Establishing ecologically sustainable forest biomass supply chains: A case study in the boreal forest of Canada Evelyne Thiffault Canadian Forest Service David Paré Canadian Forest Service Sylvain Volpé Denis Cormier FPInnovations Perttu Anttila Metla
Dark side of the Force
Minimise net emissions to the atmosphere Bioenergy Fossil fuel Non-forest land use Forest ecosystems Wood products Other products Land-use sector Forest sector Services used by society IPCC 2007 ch 9: Forestry, AR4, Groupe III
Area required to produce electricity Hydro San José, California 46 000 hectares 1 million inhabitants 740 MW Natural gas Solar Biomass Source: Science 329: 786-787
Harvest residues: tree tops and branches Canadian Forest Service
Dead trees from naturally disturbed stands Canadian Forest Service
Short rotation woody crops Poplar trees Not so popular trees
Forest biomass availability in Canada s managed forests Dymond et al. 2010 For. Ecol. Manage. 260: 181-192 70 000 60 000 Oven dry Gg / year 50 000 40 000 30 000 20 000 10 000 0 Harvest residues Salvage wood - Wildfire Salvage wood - Insects 1 Gg = 1000 metric tons
Potential of forest biomass as an energy supply in Canada Paré et al. 2011 For. Chron. 87: 71-76. 100 75 % 50 Roundwood Salvage harvesting Harvest residues 25 0 Energy consumption in Canada Potential energy from forest biomass
Forest bioenergy can contribute to energy demand and mitigate climate change. Canada s forests have a high potential for bioenergy but are not a panacea.
Social license for forest management is hard to get
In an effort to change their public image, the timber industry adopts a new harvesting strategy.
Public concerns with forest biomass harvesting: Maintaining forest ecological services
Case study: Establishing ecologically sustainable forest biomass supply chains Thiffault et al.
Study area
Availability of harvest residues Cost of procurement C emissions forestenergy.org
Ecological concerns with intensive forest biomass harvesting: Soil erosion Soil nutrient and organic matter depletion Sedimentation in water bodies Destruction of habitats associated with woody debris Spatial constraints to residue removal
High tolerance to ecological impacts
Moderate tolerance to ecological impacts Longer driving distance to supply the same amount of residues
Low tolerance to ecological impacts
Harvest residue availability According to tolerance to ecological impacts 100% 16 75% 55 39 3 10 50% 7 Availability loss during transport loss during recovery 10 25 71 ecological constraints 25% 35 29 0% High tolerance Moderate tolerance Low tolerance
Cost of procurement of harvest residues according to tolerance to ecological impacts 1,50 1,45 1,40 Relative cost, $/oven-dry tons 1,35 1,30 1,25 1,20 1,15 1,10 1,05 Opportunity cost of protecting ecosystem services High tolerance (Reference) Moderate tolerance Low tolerance 1,00 0,95 0,90 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 Harvest residues availability, 1000 oven-dry tons/year
C emissions along the supply chain of harvest residues 10 % C emissions : C delivered 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 Non-significant difference C emissions along the supply chain per unit of energy are much lower than for any form of fossil fuel High tolerance Moderate tolerance Low tolerance 2 1 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 Harvest residues availability, 1000 dry-tons/year
High (but not too strict) standards of ecosystem protection do not have significant impacts on availability and costs of forest biomass.
Something to mull over Agricultural Intensification: Will land spared from farming be land spared for nature? Matson and Vitousek 2006, Conservation Biology 20: 709-706 How can intensive systems be designed so that they have fewer and smaller impacts on ecosystems?
Best method to protect ecosystem services on a regional or global level: Intensification on the best lands More lands «saved for nature» Canadian Forest Service
BUT: Off-site effects of intensive systems: Reduce capacity of surrounding ecosystems to provide ecological services Canadian Forest Service
Intensive systems: Purposefully developped so that they spare land for nature Increased precision and efficiency in production Have to be considered as parts of a greater system
Good side of the Force!