Potential for biofuel development in Tihvin and Boksitogorsk districts of the Leningrad region — The analysis of energy wood supply systems and costs

Published Date
Forest Policy and Economics
April 2010, Vol.12(4):308–316, doi:10.1016/j.forpol.2009.10.007

• Author 

• Vadim Goltsev
• Ján Ilavský
• Yuri Gerasimov
• Timo Karjalainen ^,

• Finnish Forest Research Institute, Joensuu Research Centre, PL 68, FI-80101, Joensuu, Finland

Received 15 July 2008. Revised 22 September 2009. Accepted 28 October 2009. Available online 8 December 2009. 

Abstract

The existing and potential energy wood supply systems have been compared in terms of cost efficiency in Tihvin and Boksitogorsk districts of the Leningrad region to find optimal supply systems. In most cases the supply systems based on the cut-to-length method have the highest cost efficiency and provides costs of energy wood between 18.8 and 25.8 € m^{− 3}. For commercial thinnings the supply systems with manual felling are the most cost effective. In final fellings bigger average stem volume allows more productive use of harvesters that provides lower costs than systems with manual cutting. The total supply cost of energy wood from thinnings is higher compared to final fellings. Costs of energy wood cannot compete with the local price of coal and natural gas. However, energy wood is cheaper than heavy oil if transporting distances are shorter than 50 km. Main reasons for high supply costs of energy wood are low productivity of felling, hauling and transportation. Cost efficiency of energy wood supply can be improved through learning process and the use of modern machines.

Keywords

Energy wood

Supply systems

Supply costs

Productivity

Wood chips

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