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Article

Potential of Forest Biomass Resources for Renewable Energy Production in the Czech Republic

by
Dalibor Šafařík
,
Petra Hlaváčková
* and
Jakub Michal
Department of Forest and Wood Products Economics and Policy, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 3, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Energies 2022, 15(1), 47; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15010047
Submission received: 25 November 2021 / Revised: 13 December 2021 / Accepted: 18 December 2021 / Published: 22 December 2021
(This article belongs to the Section A4: Bio-Energy)
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Abstract

:
In the European Green Deal and the Climate Act, the European Union has committed itself to achieving climate neutrality by 2050. This goal is to be achieved by joint efforts of all economic sectors, including forestry and its downstream sectors. One way to attain this goal is the effective and sustainable use of forest biomass for energy production. This article aims to quantify the potential of forest biomass resources for the production of electrical and thermal energy based on official departmental statistics, the current legal framework for forestry and the environment, and research results in the context of an extreme change in the raw material base due to the ongoing calamity caused by the spread of insect pests in the Czech Republic. This extreme can classify as a significant risk to the security of the energy supply from renewable sources in the event of oversizing new installed energy production from renewable sources. Based on data and calculations, an overall annual volume of dendromass available for energy production in the Czech Republic for the period extending to 2036 was quantified at the value of 13.473 million tons per year. Consequently, it is clear that the overall dendromass resources for energy production in the Czech Republic are not sufficient to achieve the EU’s ambitious objective.

1. Introduction

In March 2020, the European Commission presented the Climate Act [1,2], aiming to move Europe towards climate neutrality. The objective of this European climate legislation is to put into practice the goal set out in the European Green Deal [3] to make the European economy and society climate neutral by 2050 while using resources efficiently and maintaining competitiveness. In October 2020, the European Parliament adopted a mandate to negotiate a climate law, approving the goal of climate neutrality and reducing emissions by 50–55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. All economic sectors, including forestry and its downstream sectors, should contribute to achieving climate neutrality [1]. One of the ways that forestry and forestry-based sectors can help achieve the goal of climate neutrality and thereby fulfill the provisions of point (d)—Trajectory to achieve climate neutrality: Energy efficiency, availability, and security of energy supplies is effective and sustainable concerning the use of dendromass for energy production.
In December 2018, the Renewable Energy Directive II (RED II) was adopted, which stipulated the objective of a 32% share of energy from renewable sources by 2030 [4]. The roadmap for transforming the economy and society of the European Green Deal of 2021 sets a higher goal, namely 40% of energy from renewable sources by 2030. In 2019, the share of renewable resources in energy production for EU-28 was 18.88% [5]. In the Czech Republic (CR), this share amounted to 16.24% [5] in 2019, and the objective of achieving a 22% share of renewable energy sources in gross final consumption by 2030 was set [6]. The question is whether there are sufficient resources available to meet this objective, considering the calamity conditions and the developments in felling opportunities in the Czech Republic in the coming decades.
This article explores the availability of resources and the assurance of the security of the dendromass supply for energy production. It specifically deals with quantifying the potential of forest biomass sources and overall dendromass sources to produce electrical and thermal energy in the Czech Republic. Forest biomass falls within the biomass sources that the European Commission calls unused, i.e., residual biomass [7]. The analysis proceeds due to the fact that biomass (including forest biomass) is a renewable yet limited resource [8]. As reflected by International Energy Agency [9], renewable energy sources (RES) are currently at the heart of the transition to a less carbon-intensive, sustainable energy system. The need to maximize the deployment of RES is also mentioned in the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament entitled ‘A Clean Planet for All’ [10]. Biomass is often described as the most important renewable energy source globally [11]. According to Eurostat [12], biomass currently represents 60.5% of the total share of RES in primary energy sources. In countries with conditions similar to the Czech Republic (forest coverage, standing volume), dendromass and forest biomass are seen as the dominant renewable resource [13]. In the Czech Republic, the current share of all forms of biomass, including biomass from agricultural production, is almost 90% of the total share of RES in overall energy consumption [13]. In the Czech Republic and Central Europe, the untapped potential of biomass forms the most important part of the planned development of renewable energy sources [14]. The transition to renewable energy sources depends on various factors [15]. RES policies are crucial to achieving carbon neutrality [16]. Bioenergy, i.e., renewable energy generated from raw materials of biological origin, has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions since RES produce a negligible amount of carbon during their life cycle [16,17,18]. Investment in bioenergy plants is usually conditioned by access to the raw materials as well as the cost of obtaining this raw material [16,19].
Despite widespread global demand, biomass resources are unevenly distributed, with relatively low resource availability in some of the highest-demand regions [20]. Energy security directly affects a country’s level of economy, security, and social well-being [16]. As several studies carried out in different EU countries show (see for example [21,22,23,24]), there is uncertainty regarding the amount of biomass available in the EU, and current import options call into question political goals concerning the security of supply and sustainability. The issue of the potential of supply and availability of renewable energy sources, especially forest biomass, is also addressed in studies from outside the EU (as evidenced, for example, by publications [25,26] in Japan, refs. [27,28] in India, refs. [29,30] in China, ref. [20] in Brazil, or [31,32,33] in Africa.
An overview of the current state of studies dealing with the potential of biomass resources and their types was discussed in the article [11]. The authors conclude that there are many studies on the potential of biomass, but their results vary considerably. Moreover, definitions of biomass potential differ, too. For example, ref. [34] distinguishes between theoretical, technical, economic, and implementation potential. The article focuses on the technical potential, i.e., the part of the potential that can be utilized using current technical possibilities [11], and describes the possible contribution of forest biomass and dendromass from non-forest land to satisfying energy demand from a technical point of view depending on time and place. The amount of biomass available for energy production strongly depends on the origin of the resource and its alternative uses or restrictions on its use [24].
Forests are a significant potential source of biomass, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has identified forest biomass as an essential source of renewable energy [35]. Forest tree biomass (dendromass) mainly includes forest residues, which the literature [36] divides into primary residues: (by-products of conventional forestry); secondary residues (by-products of industrial processes); tertiary residues (by-products of construction, demolition, and packaging processes). Forest residues are considered the largest and most important source of dendromass for biofuel production [37] and represent an important lignocellulosic raw material for bioenergy production [38].
Within Czech forestry, approximately 0.77 million tons (2 million m3) of wood chips from primary forest residues, 1.5 million tons of cellulose extracts, and less than 5 million tons (7.5 million m3) of primarily produced fuelwood further used for energy purposes are produced annually [6,39]. In recent decades, massive occurrences of bark beetles (Ips. spp.) have caused a significant decline in coniferous, mostly commercial forests, including spruce stands on non-forest land in Central Europe, specifically in Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovakia, and especially in the Czech Republic [40,41]. As a result of the bark beetle calamity, the volume of the forest biomass supply for energy purposes in the Czech Republic is expected to decrease [41]. Predicting the availability of forest dendromass regarding the further course the bark beetle calamity might take is currently extremely difficult [6].
This article aims to quantify the potential of forest biomass resources for the production of electricity and thermal energy based on official departmental statistics, the current legal framework for forestry and the environment, and research results. A factor playing a crucial role in this quantification is the context of an extreme increase in the felling of forests due to the ongoing calamity caused by the spread of insect pests in the Czech Republic.
Given the existence of many studies whose results differ significantly, the objective is a complex one and requires a comprehensive approach. Some of the reasons for the differences in those studies’ results are the inconsistency of the bases from which the potential of forest biomass resources is derived and the diversity of calculation levels. Therefore, the sub-goals also included unification of the calculation level based primarily on updated standing wood mass volume, updating the harvesting opportunities in the primary production, and a projection of risks resulting from the loss of coniferous stands due to the bark beetle calamity related to secondary production. The resulting values are converted to a uniform level of mass units. The crucial question is whether the set target of a 22% share of renewable energy sources in the gross final energy consumption by 2030 can be achieved in the Czech Republic with the contribution of dendromass and forest biomass and concerns the knowledge of the facts relating to the overall change in the raw material base.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Input Data and Information Source

The research methodology was divided into two stages. The material required for obtaining the relevant outputs for the first part was obtained from the secondary research. It was based on an analysis of the available scientific literature dealing with the issue of renewable energy sources, especially forest biomass. Binding documents of the European Union and the Czech Republic, the data of official European, national, and departmental statistics, and the current legal framework of forestry and the environment at the level of the European Union and the Czech Republic, were subjected to a comparative analysis.
In the second stage, the potential of forest biomass resources available for electrical and thermal energy production was quantified in the context of an extreme increase in forest felling caused by the spread of bark beetles in the Czech Republic and a reduction in forest increment.
The analysis of secondary data sources was performed in three parts:
  • Binding documents of the EU and the Czech Republic in the field of RES, which mainly include strategic documents, the Climate Act, and the European Green Deal [1,2,3], National Renewable Energy Action Plans of European Union’s Members [6,39,42], Clean Planet for All [10], Fit for 55 Package [43], New EU Forest Strategy for 2030 [44], or legislation [4,45,46,47].
  • Official European, national, and departmental statistics—Eurostat [5], International Energy Agency [9], Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations [48], Czech Statistical Office [49], Ministry of Agriculture [50], and Ministry of Industry and Trade [6].
  • Other documents, articles, and studies included in the bibliography.

2.2. Data Analyses

To determine the potential for the energy use of forest biomass from forest stands in the Czech Republic, the following causal data and information on the state of timber stocks and sources in forest stands were used, on which a comparative analysis was performed:
The theoretical outlook of logging opportunities for the period of 2017–2057 in forests in the Czech Republic was provided by the Forest Management Institute (FMI) Brandýs nad Labem and prepared based on forest management plans (FMP) and forest management curricula (FMC) stored in the data storage of the FMI Information, and Data Centre and available FMP and FMC data for the period of 2008–2017. The theoretical felling opportunities, ref. [51], were derived from the published data concerning standing stock using standard indexes of normal clearing and felling percentage. In each decennium, the procedure of felling outlook calculation included the following steps:
  • The regeneration logging volume is determined based on the felling percentage.
  • The logging area is determined based on felling percentage.
  • If the felling percentage is zero, the thinning volume shall be calculated based on the thinning percentage.
  • The age is increased by ten years.
  • The area is decreased by the felling area.
  • The first age class is founded with the acreage of the felling area and is included among the regenerated parts of the stand.
  • The stock is decreased by the regeneration felling volume.
  • The stock is increased by the increment coefficient derived from these tables:
    • Estimate of timber stocks in predominantly coniferous stands undamaged by bark beetle calamity up until September 2019 prepared by the Forest Management Institute (FMI, March 2020) [52].
      Partial outputs from the project “Potential of structural changes in sustainable forestry and wood processing” NAZV QK1820358 solved by the Department of Forest and Wood Products Economics and Policy of the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno in the years 2018–2020.
      A model of timber flow, ref. [53], between individual branches of the forestry and timber complex (FTC) was created using the method of retroactive calculation of the produced volume of products with the application of material decay coefficients of the flow of raw materials in primary processing. These coefficients range between 1.07–4.85 m3 (Raw Wood Use/m3 of Product), for example, Impregnation—1.07 m3, Softwood lumber—1.72 m3, Softwood plywood—1.81 m3, and Pulp—4.85 m3. More detailed specifications of the method are included in final reports on the research NAZV QK1820358, available at: https://starfos.tacr.cz/cs/project/QK1820358 (accessed on 15 November 2021) and publications by authors [54].

3. Results

3.1. Theoretical Outlook for Production Possibilities Based on 2017

According to the data contained in the material [51], the structure of the total wood stock in economically usable forest stands in the Czech Republic in 2017 was as follows:
  • Removal stands 277.84 mil. m3 of timber to the top of 7 cm outside bark (up to 7 cm o.b.)
  • Premature stands 378.53 mil. m3 up to 7 cm o.b.
  • Total of 656.37 mil. m3 up to 7 cm o.b.
The indicator of annual regeneration felling derived from the normal clearing in 2017 was 9.18 million m3 of timber to the top of 7 cm outside bark. The total stock of 656 million m3 of timber to the top of 7 cm o.b. was valid for the decennium 2017–2026 in 2017, i.e., before the massive impact of the bark beetle calamity on the condition and structure of timber stock in the forest stands in the Czech Republic, and the theoretical felling opportunities were derived from it. Figure 1 shows the outlook for forest stock developments over four decennia.
The theoretical outlook for decennial felling opportunities calculated from felling percentages is shown in Figure 2. The theoretical outlook of decennial assortment options for the period 2017–2056 is given in Table 1.
The maximum overall annual outlook for felling opportunities derived from the 2017 base by individual decades is as follows:
  • 2017–2026: 19,43 mil. m3 up to 7 cm o.b.
  • 2027–2036: 15.20 mil. m3 up to 7 cm o.b., a decrease by 21.8% against the 2017 base
  • 2037–2046: 14.84 mil. m3 up to 7 cm o.b., a decrease by 23.62% against the 2017 base
  • 2047–2056: 14.09 mil. m3 up to 7 cm o.b., a decrease by 27.5% against the 2017 base
in the average assortment structure; saw logs 69–80%, pulpwood for the pulp and paper industry, production of agglomerated materials 15–24%, firewood 5–7%.
The long-term theoretical annual available volume of lump fuelwood derived from the 2017 base, considering a shift of approx. 10% to pulp assortments, amounts to a maximum of 8.78 million m3 of timber to the top of 7 cm o.b. plus approximately 4.5 million m3 of timber from felling residues and non-forest land (protection zones of product pipelines, corridors of railway transport routes, riparian vegetation, municipal greenery, etc.). Thus, a total of 13.28 million m3 (8.22 million tons) per year.

3.2. Estimate of Timber Stocks in Mostly Coniferous Stands Undamaged by Bark Beetle Calamity until September 2019

As of September 2019, the bellow estimates were obtained [52] based on remote sensing results, LMS, Sentinel-2, and Planet data:
  • area of standing coniferous forests, 1.721 thousand ha
  • area of felling and dead standing trees for January 2016–September 2018, 106 thousand ha
  • area of felling and dead standing trees for September 2018–September 2019, 47 thousand ha
Finally, three basic categories were established for the framework definition of the categories of spruce stands endangered by bark beetle calamity:
  • up to 500 m above sea level—high-risk stands in which spruce cannot be used economically in a systematic way are currently already felled, or residues of stands of sterile dead tree stands remain unfelled
  • above 500 to 800 m above sea level—endangered stands where spruce in living stands is currently still endangered by the impact of bark beetles, especially Ips typographus, L.
  • above 850 m above sea level—less endangered stands; up to 950 m above sea level, spruce can be systematically used as an admixture in normal habitats, in water-affected habitats as a basic tree species; above 950 m above sea level, spruce can be systematically used as a basic tree species.
Estimates of stand areas and total timber stock in selected stands are presented in Table 2.
Based on the total published volume of total felling in 2019 and 2020 in the amount of approx. 32.6 million m3 or 35.8 million m3 [49], it can be concluded that:
  • the estimated stock of coniferous trees in predominantly coniferous stands as of 31 December 2020 was 505.34 ± 15.4 mil. m3 without bark (w.b.) in total; a decrease of 8.5% excluding the timber increment,
  • the estimated stock of all coniferous trees in predominantly coniferous stands as of 31 December 2020 was 564.84 ± 16.6 mil. m3 w.b. in total; a decrease of 7.6% excluding the timber increment.
  • the estimated stock of all coniferous trees in economically exploitable stands in the Czech Republic as of 31 December 2020 amounted to a total of 632.21± 1.09 mil. m3 w.b. including the lower limit of the point estimate of the overall annual increment (24.43 mil. m3 w.b.); a decrease of 3.2%.

3.3. Assumption of Infestation and Felling Outlook for 2021

The favorable weather development in 2020 led to a slowdown in the development of bark beetles and the spread of infestation in the first half of the growing season, thanks to which there was no further sharp increase in calamity in terms of the volume of infested wood.
With the currently high logging levels, a significant part of the infested timber was harvested; for instance, state forests entered 2021 with a significantly lower recorded unprocessed balance than in previous years (only 34% of the state in 2019). Nevertheless, 4.027 million m3 w.b. of bark beetle wood in the forests of the Czech Republic remained unprocessed as of 31 December 2020. These statements are illustrated in Figure 3 and Figure 4.
Based on the current development of felling intensity in spruce stands or the stands with a predominance of coniferous trees and the current weather pattern, the total volume of incidental felling in connection with the processing of the bark beetle calamity in 2021 could be estimated within the range of 25–30 million m3.

3.4. Timber Flow Model for the Czech Republic (Data of the 2017 Base)

Within the project entitled “Potential for structural changes in sustainable forestry and wood processing” [51], a model of wood flow between individual branches of the forestry and timber complex (FTC) for the Czech Republic was created, which is shown in Figure 5.
For this model, input data were processed to create a cascade of wood flow based on verifiable factual information, which is generally available, namely the revenues of wood processing companies published in the collection of deeds. Based on the retroactive calculation of the produced volume of products and the application of material decay coefficients, it is thus possible to create a framework for the flow of raw materials in primary processing and, based on partial refinements implemented in the last stage of the project, create a real wood flow model. Its correct evaluation required choosing adequate indicators expressing the efficiency of processing, both absolute and relative, related to a certain economic or physical value.
For the model of timber flow between individual FTC branches for the Czech Republic to show theoretical volumes of timber flows between individual segments derived from the 2017 base, it is necessary to correct the volumes of flows from forest logging by at least a 7% decrease in timber stock in forest stands between 2017–2019 and a 22% decrease in total felling opportunities by 2027 or 2030.

3.5. Partial Conclusions of the Results

Based on the data presented in Section 3.1, Section 3.2, Section 3.3 and Section 3.4, it can be concluded that in the years 2017–2020, the total timber stock in economically usable forest stands in the Czech Republic decreased due to an enormous increase in incidental logging, mainly processing spruce wood due to the bark beetle calamity, and including a decrease in the total current increment of 20.79 million m3 of timber to the top of 7 cm o.b. (3.2% to the base of 2017). While respecting the prediction of felling volume for 2021 and the outlook for bark beetle calamity processing until 2024, it can be estimated that the maximum total felling possibilities for the decennium 2027–2036 will decrease by ≥7%, i.e., to an annual volume ≤ 13.73 million m3 of timber to the top of 7 cm o.b.
Based on all data and partial conclusions from the previous chapters, it is possible to deduce and estimate the total annual available volume of dendromass, including forest biomass, for energy production in the Czech Republic for the period extending up to 2036 in the structure shown in Table 3.
This derived and estimated value must currently be considered as the maximum and limit for the following reasons:
  • An absolute decline in logging opportunities in Czech Republic forests.
  • An absolute increase in the processing capacity for saw logs of the forestry and timber complex sawmill segment of approx. 0.89 million m3 in 2021 and 1.00 million m3 in 2022, thanks to commissioning the LABE WOOD plant in Štětí and increasing the competitive environment in the sawmill industry segment, which will translate into increasing wood prices after the bark beetle calamity has subsided.
  • Interest in the maximum utilization of the production capacity of MONDI Štětí, a. s., i.e., an escalation of the competitive and pricing environment in the segment of pulpwood and white (paper) chips.
  • Increasing social pressure on increased retention of logging residues and timber for decay in forest stands intending to improve the retention capacity of forest soils (postponed effectiveness of Section 33 (3) of Act No. 289/2015 Coll., On Forests and on Amendments to Certain Acts [47]).
  • Increasing social pressure on the production of wood-based products as renewable wood raw material, with a long period of carbon sequestration to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 (see [3]).
A significant problem for meeting European commitments in the area of carbon neutrality and the share of RES in the Czech conditions is not only the total volume of available raw materials but also the share of wood chips in the total annual production, upon which mainly small and medium heating plants are primarily dependent. As wood chips are a commodity with a limited shelf life due to their relatively short life cycle, their annual volume is an essential parameter for assessing the possibilities of increasing the energy potential of the Czech Republic, especially if the estimates do not account for regrouping resources from other sectors and segments within the timber processing cascade (Figure 5).
Data on the volume of wood chips at the national and international statistics level were used to define the actual potential for meeting the Czech Republic’s objectives in increasing the share of RES (significant differences were identified in the interpretation of data from FAO and MoA reports). Based on the available statistics, we can speak of an available annual volume of wood chip resources at a level of 2 million. m3 (2016) to approx. 2.75 million. m3 (qualified estimate for 2020) from data of the Ministry of Agriculture, and 1.395 million. m3 (2016) to 1.676 million. m3 (2020) from FAO data, which represents a relatively large statistical variance. The information provided can be substantiated by Table 4. At the same time, the above statistics point to a relatively low percentage of wood chips related to total felling over the last five years, despite a significant increase in felling volume.
Data from the NAZV project were used to refine the estimate of the potential volume of wood chip production in the wood processing cascade in the Czech Republic. In the case of the data from the NAZV project, the calculation includes the volume produced within the primary wood processing, i.e., during the industrial production of products from sources for industrial use in the processing cascade. These statistics do not include the volume of wood chips, bark, and sawdust delivered to the market from other sources and imports.
From the above data from Table 5, we can talk about the current volume of wood chips produced in the Czech Republic at a level of 2.9–3.5 million tons in 2016–2020. The selected period is associated with the historically highest logging volume in the Czech Republic. In connection with the limitation of the maximum felling possibilities for the decennium 2027–2036 to approximately 13.7 million m3 and the forecast, which foresees the total volume of primary dendromass for energy purposes of 7.645 million tons per year, the setting of the Czech Republic’s goals regarding the shares of RES in gross final consumption seems overly optimistic.

4. Discussion

Renewable energy is one of the basic pillars of the European Union’s energy and climate protection strategy extending to 2030 and beyond. From 2009 to 2020, the European Union’s energy policy had three main objectives: security of supply, development of a competitive energy sector, and environmental sustainability [45]. In 2010, the Europe 2020 Strategy set a target for RES to increase their share in the gross final energy consumption to 20% by 2020 [46]. EU countries subsequently issued so-called national renewable energy action plans to increase renewable energy production [21,42]. EU countries have thus set their targets for 2020. The Czech Republic set this target at 13% by 2020. Data for 2019 [5] are currently available, showing the progress in developing the use of RES and the state of meeting the targets for individual EU countries. For the EU, meeting the 2019 target was almost within reach. Until about five years ago, however, the goals in the field of RES seemed too ambitious [58,59]. In 2019, the share of RES was 18.88% for the EU-28, but if the United Kingdom is left out, then this share is 19.73%; hence, the target for 2020 was likely met. The Czech Republic had already met its target in 2013 when the share of RES was 13.93% [5].
For the next period, i.e., until 2030, the target is 32% for the EU and 22% for the Czech Republic. Dendromass plays an important role in achieving the EU’s goals [58], as other options are not very realistic due to weather, economic, political, and other obstacles. A Clean Planet for All [10] states that sustainable biomass will play an essential role in an economy with zero net greenhouse gas emissions. Wood-based bioenergy is currently the main source of renewable energy, accounting for 60% of the EU’s renewable energy supply [44]. The importance of biomass and its share in RES is therefore undeniable.
As stated in [58], for example, the targets appear realistic if conditions such as reducing energy consumption, mobilizing dendromass from the available potential, or increasing dendromass imports are met. In other words, those conditions leading to climate neutrality set out in point d of the Climate Act [1]. In the case of the countries that have set increasing the share of biomass in RES from their resources as one of their goals, such as the Czech Republic, it is necessary to meet another condition, namely ensuring the secure supply of this energy source. The same concerns about the potential, quantity, and supply of biomass have been addressed in various studies [21,22,23,24]. The authors agreed that in the case of biomass from forests, trunks, and forest residues, it is not possible to expect a sharp increase in supply by 2030. However, the publications do not account for the possible occurrence of biotic or abiotic harmful forest factors causing calamities, as is the case in the Czech Republic.
The IPCC recognizes that biomass from trees affected by natural disturbances can contribute to the overall technical potential of forest biomass [35]. On the contrary, studies [40,41] assume that in Central Europe, the supply of forest biomass for energy purposes will be endangered due to the bark beetle calamity and the consequent large-scale deforestation. The presented research substantiates this statement.
Experience from Canada [60] shows that low-quality trees in forests can be an important source of raw material for the bioenergy industry, provided that the long-term production capacity of the forest is maintained. In the Czech Republic, the supply of wood in forests decreased, and with it the overall potential of dendromass for energy purposes. Even strategic documents such as The National Energy and Climate Plan of the Czech Republic [6] do not envisage an increase in the use of forest biomass for energy purposes by 2030, and even state that in areas with a high intensity of incidental logging, biomass shortages and rising prices for bioenergy can be expected.
Based on data and calculations, the total available volume of dendromass for energy production in the Czech Republic for the period up to 2036 was estimated at 7.645 million tons per year from primary production and 13.473 million tons from the total production. At present, therefore, it is clear that the Czech Republic will probably not be able to achieve the new goal in the field of energy production from forest biomass to which it has committed.
Due to their inconsistency, the analytical data available at the national (Ministry of Agriculture) and international (FAO) levels represent a problematic level for making a predictive estimate of the development of possibilities of increasing the volume of dendromass for energy purposes, as well as the actual decision-making concerning increasing energy capacity. Other major shortcomings are the norms, standards, methodologies, and conversion tables for determining the weight and volume coefficients for the conversion of mass to m3, prm, and tons, which differ for the areas of transport, processing, and consumption within individual sectors. Based on aggregate statistics of the total available volume of wood chips without lower decay granularity within the wood flow, it is impossible to define the energy sectors’ actual consumption. The elimination of shortcomings leading to more accurate statistical reporting on available capacities of wood chips and other input sources for energy use could realize the possibilities, perspectives, and ambitions of the Czech Republic in setting and achieving the EU’s RES targets and the potential to increase energy inputs so as not to affect the carbon neutrality objectives.
On 14 July 2021, the European Commission published a new climate and energy legislative package called the “Fit for 55 Package” [43], containing 13 legislative proposals to enable meeting the set 2030 emission target. The proposals also include amendments to the RED II [4], such as increasing the share of renewables in the energy mix from 32% to 40%. Another novelty, for example, is the introduction of a ban on state support for electricity production from forest biomass, starting in 2026, sustainability criteria that must also be applied to biomass, and the production size limits that must monitor compliance with sustainability criteria in order to receive state aid have decreased from 20 to 5 MW (for plants using solid biomass). One of the proposals also confirms the principle of cascading resource use, in which the use of wood with the highest added value is given priority [61]. A new EU Forestry Strategy was presented together with the Fit for 55 package [43]. The strategy states, inter alia, that wood-based bioenergy in the EU is predominantly (49%) based on residues and waste from logging and wood processing (e.g., branches and crowns, sawdust, wood waste). Another 37% comes from so-called “primary biomass sources”, including low-quality logs and pellets (20%), half of which are logs (10%) from woody plants grown in coppice plantations, while 4% come from industrial-quality logs. The remaining 14% is not listed in any category in the reported statistics, which means it is not classified as a primary or secondary source; however, in light of wood biomass flow analyses, the source is more likely to be primary wood. In the context of the above, the two European Strategy documents [62] thus contradict each other significantly.

5. Conclusions

In 2013, the share of renewable energy sources in the total gross final energy consumption in the Czech Republic was 13.93%. In 2019, the share amounted to 16.24%, representing a total increase of 2.31 percentage points over six years (0.385 percentage points annually), with a relatively stable share of forest biomass in the fuel mix and the total energy mix between 2014 and 2017. A more significant increase in the share of forest biomass in the fuel mix has only been occurring since 2018 due to a surplus of firewood and logging waste from primary production due to the culmination of bark beetle calamity felling. This increase must be marked as temporary, considering the current development in the intensity of felling spruce stands or stands with a predominance of coniferous trees. A decline in the intensity of harvesting in forest stands is expected to possibly occur in 2022, with a positive watershed in the development of the bark beetle calamity and a temporary reduction in standing volume, including a decrease in total current increment. However, the temporary nature of the decline in logging opportunities and the reduction of the raw material base compared to the current level represents a period of at least 30 years.
The results of this study show that the total annual available volume of dendromass for energy purposes in the Czech Republic extending until 2036 amounts to 13.473 million tons, with an annual share of forest biomass from primary production of 7.645 million tons (56.7%). Until 2018, the annual volume averaged 13.880 million tons. Supposing the objective share of renewable energy sources in the total gross final energy consumption is set at 22% by 2030 (an overall increase of 5.76 percentage points/0.523 percentage points annually), it should be stressed that the share of forest biomass from primary production in the fuel mix is currently at its maximum available limit. Further increasing the share through 2030 while maintaining sustainable forest management principles is no longer possible. Further increase could jeopardize the security of supplies in the long-term view (by 2050), including the risk of deformations of timber raw material markets in the assortments of technological processing, logs and timber for the pulp and paper industry, and the production of timber-based agglomerated materials.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, J.M. and P.H.; methodology, D.Š.; validation, P.H. and J.M.; investigation, D.Š.; resources, D.Š.; data curation, P.H and J.M.; writing—original draft preparation, P.H.; writing—review and editing, P.H.; supervision, P.H and D.Š.; project administration, J.M.; funding acquisition, D.Š. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research was funded with support from the Ministry of Agriculture, project number OK1820358.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Figure 1. Outlook for the development of wood stocks in forest stands.
Figure 1. Outlook for the development of wood stocks in forest stands.
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Figure 2. Theoretical perspective of felling opportunities in one decade for the period of 2014–2054.
Figure 2. Theoretical perspective of felling opportunities in one decade for the period of 2014–2054.
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Figure 3. Development of total felling. Source: [49].
Figure 3. Development of total felling. Source: [49].
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Figure 4. Development of salvage felling. Source: [49].
Figure 4. Development of salvage felling. Source: [49].
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Figure 5. Timber flow model for the Czech Republic.
Figure 5. Timber flow model for the Czech Republic.
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Table
Table 1. Theoretical perspective of the possibilities of production of wood assortments in one decade for the period 2017–2056 (thousand m3 up to 7 cm o.b.).
Table 1. Theoretical perspective of the possibilities of production of wood assortments in one decade for the period 2017–2056 (thousand m3 up to 7 cm o.b.).
Decennium2017–20262027–20362037–20462047–2056
Roundwood155.343113.640106.02597.293
Pulpwood29.20229.19532.33233.486
Fuelwood9.7699.12210.04010.127
Total194.314151.957148.397140.906
Table
Table 2. Estimated stand areas and total wood stocks in predominantly coniferous stands in 2019 (million m3 up to 7 cm without bark).
Table 2. Estimated stand areas and total wood stocks in predominantly coniferous stands in 2019 (million m3 up to 7 cm without bark).
Up to 500 m above Sea-Level500–850 m above Sea-LevelAbove 850 m above Sea-LevelTotal
Area of predominantly coniferous stands (ha)700,702838,050182,5111,721,263
Estimation of Norway
spruce stock in undamaged stands (million m3 without bark)		103.3 ± 11.1243.4 ± 16.154.1 ± 7.6400.8 ± 15.4
Estimate of stocks of undamaged mostly coniferous stands
(million m3 without bark)		197.5 ± 13.9298.2 ± 17.656.2 ± 7.7552.0 ± 15.4
Estimate of stocks of all tree species in undamaged mostly coniferous stands
(million m3 without bark)		227.6 ± 15.3323.9 ± 18.860.0 ± 8.1611.5 ± 16.6
Source: [52].
Table
Table 3. Estimation of the total annual available volume of dendromass for energy production in the Czech Republic for the period extending up to 2036.
Table 3. Estimation of the total annual available volume of dendromass for energy production in the Czech Republic for the period extending up to 2036.
Type of Forest Biomass
Fuelwood8.165 mil. m3 up to 7 cm w.b.
Forest residues4.185 mil. m3
Pre-production5.169 mil. m3
Non-industrial wood production1.488 mil. m3
Non-industrial wood recyclate0.558 mil. m3
Secondary production2.200 mil. m3
Total21.765 mil. m3/year
(13.473 mil. t/year)
Table
Table 4. Annual available volume of wood chips in 2016–2020 related to total felling.
Table 4. Annual available volume of wood chips in 2016–2020 related to total felling.
Year20162017201820192020
Felling volume (in mil. m3)17.61019.39025.69032.59035.760
Wood chips, particles and residues (in mil. m3) 12.02.12.22.52.75
% share in total felling (in %)11.3610.838.567.677.69
Wood chips, particles and residues (in mil. m3) 21.3951.4121.5471.6761.676
% share in total felling (in %)7.927.286.025.144.69
1 Zpráva o stavu lesa 2017–2019 (Report on Forest Conditions [2017–2019]), Source [49]. 2 FAO-Forestry Production and Trade, Source [55].
Table
Table 5. Annual volume of forest chips produced in the Czech Republic in 2016–2020.
Table 5. Annual volume of forest chips produced in the Czech Republic in 2016–2020.
Year20162017201820192020
Wood chips, sawdust, bark (in mil. m3) 3.9554.2674.4034.8205.108
Calculation per prm (in mil. of prm) 19.61110.37010.70011.71312.414
Calculation per tons (in mil. of tons) 23.4952.9863.0813.3733.575
1 TZB: Výhřevnosti a měrné jednotky palivového dřeva [Calorific values and specific units of firewood], Source [56]. 2 LČR-Dřevní hmota: Obnovitelný zdroj energie [LČR—Wood Substance: A Renewable Energy Source], Source [57].
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Šafařík, D.; Hlaváčková, P.; Michal, J. Potential of Forest Biomass Resources for Renewable Energy Production in the Czech Republic. Energies 2022, 15, 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15010047

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Šafařík D, Hlaváčková P, Michal J. Potential of Forest Biomass Resources for Renewable Energy Production in the Czech Republic. Energies. 2022; 15(1):47. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15010047

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Šafařík, Dalibor, Petra Hlaváčková, and Jakub Michal. 2022. "Potential of Forest Biomass Resources for Renewable Energy Production in the Czech Republic" Energies 15, no. 1: 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15010047

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