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Double green energy from traditional coppice stands in the Netherlands
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Biomass and Bioenergy 26 (2004) 401 – 402
Short communication
Double green energy from traditional coppice stands in the Netherlands Patrick Jansen, Leen Kuiper∗ Institute of Forestry and Forest Products, P.O. Box 253, Wageningen 6700 AG, The Netherlands Received 10 December 2001; received in revised form 2 December 2002; accepted 1 August 2003
Abstract Traditional oak and ash coppices are used to provide numerous useful products, including bark for tanneries and ,re wood for bakeries. When these markets disappeared, most of the coppice stands have been replaced by high forests, at the costs of the speci,c natural values which coppices do provide. The emerging renewable energy market could create a new outlet for the woody biomass from coppices. The project’s aim was to set up and demonstrate the validity of a “double green” supply chain, including the harvest, logistics, cominution and delivery of the coppice biomass at the gate of a power plant. Double green refers to the green energy generated, and also to the positive ecological e4ects when coppice management is restored to a regular cutting cycle. A new Dutch subsidy program makes it more appealing for forest owners to put their woodlands back into a coppice management regime. A number of practical problems related to harvesting and logistics still remain to be solved. ? 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Coppice; Woody biomass; Supply chain
1. History About a hundred and ,fty years ago coppice management in the Netherlands included almost all woodlands (130,000 ha at that time, i.e. three percent of the total land area). Its economic viability, however, quickly diminished when the traditional markets for these products disappeared, especially after the turn of the 19th century. Consequently, many coppices have been replaced by high forests or by arable land ever since. In the early 1980s the total area of coppiced woodlands amounted to less than 3000 ha. The present
∗
Corresponding author. Fax: +31-317-410-247. E-mail address: [email protected] (L. Kuiper).
0961-9534/$ - see front matter ? 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2003.08.004
area of actively managed coppiced woodlands in the Netherlands is 1500 ha only. The main tree species for coppice are oak, ash, alder and willow. Nevertheless, this limited area is considered very important for the unique cultural and nature conservation values that it represents. It is a relic of the past forest management regime. Coppice stubs (or ‘stools’) greatly vary in size, age, form and vitality, some of which are older than 200 years. They house a number of rare species such as mosses, epiphytes, fungi, birds, amphibians and insects. At a landscape level coppice stands may contribute signi,cantly to the overall biodiversity, provide shelter to wildlife and game and form an extended interior woodland edge, with corresponding plant and bird communities. Especially ash coppices are highly appreciated by nature
402
P. Jansen, L. Kuiper / Biomass and Bioenergy 26 (2004) 401 – 402
conservation groups. To maintain their unique characteristics, these woodlands must be exposed to a regular cutting cycle, in which the trees are cut back every 10 –15 years for oak and every 5 –10 years for ash, depending on the site quality and forest type. However, coppicing is a labor-intensive management system, which very few forest owners are willing to pay [1–4]. 2. New subsidy program
Table 1 Cost breakdown for the management of ash coppice (euro/ha per annum) Activity
h/ha
Costs in euro/ha
Maintenance of ditches Cut back of coppice stools Bundle the cut shoots Carry the bundles out by hand Supervision Monitoring Mora and fauna Total costs Yields from selling wood Exploitation de,cit (=subsidy)
0.2 15 20 25 0.3 0.2
8 350 400 500 9 8 1275 225 1050
The Dutch government has realized the value of coppice stands, and has o4ered a generous payment scheme to reform woodlands back to coppice and to manage them accordingly. The main argument to support a new subsidy program for nature management by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature management and Fisheries was to replace a number of previous subsidy systems by a more comprehensive program, aiming at the sustainable management of various categories of natural areas. To be eligible for a coppice grant 60 percent of the area should be occupied by coppice stools older than 25 years. The amount of the annual payment is related to the tree species: oak coppice yields 200 US$ /ha; ash coppice is worth about 1000 US$/ha. These amounts correspond with the practical management costs, the wetter woodland being more diLcult to exploit (Table 1).
them to receive the government payment and to get rid of the harvested material at the same time. For the emerging renewable energy market, this sympathetic resource of biomass can be used as a marketing and PR tool in their communications with private customers of green power, under the slogan: “Double green energy from coppiced woodlands”. They are even willing to pay a little extra for this particular stream of biomass, provided that a suLciently large volume can be contracted on an annual basis. The pilot project’s aim is to provide a common outlet and bring parties together. Information brochures and a handbook will be issued to stimulate the implementation of this supply chain and to provide practical extension information.
3. Biomass supply chain
References
The deployment of bio-energy may provide an outlet to the biomass which coppice stands produce. A pilot study was carried out to set up and demonstrate the validity of a new supply chain, which includes the harvest and logistics of the coppiced biomass to a power plant, in the form of wood chips. Many forest owners are keen about this possibility, allowing
[1] Al E, Kuiper L. Dutch woodlands. ProBos, Zeist; 2000, p. 48. [2] Boer RW. Bijdrage tot de kennis der hakhoutteelt. Contribution to the knowledge of coppice. Tjeenk willink, Zwolle; 1857. [3] Buckley GP, editor. Ecology and management of coppice woodlands. University of London, London, 1992. [4] Jansen P, Kuiper L. Hakhout: suggesties voor het beheer. Coppice management suggestions. SBH, Wageningen, 2000. p. 56 [in Dutch].
Biomass and Bioenergy 26 (2004) 401 – 402
Short communication
Double green energy from traditional coppice stands in the Netherlands Patrick Jansen, Leen Kuiper∗ Institute of Forestry and Forest Products, P.O. Box 253, Wageningen 6700 AG, The Netherlands Received 10 December 2001; received in revised form 2 December 2002; accepted 1 August 2003
Abstract Traditional oak and ash coppices are used to provide numerous useful products, including bark for tanneries and ,re wood for bakeries. When these markets disappeared, most of the coppice stands have been replaced by high forests, at the costs of the speci,c natural values which coppices do provide. The emerging renewable energy market could create a new outlet for the woody biomass from coppices. The project’s aim was to set up and demonstrate the validity of a “double green” supply chain, including the harvest, logistics, cominution and delivery of the coppice biomass at the gate of a power plant. Double green refers to the green energy generated, and also to the positive ecological e4ects when coppice management is restored to a regular cutting cycle. A new Dutch subsidy program makes it more appealing for forest owners to put their woodlands back into a coppice management regime. A number of practical problems related to harvesting and logistics still remain to be solved. ? 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Coppice; Woody biomass; Supply chain
1. History About a hundred and ,fty years ago coppice management in the Netherlands included almost all woodlands (130,000 ha at that time, i.e. three percent of the total land area). Its economic viability, however, quickly diminished when the traditional markets for these products disappeared, especially after the turn of the 19th century. Consequently, many coppices have been replaced by high forests or by arable land ever since. In the early 1980s the total area of coppiced woodlands amounted to less than 3000 ha. The present
∗
Corresponding author. Fax: +31-317-410-247. E-mail address: [email protected] (L. Kuiper).
0961-9534/$ - see front matter ? 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2003.08.004
area of actively managed coppiced woodlands in the Netherlands is 1500 ha only. The main tree species for coppice are oak, ash, alder and willow. Nevertheless, this limited area is considered very important for the unique cultural and nature conservation values that it represents. It is a relic of the past forest management regime. Coppice stubs (or ‘stools’) greatly vary in size, age, form and vitality, some of which are older than 200 years. They house a number of rare species such as mosses, epiphytes, fungi, birds, amphibians and insects. At a landscape level coppice stands may contribute signi,cantly to the overall biodiversity, provide shelter to wildlife and game and form an extended interior woodland edge, with corresponding plant and bird communities. Especially ash coppices are highly appreciated by nature
402
P. Jansen, L. Kuiper / Biomass and Bioenergy 26 (2004) 401 – 402
conservation groups. To maintain their unique characteristics, these woodlands must be exposed to a regular cutting cycle, in which the trees are cut back every 10 –15 years for oak and every 5 –10 years for ash, depending on the site quality and forest type. However, coppicing is a labor-intensive management system, which very few forest owners are willing to pay [1–4]. 2. New subsidy program
Table 1 Cost breakdown for the management of ash coppice (euro/ha per annum) Activity
h/ha
Costs in euro/ha
Maintenance of ditches Cut back of coppice stools Bundle the cut shoots Carry the bundles out by hand Supervision Monitoring Mora and fauna Total costs Yields from selling wood Exploitation de,cit (=subsidy)
0.2 15 20 25 0.3 0.2
8 350 400 500 9 8 1275 225 1050
The Dutch government has realized the value of coppice stands, and has o4ered a generous payment scheme to reform woodlands back to coppice and to manage them accordingly. The main argument to support a new subsidy program for nature management by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature management and Fisheries was to replace a number of previous subsidy systems by a more comprehensive program, aiming at the sustainable management of various categories of natural areas. To be eligible for a coppice grant 60 percent of the area should be occupied by coppice stools older than 25 years. The amount of the annual payment is related to the tree species: oak coppice yields 200 US$ /ha; ash coppice is worth about 1000 US$/ha. These amounts correspond with the practical management costs, the wetter woodland being more diLcult to exploit (Table 1).
them to receive the government payment and to get rid of the harvested material at the same time. For the emerging renewable energy market, this sympathetic resource of biomass can be used as a marketing and PR tool in their communications with private customers of green power, under the slogan: “Double green energy from coppiced woodlands”. They are even willing to pay a little extra for this particular stream of biomass, provided that a suLciently large volume can be contracted on an annual basis. The pilot project’s aim is to provide a common outlet and bring parties together. Information brochures and a handbook will be issued to stimulate the implementation of this supply chain and to provide practical extension information.
3. Biomass supply chain
References
The deployment of bio-energy may provide an outlet to the biomass which coppice stands produce. A pilot study was carried out to set up and demonstrate the validity of a new supply chain, which includes the harvest and logistics of the coppiced biomass to a power plant, in the form of wood chips. Many forest owners are keen about this possibility, allowing
[1] Al E, Kuiper L. Dutch woodlands. ProBos, Zeist; 2000, p. 48. [2] Boer RW. Bijdrage tot de kennis der hakhoutteelt. Contribution to the knowledge of coppice. Tjeenk willink, Zwolle; 1857. [3] Buckley GP, editor. Ecology and management of coppice woodlands. University of London, London, 1992. [4] Jansen P, Kuiper L. Hakhout: suggesties voor het beheer. Coppice management suggestions. SBH, Wageningen, 2000. p. 56 [in Dutch].