Forest residues, wood waste and coppiced trees from forestry projects are a great source of biomass that can be converted to bioenergy, which is a renewable energy source for residential and industrial use. This serves to lower society’s dependency on fossil fuels while using a carbon neutral (and even carbon negative) source of energy. This helps us contribute to SDG x: sustainable cities and communities, as well as SDG x:
While many forest biomass producers harvest trees specifically for the biomass through single-crop plantations, which has come under severe criticism from some environmental groups, we empower communities to primarily use wood that comes from natural waste and residue from natural forests and should be recovered anyway to avoid forest wildfires. The other type of wood we enable communities to use is from sustainable thinning and coppice management.
How is the use of fallen and dead trees for bioenergy sustainable?
An important part of any forest is composed of dead trees and fallen branches. While dead trees play an important role in ecosystems, such as by providing habitat to many species of insects, reptiles and mammals, they also present a risk of forest fires. These fires are a source of significant carbon emissions, and global warming is making forest fires an increasingly present threat in many parts of the world. Sound forest management requires that not all, but rather some of the dead trees and fallen branches should be collected as a preventive measure. Sustinere helps communities collect these branches and trees to produce biomass for forest bioenergy, which in turn helps residents and industries across the world transition to a cleaner source of energy. This practice of retrieving dead and fallen wood must be done with the assistance of biologists and forest engineers, who can monitor wildlife habitats and minimize or prevent any negative incidence on the forest.
How is the practice of thinning trees and coppice management for bioenergy sustainable?
Forests that are left alone in the wild function very well to provide environmental services and grow rich in biodiversity. However, forests that are overcrowded in areas where human populations live reduce mobility and can even pose a health and safety risk. By thinning trees in overcrowded forests, communities practice sustainable forest management and generate inputs that can be used for biomass production.
Communities living in and around forests have always practiced small-scale logging for their household needs. Sustinere advocates for legal and controlled small-scale harvesting of wood from natural forests, but without killing the trees. This practice is achieved through coppicing, which means cutting part of the tree while leaving the base, or stool, intact, which allows the tree to regrow. This practice should also be done with the assistance of biologists who can monitor wildlife habitats. The inputs from coppice management can then also be used for biomass and for household needs without negatively impacting the forest.
How is the practice of burning biomass sustainable?
Burning biomass releases CO2 into the atmosphere. This is a fact that leads some critics to argue that biomass is not a form of clean energy. By adopting a long-term view, however, the process is actually carbon neutral. First, because the dead trees and fallen or thinned branches that are used as inputs for biomass have absorbed carbon from the atmosphere for their entire life cycle prior to becoming biomass. Second, because dead trees and fallen or thinned branches eventually decay, releasing that CO2 into the atmosphere anyway. Third, CO2 emissions from the biomass burning process can be reduced or captured through better plant management and by adopting a cleaner conversion technology, such as thermoelectric modules and carbon capture and storage (CCS). Fourth, because biomass can be converted into renewable energy for long-term needs of different carbon-intensive industries, such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for airplanes. SAFs are up to 70% cleaner than traditional jet fuel. To learn more about how SAFs from forest biomass are a long-term, carbon neutral solution for aviation, please visit the ACT Green