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VTT Technology 237 ; Increased demand for wood in the bioeconomy and bioenergy production means increased pressure on forest resources. Policies emphasising the targets for bioenergy, such as the European Union 2020 targets for renewable energy, have evoked concern on the sufficiency of biomass resources. As forests have multiple roles in supplying raw materials for industry and energy production, climate change mitigation, and in provision of ecosystem and recreational services, comprehensive assessments are needed to reach balanced and sustainable use of forests. Careful management and sustainable use of forest resources can lead to greater climate benefits in the long run by preserving forests as a continuous storage of carbon, and a source of renewable materials and energy. This report summarises the research-based results of the use of forest biomass for energy in Northern European conditions. It discusses the trade-offs and winwin situations of growing forests, sequestration of carbon and using the wood also for energy - in an economically viable and ecologically sustainable manner. The topic is approached from several viewpoints: First, development of forest resources in the EU and in Finland is presented, and a background for the discussion on how much and what kind of wood is used for energy production is provided (Section 2). Second, ecological and climate impacts of the use of forest energy are discussed (Sections 3 and 4). Third, the role of forests in international climate policy and future EU regulations (Section 5), and the specific features of cascading use of wood in fibre producing countries (Section 6) are discussed. In addition, remarks on the economics and the future role of forest energy in lowcarbon scenarios are presented (Section 7). Finally, the conclusions and recommendations concerning forest energy use are provided (Section 8).

The status of use of bioenergy, the current barriers for increased use and the future use of bioenergy in the Nordic-Baltic-NW Russian region is described in this report. In this region, forests are abundant and a long tradition of growing agricultural crops is evident. Therefore, there are sound possibilities for an increased future use of bioenergy, which can become an important part of a sustainable energy supply. However, bioenergy production is a juvenile industry, where political decisions are of prime importance for lifting the utilisation of bioenergy to the full impact on economy and environment. A number of the main technical bottlenecks have already been solved and biofuels are used on a relatively large commercial scale today. A full scale technical development of the bioenergy area must be market driven, but the technology is just below the threshold level where it will attract the large scale investments needed to establish a market. Holistic strategies and interdisciplinary efforts taking all part of the bioenergy chain into account is important. Political support in the form of limited subsidies or mandatory use of bioenergy will have a large positive impact on the creation of a commercial market with committed involvement from the industries.

Purpose of Review Mechanized logging operations with ground-based equipment commonly represent European production forestry but are well-known to potentially cause soil impacts through various forms of soil disturbances, especially on wet soils with low bearing capacity. In times of changing climate, with shorter periods of frozen soils, heavy rain fall events in spring and autumn and frequent needs for salvage logging, forestry stakeholders face increasingly unfavourable conditions to conduct low-impact operations. Thus, more than ever, planning tools such as trafficability maps are required to ensure efficient forest operations at reduced environmental impact. This paper aims to describe the status quo of existence and implementation of such tools applied in forest operations across Europe. In addition, focus is given to the availability and accessibility of data relevant for such predictions.Recent Findings A commonly identified method to support the planning and execution of machine-based operations is given by the prediction of areas with low bearing capacity due to wet soil conditions. Both the topographic wetness index (TWI) and the depth-to-water algorithm (DTW) are used to identify wet areas and to produce trafficability maps, based on spatial information.Summary The required input data is commonly available among governmental institutions and in some countries already further processed to have topography-derived trafficability maps and respective enabling technologies at hand. Particularly the Nordic countries are ahead within this process and currently pave the way to further transfer static trafficability maps into dynamic ones, including additional site-specific information received from detailed forest inventories. Yet, it is hoped that a broader adoption of these information by forest managers throughout Europe will take place to enhance sustainable forest operations.

DOI 10.1007/s40725-022-00159-w Correction ; Purpose of Review Mechanized logging operations with ground-based equipment commonly represent European production forestry but are well-known to potentially cause soil impacts through various forms of soil disturbances, especially on wet soils with low bearing capacity. In times of changing climate, with shorter periods of frozen soils, heavy rain fall events in spring and autumn and frequent needs for salvage logging, forestry stakeholders face increasingly unfavourable conditions to conduct low-impact operations. Thus, more than ever, planning tools such as trafficability maps are required to ensure efficient forest operations at reduced environmental impact. This paper aims to describe the status quo of existence and implementation of such tools applied in forest operations across Europe. In addition, focus is given to the availability and accessibility of data relevant for such predictions. Recent Findings A commonly identified method to support the planning and execution of machine-based operations is given by the prediction of areas with low bearing capacity due to wet soil conditions. Both the topographic wetness index (TWI) and the depth-to-water algorithm (DTW) are used to identify wet areas and to produce trafficability maps, based on spatial information. Summary The required input data is commonly available among governmental institutions and in some countries already further processed to have topography-derived trafficability maps and respective enabling technologies at hand. Particularly the Nordic countries are ahead within this process and currently pave the way to further transfer static trafficability maps into dynamic ones, including additional site-specific information received from detailed forest inventories. Yet, it is hoped that a broader adoption of these information by forest managers throughout Europe will take place to enhance sustainable forest operations. ; Peer reviewed