Modeling the amount of cutting residues and timber volumes suitable for fuel

Abstract

This paper briefly introduces the approaches used within the 1NTERREG IIIB Project Baltic Biomass Network to model forest biomass fuel resources in Lithuania and Kaunas county. Using the available statistical and geographic data sets and a variety of methods to incorporate the above information into bio-energy related models, general statistics of biofuel resources potential are provided. Two approaches are used to get the figures from data of conventional forest inventories - (i) total above- and below-ground biomass and biomass of dead wood, according to the FAO Global forest resource assessment and (ii) potentially available for fuel forest biomass as small diameter trees from thinning cuttings, felling residuals and stumps from final felling, derived using conventional cutting budget calculation methods. The total forest biomass in Lithuania exceeds 200 Mt, as the biomass from small diameter trees - 89 kt, the biomass from felling residuals -760 kt and the stumps, potentially available from final felling - 610 kt. These values were convened into energetic values. Mathematical model for estimation the amount of cutting residues and the volumes of timber suitable for fuel on a forest compartment level, developed within the frames of BBN project, is described together with some testing results from Kaunas forest enterprise.