Assessment of bioenergy potential and associated costs in Japan for the 21st century

Supply potential and annual availability of timber and forest biomass resources for energy considering inter-prefectural trade in Japan

Using timber from multifunctional forests for energy production can be economically viable and environmentally friendly when it is consistent with the principles of sustainable management; otherwise, it could be harmful from both an ecological and commercial point of view. The objective of this paper was to present the overall balance of timber biomass from felled trees in multifunctional forests and assess what kind and how much of this biomass can be used for energy purposes. The research material consisted of data on forest resources and the volume of timber removal in Polish State Forests in 2016–2020. The biomass of branches and stumps of felled trees was determined using biomass expansion factors (BEFs). The results obtained in this study indicated that industrial timber, energy wood, and biomass left in the forest as a source of deadwood are 67%, 20%, and 13% of the total woody biomass, respectively. The Polish State Forest’s potential for energy wood is estimated at 6.18 million tonnes of biomass annually. Total available energy produced from woody biomass amounted to 104.8 PJ y−1.

https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/6/2264/pdf?version=1647769159

Using Timber as a Renewable Resource for Energy Production in Sustainable Forest Management

Management of plantation forests for multiple purposes is critically important in the fight against climate change and loss of natural forests. This study aims to assess bioenergy generation, timber production, carbon emission reductions, carbon removals, and related carbon revenues through the management of plantation forests in Myanmar. We used the latest data from the forest resource assessment to develop the forest land use and growing stocks models for fast-growing and slow-growing plantation forests between 2000 and 2040. We found that natural forests lost 2.6% annually but only 0.02% was converted to plantation forests. Total growing stocks for both forest types increased from just 8.9 million m3 in 2000 to 39.8 million m3 in 2040. Total carbon removals were 1.2 Tg CO2 yr−1 between 2000 and 2040 and 1.3 Tg CO2 yr−1 during the Paris Agreement timeframe. The use of thinned wood and wood biomasses to substitute the fossil combustion could reduce 12.7 Tg CO2 yr−1 of carbon emissions. If combined, total emission reductions from bioenergy generation and carbon removals accounts for 82% of Myanmar's total emissions in energy sector. This study concludes that management of plantation forest could contribute to climate change mitigation while reducing timber demand from natural forests.

Management of plantation forests for bioenergy generation, timber production, carbon emission reductions, and removals

This study extracted production forests and estimated the annual availability of forest biomass resources under profitable forest management for Japanese cedar and cypress of private and co...

Availability for small-scale woody biomass power generation from the view of forest resources in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan

To utilize timber and forest biomass resources for bioenergy, technically feasible and economically viable timber and forest biomass resources should be estimated accurately considering their long-term availability. This study focuses on five prefectures, namely, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, and Yamagata, and considers trade between these prefectures. The annual availability of timber and forest biomass resources, such as small-diameter or defect stem logs, rather than logging residues in Japan was estimated as supply potential from profitable forests where expected revenues surpassed all costs, from planting to final harvest. As a result, the supply potential and annual availability of timber were estimated at 11,388,960 m3/year and 1,631,624 m3/year, whereas those of forest biomass resources were estimated at 2,277,792 m3/year and 326,325 m3/year, respectively. Therefore, the rate of annual availability to supply potential was 14.3%. Since timber production and wood chip usage from thinned woods and logging residues in 2018 were 4,667,000 m3/year and 889,600 m3/year, the rates of annual availability for timber and forest biomass resources to those values were 35.0% and 36.7%, respectively. Furthermore, the demand was estimated at 951,740 m3/year from 100,000 m3/year with a generation capacity of 5 MW. The rate of forest biomass resource availability to demand was 34.2%. A thinning subsidy was provided for operational site areas larger than 5 ha in Japan. The rates from subcompartments and aggregated forests with a thinning subsidy increased to 91.4% and 190.3%, respectively. Thus, the estimated availability from aggregated forests with a thinning subsidy met the demand sufficiently in this region.

https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/1/71/pdf

Annual Availability of Forest Biomass Resources for Woody Biomass Power Generation Plants from Subcompartments and Aggregated Forests in Tohoku Region of Japan

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jjfs/99/6/99_266/_pdf

Hiroaki Shirasawa

Papers

Supply potential and annual availability of timber and forest biomass resources for energy considering inter-prefectural trade in Japan

Availability for small-scale woody biomass power generation from the view of forest resources in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan

Annual Availability of Forest Biomass Resources for Woody Biomass Power Generation Plants from Subcompartments and Aggregated Forests in Tohoku Region of Japan

Estimating the Long-term Availability of Unused Materials for Woody Biomass Power Generation in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan

Estimating available unused dead wood materials for heat generation in Mongolia: how much coal can unused dead wood materials substitute?