engleski

Repositioning of Forest Biomass as a Renewable Source of Energy - Implications to Harvesting Operations in Croatia

Wood was the first and for many centuries the main source of energy. With the development of civilization, a major shift towards the use of technical properties of wood occurred, but the role of the wood in energy production remained significant. Industrialization and domination of fossil fuels in the world energy supplies released substantial amounts of former energy wood to be used in the pulp and paper industry and particleboard industry. In recent years, due to the increasing environmental concerns, a shift towards sustainable sources of energy has occurred. Among the available alternative energy sources - biomass is the only carbon based sustainable option and therefore it can effectively be transformed into different energy carriers making it the most desirable option for the replacement of fossil fuels. Based on the General Forest Management Plan (2006-2015) data, thinnings can be marked as a major source of fuelwood and pulpwood (over 1 535 000 m3 net/year) followed by the regeneration fellings (over 953 000 m3 net/year) and selective fellings (over 460 000 m3 net/year). In these figures, private forests account for 14% of the total production, mainly in thinnings. Projections based on the present fuelwood and pulpwood share in gross annual cut and data of the General Management Plan for the period 2016–2025 (available quantities increase of 7%) and the period 2026–2045 (available quantities increase of 9%) indicate a significant shift of the available quantities from the thinnings, a relatively suitable operational surrounding for round fuelwood and pulpwood harvesting, to regeneration fellings. This will probably encourage the present practices of wood chips production in lowland oak forests, but to satisfy the expected rising need for wood chips, substantial amounts will have to be provided either by replacing the 1-meter firewood demand with the more efficient use of energy wood in centralized heating systems or home pellet furnaces (based on the »more heat with less wood« concept) or by establishing SRC designated for energy wood production, greater use of recycled wood and energy wood from pre-commercial thinnings. On the other hand, in order to maintain the constant supply of round fuelwood and pulpwood, based on the present demand, a major undertake is needed in redesigning traditional harvesting systems, intensifying harvesting in private and coppice forests, and establishing new forest plantations.

energijsko drvo; celuloza; ogrijevno drvo; drvna sječka; peleti

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