Abstract
Intensified forestry can be seen as a solution to climate change mitigation and securing energy supply, increasing the production of forest bioenergy feedstock as a substitution for fossil fuels. However, it may come with detrimental impacts on forest biodiversity, especially related to older forests. The aim of this study was to assess the sustainability of intensified forestry from climate-energy and biodiversity perspectives, targeting forest bird species. For this purpose, we applied the Landscape simulation and Ecological Assessment (LEcA) tool to the study area of Lithuania, having high ambitions for renewables and high forest biodiversity. With LEcA, we simulated forest growth and management for 100 years with two forest management strategies: Business As Usual (BAU) and Intensive forestry (INT), the latter with the purpose to fulfil renewable energy goals. With both strategies, the biomass yields increased well above the yields of the reference year, while the biodiversity indicators related to forest bird habitat to different degrees show the opposite, with lower levels than for the reference year. Furthermore, Strategy INT resulted in small-to-no benefits in the long run concerning potential biomass harvesting, while substantially affecting the biodiversity indicators negatively. The model results have the potential to inform policy and forest management planning concerning several sustainability goals simultaneously.
Highlights
Forest bioenergy feedstock can substitute fossil fuels, which may lead to policies promoting intensified forest management that target climate change mitigation and securing energy supply, as well as the extraction of other biomass products
According to the Landscape simulation and Ecological Assessment (LEcA) simulations of Strategy Business As Usual (BAU), the total harvested stem volume would increase from 8.0 M.m3 in 2015, until 2055 when it will reach 13.8 MMm3, and it decreases slightly, but keeps rather stable above 12 Mm3 (Figure 3)
In Strategy BAU with Assumption A, the potential supply of bioenergy feedstock would increase from 6.1 Mm3 in 2015 to 8.8 Mm3 in 2050 and slowly decrease, ending at about 8.1 Mm3 in 2115
Summary
Forest bioenergy feedstock can substitute fossil fuels, which may lead to policies promoting intensified forest management that target climate change mitigation and securing energy supply, as well as the extraction of other biomass products. These forest practices may have major negative impacts on forest biodiversity, especially related to older forests [1,2]. The demands for forest products can be expected to rise due to the increased use of RES related to these climate and energy policies, especially in forest-rich countries. The policies and strategies concerning an overall bio-based economy, aiming to realize sustainability goals through an increasing provision of goods and services derived from biological resources, will amplify these demands [5,6]
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