The climate change mitigation potential of forest biomass production and its utilization in Finland The aim of this work was to calculate net climate impacts (in terms of radiative forcing) of forest-based materials and energy in Finnish boreal forests when substituting fossil-based materials and energy (Figure 1). Forest ecosystem model (SIMA) (e.g. Kellomäki et al. 2008) simulations were employed for assessing carbon sequestration and biomass production of forests, and a life cycle assessment (LCA) tool (Kilpeläinen et al. 2011) for assessing net climate impacts of biomass utilization. The effects of alternative forest management scenarios on net climate impacts were calculated by integrating the carbon sink/source dynamics in both biosystem and technosystem (Figure 1). The results showed that the use of forest-based materials and energy (logging residues and stumps/roots) in substituting fossil-based materials and energy would provide an effective option for mitigating climate change in Finland. Maintaining 20% higher stocking in thinning could improve the net climate impact of biomass compared to the current forest management (baseline), opposite to maintaining 20% lower stocking (Figure 2). 1 Antti Kilpeläinen, 1 Heli Peltola, 2 Johanna Routa and 2 Antti Asikainen 1 University of Eastern Finland (UEF), School of ForestSciences, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland 2 Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), P.O. Box 68, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland Figure 2. Cumulative radiative forcing, CRF (mW m -2 ) of different components of the biosystem and the fossil system at the end of the 90-year period in Finland. NEE: net ecosystem CO 2 exchange, BNR: baseline management with energy wood thinning and harvesting of branches, needles (70%), tops of stems, and stumps and roots from final felling, BNR±20: 20% higher or lower stocking in thinning with harvesting of energy biomass, and F±20: corresponding fossil system (Kilpeläinen et al. 2015). UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND | SCHOOL OF FOREST SCIENCES The net climate impacts for energy biomass utilization varied substantially over time, depending on forest management scenario and initial forest structure (Figure 3). Figure 1. Calculation of net climate impacts between the forest-based biosystem and fossil system. 20 40 60 80 Relative radiative forcing, nWm -2 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 BT BTF BT+20 BT+20F 20 40 60 80 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 Year 20 40 60 80 Relative radiative forcing, nWm -2 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 Year 20 40 60 80 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 Normal age distribution Right-skewed age distribution Even age distribution Left-skewed age distribution Figure 3. Impact of forest management and initial stand age structure on net climate impact of energy biomass from final felling of Norway spruce (incl. logging residues and stumps/roots). BT: baseline forest management, BTF: fertilisation, BT20: maintaining 20% higher stocking in thinning and BT+20F: maintaining 20% higher stocking in thinning and fertilisation (Kilpeläinen et al. 2015, unpublished) References: Kellomäki et al. (2008). Sensitivity of managed boreal forests in Finland to climate change, with implications for adaptive management. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, B363, 2341- 2351. Kilpeläinen et al. (2011). Life cycle assessment tool for estimating net CO 2 exchange of forest production. Global Change Biology Bioenergy, 3, 461-471. Kilpeläinen et al. (2015). Net climate impacts of forest biomass production and utilization in managed boreal forests. Global Change Biology Bioenergy. Early View.

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Page 1: The climate change mitigation potential of forest biomass ... · The climate change mitigation potential of forest biomass production and its ... technosystem (Figure 1). The

The climate change mitigation potential of forest biomass production and its utilization in Finland

The aim of this work was to calculate net climateimpacts (in terms of radiative forcing) of forest-basedmaterials and energy in Finnish boreal forests whensubstituting fossil-based materials and energy (Figure1).

Forest ecosystem model (SIMA) (e.g. Kellomäki et al.2008) simulations were employed for assessing carbonsequestration and biomass production of forests, and alife cycle assessment (LCA) tool (Kilpeläinen et al. 2011)for assessing net climate impacts of biomass utilization.The effects of alternative forest management scenarioson net climate impacts were calculated by integratingthe carbon sink/source dynamics in both biosystem andtechnosystem (Figure 1).

The results showed that the use of forest-basedmaterials and energy (logging residues andstumps/roots) in substituting fossil-based materials andenergy would provide an effective option for mitigatingclimate change in Finland. Maintaining 20% higherstocking in thinning could improve the net climate impactof biomass compared to the current forest management(baseline), opposite to maintaining 20% lower stocking(Figure 2).

1Antti Kilpeläinen, 1Heli Peltola, 2Johanna Routa and 2Antti Asikainen1University of Eastern Finland (UEF), School of Forest Sciences, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland2Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), P.O. Box 68, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland

Figure 2. Cumulative radiative forcing, CRF (mW m-2) of different components of the biosystemand the fossil system at the end of the 90-year period in Finland. NEE: net ecosystem CO2

exchange, BNR: baseline management with energy wood thinning and harvesting of branches,needles (70%), tops of stems, and stumps and roots from final felling, BNR±20: 20% higher orlower stocking in thinning with harvesting of energy biomass, and F±20: corresponding fossilsystem (Kilpeläinen et al. 2015).

U N I V E R S I T Y O F E A S T E R N F I N L A N D | S C H O O L O F F O R E S T S C I E N C E S

The net climate impacts for energy biomass utilizationvaried substantially over time, depending on forestmanagement scenario and initial forest structure (Figure3).

Figure 1. Calculation of net climate impacts between the forest-based biosystem and fossilsystem.

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Right-skewed age distribution Even age distribution

Left-skewed age distribution

Figure 3. Impact of forest management and initial stand age structure on net climate impactof energy biomass from final felling of Norway spruce (incl. logging residues andstumps/roots). BT: baseline forest management, BTF: fertilisation, BT20: maintaining 20%higher stocking in thinning and BT+20F: maintaining 20% higher stocking in thinning andfertilisation (Kilpeläinen et al. 2015, unpublished)

References:

Kellomäki et al. (2008). Sensitivity of managed boreal forests in Finland to climate change, with implications for adaptive management. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, B363, 2341-2351.Kilpeläinen et al. (2011). Life cycle assessment tool for estimating net CO2 exchange of forest production. Global Change Biology Bioenergy, 3, 461-471.Kilpeläinen et al. (2015). Net climate impacts of forest biomass production and utilization in managed boreal forests. Global Change Biology Bioenergy. Early View.