Abstract

Long-term experiments have shown that biomass harvest may change the biogeochemical cycles of nutrients in forest ecosystems, especially when nutrient-rich logging residues are harvested. Compared with stem-only harvest, the harvest of logging residues increases the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus. These nutrients are the most limiting nutrients in the northern boreal forests, and their removal may have long-term effects on growth and biomass production. Therefore, the nutrient management of forest soil is among the key problems to be solved, when using forest biomass in energy production. In this chapter, the impacts of biomass harvest on the availability of nutrients and the growth of trees are discussed in order to outline how to avoid harmful effects of intensive use of forest biomass in energy production.

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