forest europe working group on ”sustainability criteria” for forest … · 2016. 8. 16. · 1....

Jari Parviainen Metla 9.6.2014

by Jari Parviainen The Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla)

FOREST EUROPE expert group meeting Helsinki 4-5 June 2014

FOREST EUROPE Working Group on ”Sustainability criteria” for forest biomass production,

including bioenergy

Findings and recommendations(Including three meetings 2008-2009)

Why the initiative on revisions of the MCPFE tools


The WG was initiated in response to new developments and other processes addressing sustainability of biomass production:

Focus on the role of forests and sustainable forest management related to climate change and energy

1. Timely discussion on the RES Directive 2009/28/EC, and its sustainability criteria (Greenhouse gas emissions savings, no material from high biodiversity value and high carbon stock landareas, requirement for a forest management plan)

2. The Green Public Procurement (GPP) rules as EU communication for public procurement on 16th of July 2008 -verification

“requirements for a sustainability scheme for energy uses of biomass, other than biofuels and bioliquids” (Article 17.9) were seen to pose possible problems from a forest point of view with its reference to potential extension to biomass for energy and electricity as narrow approach

Background documents and items discussedTwo background papers:

1. MCPFE Tools for SFM in relation to new demands for sustainableproduction of biomass fro energy- gap analysis and suggesteddevelopments

2. Feasibility assessment of using MCPFE tools for public procurementpolicies and sustainability requirements in the EU Renewable Energy Directive

Issues discussed during the three meetings 2008-2009:1. Thematic areas of climate change adaptation and mitigation in forest

management and potential threats related to increasing demands for biomass for bioenergy: forest biodiversity, soil and water quality, climate mitigation efficiency, other services and goods, and increased risk of forest damage

2. Requirements for verification of sustainability/compliance, forest certification, threshold values

3. Climate and energy relevant elements, and possible refinements in existing MCPFE tools on these elements to better communicate with the public



The role of forests in curbing the climate change

Source: IPCC 2007

MCPFE Tools concentrate mainly on the wood production chain, not products

PPPRES-D

The differences between RES and FE C&I set


This product versus process approach was identified as an essential and underlying divergence between new and emerging processes and the established FE tools.

The EU RES directive has no requirements on the forest management itself, but concentrate on the land-use

The EU RES- Directive also applies to biomass produced outside the pan-European region, and hence go beyond the current scope of FE tools.

Further, the Renewable Energy Directive and existing Public Procurement Policies require verification of “sustainability”, or evidence of compliance, which are outside the current procedural elements of the FE tools. The certification PEFC use the C&I sets in their standards (FOREST EUROPE, ITTO, ATO and Montreal process)


Linkages between EU RES and MCPFE tools

1. Greenhouse gas emissions savings

are related to the sustainable procurement of wood based energy and wooden biomass, but there are no direct indicator in MCPFE tools so far

2+3. Land area with high biodiversity value and with high carbon stock are related to the conversion of land areas for forest biomass production, applied by short rotation or plantations with fast growing species, plantings by recovering the areas after calamities

MCPFE tools can provide, with some modifications in environmental and carbon sequestration aspects, a useful tool for standards of sustainable production of biomass for energy purposes, and their verification by a third party

Conclusions:


• The Pan-European tools provide an appropriate generic framework for potential verification of sustainable forest management, although in this context they do have to be supplemented by new elements

• No severe gaps were identified in the tools of the MCPFE

• The MCPFE tools, the non-binding status of the tools was identified as an issue for them being used by regulatory processes and institutions.

• The MCPFE tools should be refined and further developed in order to better meet the new requirements, such as climate change issues, wood based bioenergy, and various forest services.

• Any refinements shall build on former work and existing processes and any duplication of work should be avoided.


EU RES Directive and CEN standards

CEN aims to develop voluntary technical specifications for various products and services

CEN/TC 383 standards: “sustainably produced biomass for energy applications”

The development work of the CEN standard is based on working groups:

Terminology and other cross-cutting issues

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) balance

Biodiversity and environmental aspects

Economic and social aspects

Conformity assessment (Chain of Custody and Auditing)

Indirect effects

Land use

change

Example on Standards: Definition of system boundariesSustainably produced biomass for energy applications (CEN/TC 383 Standard 2013)

Processingof biomass into semi-finished

(intermediate) and finished products

for transport or energy generation

Cultivation,

Extraction,of biomass / raw

materials

Transportand distribution

of raw, semi-

finished (inter-

mediate) and

Finished materials

Energy generation from solid biofuel,

bioliquids or biogas into electricity or

heating-/cooling energy

Final use

WG1: Terminology and other cross-cutting issues

WG2: GHG balance

WG3: Biodiversity and environmental aspects

WG4: Economic and

social aspects

WG5: Conformity assessment

Functional unit(e.g.: gCO2/MJ; emission per tonne and so on)

Some conclusionsC&I set is an important and practical application to produce forestinformation for various purposes, and to monitor and assess the SFMUpdating is necessary especially to disseminate forest information to other sectorsBy updating to be taken into account:

- The balance between ecology, economy and social issues- Focus on the key indicators (10-15), and composite indicators- The linkage between policy (qualitative) and measurable

(quantitative) should be created also in time series and trends- It is important to emphazise the terms, definitions and

parameters in discussison in order to create the commonunderstanding on the issues

- Only seldom the other sectors needs to have the complicatedand detailed explanations on the all the aspects of SFM

- Dissemination and communication on the forest data need to bestregthened (forest as renevable resource, bioeconomy concept)



Examples of amendments of quantitative indicators Forest Resources (5)•Forest area •Growing stock •Age structure/Diameter distribution •Carbon stock •Energy from wood resources•GHG savings•Harvested wood products

Socio-economic functions (10)•Forest holdings•Contribution of forest sector to GDP •Net revenue•Expenditures for services•Wood consumption•International trade in wood•Workforce•Employment (incl. safety and health)•Accessibility for recreation•Cultural values•Participation in NFP•Good governance•Immaterial benefits

Forest Health (4)•Deposition of air pollutants •Soil condition •Defoliation •Forest damageQualitative indicator B3

Productive Functions of Forests (Wood and Non-Wood) (5)•Increment and fellings •Roundwood •Non-wood goods •Forests under management plans •Services •Nutrient balance•Groundwater•B4 Contingency plans

35 INDICATORS FOR SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT

Protective Functions in Forest (2)•Area•Infrastructure

Biological Diversity (9)•Tree species composition•Regeneration•Naturalness •Introduced tree species •Dead wood and residues•Genetic resources •Landscape pattern•Threatened forest species •Protected forests


More information:[email protected]/jo

Thank you

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