Photo: Leopold Ziehaus
Use of Forest Biomass as a Source of Energy
Austria has a leading position internationally in the percentage share of renewable sources of energy in total energy consumption, as well in the percentage share of biomass.
Unexploited potentialsDespite the high level of biomass used in Austria, enormous potentials still remain unexploited. From the perspective of availability of resources, nothing stands in the way of a stronger exploitation of biomass. Theoretically, the current use of biomass could be doubled by increased logging and increased forest thinning.
In addition, the Austrian forest sector still has enormous wood reserves. According to the results of the Forest Inventory 1992/96, an annual wood utilisation of 19.5 million m³ overbark is juxtaposed by an annual increase in stock of 27.3 million m³ overbark, i.e. some 30% of the annual increase in stock are not utilised. According to the Austrian Forest Inventory, this has resulted in a significant increase in growing stock in the last decades.
Ecological benefits of increased thinning
Increased thinning also has ecological benefits, because forests that are too dense have a lower growth rate, are at greater risk of wind and snow throw, and display a particularly low biological diversity. A sustainable annual use of an additional 8 million m³ underbark biomass would not only be possible, but would also have positive ecological effects.
The focus of the annual growth is on stands that are not ready for felling yet, primarily in small farm forests, which are mainly the result of strong afforestation activities on agriculturally used border areas in the post-war period. These 30- to 50-year-old stands are currently in the phase of strongest growth and would need tending interventions urgently.
However, these long overdue thinning measures are not taken because selling the weak wood produced in the course of tending measures (industrial wood, fuel wood) is currently the biggest problem facing the domestic forest sector. However, the biomass energy market could easily absorb these wood types that are impossible or difficult to sell otherwise, and with good production revenues.
In addition to the private-sector interest, there is also a significant public interest in a profitable, ecological forest management. Only management of the forest, especially tending measures and regulation of the mix, can guarantee that the many essential functions of the forest are safeguarded. In the long term, only positive revenues will ensure that private forest owners are willing to manage and tend their forests properly.
Economic benefits
In addition to the positive effects on the environment, an increased use of biomass also offers economic benefits; the reliance on imports would decrease, the supply security would increase, and the trade balance would be improved, because biogenic sources of energy are domestic renewable resources. So far, two thirds of the domestic energy demand have to be imported, mainly from countries that are politically unstable.
In addition, the domestic value added would be increased, especially in rural areas that are economically disadvantaged.
Positive employment effects
Besides the effects on domestic value added, an increased use of biomass has a positive effect on the employment sector. Jobs are created especially in the area of providing biogenic resources, i.e. mainly in agriculture and forestry. Despite the increased use of machinery, this sector is still requires considerable human resources. An intensified use of forest biomass could therefore help to relieve the difficult situation in the agriculture and forestry sector.
There are calculations that show that if the potential capacities are exploited, an additional 30,000 to 40,000 jobs could be created.
Further information:
Dipl.-Ing. Arnold Ertl
Department IV3
Phone: (+43 1) 711 00/7323
E-mail: arnold.ertl@lebensministerium.at
27.01.2009,