in the biomass and soils of forests. It is challenging to reconcile these two objectives on the same tract of land (Köhl et al., 2021). Particularly, a dim view is taken on the use of wood for energy production in Europe and the topic remains controversial. Many examples worldwide, both in developing and highly developed countries exist where forests are degraded, unsustainably managed and even destroyed for the sake of energy extraction
(Searchinger et al. 2022). However, when sustainable forms of forest management are implemented, forests are multifunctional and can deliver ecosystem services, long-lasting wood products and bioenergy (Forest Europe 2020). The limitations of the quantitative contribution of European forests both for reaching the climate objectives and the energy demand need to be recognized and only a small climate change mitigation effect can be expected from European forests (Grassi et al., 2019). Ideally, harvested wood (primary wood) is turned into valuable and long-living products, and is utilized in a cascade with energy production as final step. Realistically, some primary wood that could be used for valuable products is directly turned into fuel wood (Fig. 1).