Tuomas Niinistö, Perttu Anttila, Janne Kaseva, Lauri Sikanen, Kalle Kärhä, Johanna Routa. (2025). Energy wood flows and the operational environment of supply chains in finland: insights from a supplier survey. Silva Fennica vol. 59 no. 3 article id 25011. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.25011

Keywords: bioenergy; forest chips; energy transition; energy wood procurement; wood fuel supply

Highlights: Most of the consumed energy wood is sourced within 100 km of the plant; Energy wood transport distance increases with the higher consumption level of plant; Industrial roundwood could cover 25–33% of roundwood burned; Most of the stumps are sourced from land-use change areas; Economic viability of harvesting small-diameter trees should be increased to divert energy wood harvesting to young forests.

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Energy wood supply has faced significant challenges in Finland in recent years. While forest chip consumption has increased, the cessation of wood imports from Russia has added pressure on the use of domestic forest resources. This study examined the status of energy wood supply to heat-only and combined heat and power (CHP) plants from the perspective of energy wood suppliers. The survey-based study particularly focused on energy wood transport distances, the origin of delivered energy wood, and the proportion of various assortments. The operational environment, including wood fuel storage capacity and policy impacts, was also investigated. The results indicate that most energy wood consumed as forest chips was sourced less than 100 km from the consumer plant. However, these transport distances depended on annual forest chip consumption at the delivery point plant. Notably, energy wood was supplemented by roundwood that otherwise would have been suitable for processing in the forest industry; the proportion of that was 25–33% of all roundwood delivered. The results of this study also highlighted the visible role of land-use change areas, especially for stump sourcing, while imported wood accounted for only a small fraction of the supply. In conclusion, to reduce the burning of industrial roundwood and to divert energy wood harvesting to young commercial forests, policy should place greater emphasis on the economic viability of harvesting small-diameter trees for energy production. Furthermore, uncertainty in the operational environment, caused by policy changes, should be mitigated.

Niinistö, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Latokartanonkaari 9, FI-00790 Helsinki, Finland https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2645-0095 E-mail: tuomas.niinisto@luke.fi
Anttila, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Latokartanonkaari 9, FI-00790 Helsinki, Finland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6131-392X E-mail: perttu.anttila@luke.fi
Kaseva, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Tietotie 4, FI-31600 Jokioinen, Finland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8167-5434 E-mail: janne.kaseva@luke.fi
Sikanen, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Yliopistokatu 6b, FI-80100 Joensuu, Finland https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6368-2879 E-mail: lauri.sikanen@luke.fi
Kärhä, School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Yliopistokatu 7, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland E-mail: kalle.karha@uef.fi
Routa, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Latokartanonkaari 9, FI-00790 Helsinki, Finland https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7225-1798 E-mail: johanna.routa@luke.fi

article id 143, category Research article

Juha Laitila, Jani Heikkilä, Perttu Anttila. (2010). Harvesting alternatives, accumulation and procurement cost of small-diameter thinning wood for fuel in Central Finland. Silva Fennica vol. 44 no. 3 article id 143. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.143

Keywords: biomass resources; multi-tree-handling; delimbed stemwood; whole trees; Finland; early thinnings; forest chips

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This study compared harvesting alternatives, accumulation and procurement costs of small-diameter thinning wood chips for fuel, when trees were harvested either as delimbed stemwood or whole trees. The calculation was made for a hypothetical plant located in Central Finland and the radius of the procurement area was 100 km via the existing road network. Cutting was done with conventional harvester head equipped with multi-tree-handling (MTH) accessories, with the logged trees being chipped at the roadside storage. The cost of delimbed stemwood chips at heating plant was 24% higher compared to the cost of whole tree chips. The availability analysis attested that delimbing lowered the regional cutting removal by 42% compared to the whole tree harvesting, when the minimum accumulation for the fuel fraction at the stand was set at 25 m³/ha. Delimbing diminishes the recovery rate at the site, resulting in a diminishing number of potential recovery sites meeting the threshold volume. However, the study showed that the forest energy potential is increased and procurement costs are reduced, if delimbed stemwood is harvested from stands where the whole tree harvesting is not acceptable due to nutrient loss or for other ecological reasons. Intelligent selection of cutting methods for different stands enables minimization of transport distance and control of procurement cost.

Laitila, The Finnish Forest Research Institute, Joensuu, Finland E-mail: juha.laitila@metla.fi
Heikkilä, L&T Biowatti Oy, Seinäjoki, Finland E-mail: jh@nn.fi
Anttila, The Finnish Forest Research Institute, Joensuu, Finland E-mail: pa@nn.fi

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