Cutaway Peatlands Research Articles

Do the Culturable Microbial Groups Present in Cutaway Bogs Change According to Temporal Variation? Pilot Study Based on the Midlands in the Republic of Ireland

Cutaway peatlands in the midlands of the Republic of Ireland are rarely the focus of scientific studies. The soil quality and related microenvironment have been severely impacted by peat extraction. Returning them to a ‘near-natural state’ would require greater insights into this ecological niche. The current research took the initiative to study the microbiology of vast cutaway sites in the midlands of Ireland. Peat was collected over two seasons in January, February and April. Homogenised peat was aseptically cultured on a range of specific and non-specific culture media. Microbial enumeration, Gram staining and other microscopic observations of morphologically distinct microorganisms were performed. The total viable bacterial and fungal numbers were highest in February (1.33 × 105 CFU ml−1 and 5.93 × 106 CFU ml−1, respectively) and were lowest in April (1.14 × 103 CFU ml−1 and 5.57 × 106 CFU ml−1). Penicillium spp. and Trichoderma spp. were common in all the sites. The highest values of phosphate solubilisation index were recorded in peat collected in April (SI = 3.167 & 3.000). Overall, there is a statistically significant difference (p ≤ 0.0001) among the microbial numbers across the three months. This variation could be due to the temperature and pH differences across peat soil.

A novel multitrophic concept for the cultivation of fish and duckweed: A technical note

The authors report on the design and operation of an advanced, innovative and environmentally friendly freshwater integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) system. The novel system facilitates fish production while controlling water quality using duckweed treatment units. The basic design consists of ponds for farming of Eurasian perch and rainbow trout, treatment areas for the culture of duckweed (Lemna minor and Lemna gibba), as well as connecting channels. An important aspect of the farm is its close association with a renewable energy source. The system is driven by electric energy produced by a wind turbine and uses unused cutaway peatland left after peat harvesting was completed. Water analysis shows that a combination of fish and duckweed farming can maintain a favourable water quality. Moreover, production of both fish and plant biomass are substantial, with fish production of 0.49 ± 0.20 kg fish.m−2.year−1, water use efficiency of 1.21 ± 0.42 kg fish.m−3 year−1 and electricity use of 16.1 ± 11.2 kWh.kg−1.year−1. Additionally, the system produced in excess of 30 tonne (dry weight) protein-rich duckweed biomass per year, which is a suitable feedstock for a variety of farmed animals.

Bringing back reindeer pastures in cutaway peatlands

European Union and national carbon neutrality targets entail the release of hundreds of hectares of cutaway peatlands annually from energy peat extraction in Finland, creating opportunities to reclaim them as reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) summer pastures and support an important local traditional livelihood hampered by intensive land use. To our knowledge, this is the first study to test whether reindeer summer pastures can be reclaimed. In 2017, we established a field experiment to investigate whether machinery transplanting of native plant species and sowing of seed mixtures promoted the establishment of forage plants preferred by reindeer. The transplanted species were Eriophorum vaginatum, Equisetum fluviatile, and Menyanthes trifoliata. Two tested seed mixtures contained different varieties of Phleum pratense which were surveyed. Plant cover and biomass growth, and growth‐influencing factors like peat properties and water level, were surveyed during 2018–2020. Eriophorum vaginatum tolerated transplanting well, doubling its cover during the study. Equisetum fluviatile was slower to establish. Mechanical transplanting of M. trifoliata failed; manual planting was promising. Sowing seed mixtures provided forage more quickly, generating larger cover than the transplanted natural plants. However, transplanting and sowing face problems. Transplanting is expensive and technically demanding, and removing plants from their growing sites may harm the surrounding vegetation. Meanwhile, the required regular maintenance of P. pratense is costly. Although the short monitoring period limits conclusions, our results suggest that a suitable combination of transplanting, sowing, and natural succession may be a solution for reclaiming former reindeer summer pastures.

Wood-Ash Fertiliser and Distance from Drainage Ditch Affect the Succession and Biodiversity of Vascular Plant Species in Tree Plantings on Marginal Organic Soil

Cutaway peatland is a marginal land, which without further management is an unfavourable environment for plant growth due to low bearing capacity, high acidity and unbalanced nutrient composition of the soil. After wood-ash application, the soil becomes enriched with P and K, creating better conditions for tree growth. In addition to being economically viable, tree plantations ensure long-term carbon storage and promote habitat restoration. In a three-year term, we studied how distance from a drainage ditch and three different doses of wood-ash—5, 10, and 15 tons per hectare—affect the diversity of vascular plants in a tree plantation on a cutaway peatland. Plant species richness, vegetation cover and composition were positively affected by the distance from the drainage ditch and application with fertiliser, but in most cases, fertiliser dose had no significant effect. Both cover and species diversity were not affected by the planted tree species. In a tree plantation, herbaceous plants provide soil fertility by decay and recycling, and reduce mineral leaching in the long term. Since vascular plants play an important role in both the development of habitats and tree growth, it is important to know how multiple factors influence the development of vegetation in tree plantations.

The effect of wood ash application on growth, leaf morphological and physiological traits of trees planted in a cutaway peatland

The effect of wood ash application on growth, leaf morphological and physiological traits of trees planted in a cutaway peatland

CUT-AWAY PEATLAND RE-CULTIVATION WITH FAST GROWING WOODY PLANTATIONS: COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS

In Latvia peat production is historically important economic sector, giving significant contribution to rural economic development and providing work places in rural areas, where other job opportunities are limited. Every peat extraction field has certain lifespan, based on economic, social or ecological assumptions. Every peat field could be extracted for set period of time, after which peat extraction is not feasible any more. Current legislation in Latvia requires re-cultivating of places, where mineral resources, including peat, were extracted. Aim of the study is to evaluate afforestation as one of the cut-away peatland re-cultivation possibility. Economic analysis were done for extracted peat field afforestation with birch, black alder, grey alder, pine, spruce, hybrid aspen, poplar and willow. The economic calculations were done comparing different timber products from plantations, different planting materials and plantation lifespans. Lowest investment costs for plantation establishment on cut-away peatlands are for pine and spruce plantations and highest for willow plantations. Highest revenues in plantations with 20 years rotation cycle are in poplar plantations with 0.2 m cuttings and lowest in grey alder plantations. In plantations with rotation cycle 40 years highest revenues are in hybrid aspen plantations and lowest in pine plantations. 

Profitability of growing Scots pine on cutaway peatlands

A major after-use option for former peat harvesting areas has been afforestation. The profitability of afforestation with Scots pine trees ( L.) was studied in two 31–32-year old experiments in southern and northern Finland. The stands were established by seeding and planting, and various fertilization treatments and drainage intensities were tested. The financial performance for each plot was assessed in three steps. First, the costs occurred during the measurement time were summed up according to their present value. Then, for the rest of the rotation (i.e., from the age of 31/32 onwards) the stand management was optimized in order to maximize the net present value (MaxNPV). Finally, bare land values (BLVs) were calculated by summing up the present value of costs and the MaxNPV and converting the sum of the series into infinity. The afforestation method did not affect the mean annual increment (MAI; 9.2–9.5 m ha a) in the southern experiment. In the northern experiment the afforestation method, ditch spacing and fertilization had significant effects on the MAI of the stands. The average MAI of the planted pines was 8.9 m ha a, and for seeded pines it was 7.5 m ha a. The BLV at an interest rate of 3% was positive for all stands in both regions. In the northern region afforestation method, ditch spacing and fertilization also had a significant effect on the BLV. When the interest rate was 5%, almost two thirds of the stands had a negative BLV in both regions.Pinus sylvestris3–1–13–1–13–1–1

Novel use of peatlands as future locations for the sustainable intensification of freshwater aquaculture production – A case study from the Republic of Ireland

There has been an increasing interest in enhancing freshwater aquaculture processes without hindering the progress of the Water Framework Directive. This constitutes the first study to describe a new concept in integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) that uses cutaway peatlands (bogs) to farm rainbow trout and Eurasian perch with associated organic status that is powered by wind energy and utilizes algae and duckweed to treat rearing water. Approximately 5% of Ireland comprises bogs that support natural ecosystems where there is a pressing need to develop alternative innovation to that of burning peat in order to reduce Ireland's carbon emissions. Specifically, this study evaluates water quality from this new IMTA where intake and terminal holding tank samples were evaluated from May to August 2019. Physicochemical parameters (temperature, pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen, suspended solids, hardness and alkalinity), and ecotoxicological bioassays (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata and Daphnia pulex), were used to investigate the potential effects that introducing aquaculture processes may have on peatlands. Nitrite (P < 0.001), nitrate (P = 0.016), and chemical oxygen demand (P = 0.011), were the only physicochemical parameters that differed significantly between the intake and holding tank water indicating that water quality for the most part remained unchanged. Low levels of toxicity were observed between the bioassays suggested the introduction of the processes into the bog were unlikely to cause adverse effects on the ecosystem and the organisms therein. Observations were similar to or lower than those reported previously by other researchers for intensive flow-through aquaculture processes that discharge to receiving water. Findings from this study support the use of peatlands as future locations for integrated aquaculture processes.

Biomass production and carbon sequestration of dense downy birch stands on cutaway peatlands

ABSTRACTThe establishment of biomass plantations with short-rotation forestry principles is one of the after-use options for cutaway peatlands. We studied biomass production and carbon sequestration in the above- and below-ground biomass of 25 naturally afforested, 10–30 years old downy birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.) stands located in peat cutaway areas in Finland. Self-thinning reduced the stand density from 122,000 trees ha−1 (stand age of 10 years) to 10,000 trees ha−1 (25–30 years), while the leafless above-ground biomass increased from 17 Mg ha−1 up to 79–116 Mg ha−1. The total leafless biomass (including stumps and roots) varied from 46 to 151 Mg ha−1. The mean annual increment (MAI) of the above-ground biomass increased up to the stand age of 15 years, after which the MAI was on the average 3.2 Mg ha−1a−1. With below-ground biomass, the MAI of the stands older than 15 years was 4.7 Mg ha−1. The organic matter accumulated in the O-layer on the top of the residual peat increased linearly with the stand age, reaching 29.3 Mg ha−1 in the oldest stand. The O-layer contributed significantly to the C sink, and the afforestation with downy birch converted most of sites into C sinks.

Afforestation of cutaway peatlands: effect of wood ash on biomass formation and carbon balance

Abstract Alternatives to the restoration of cutaway peatlands include afforestation, energy forests, agricultural production, wetland restoration (restoration of peataccumulating function), reed canary grass (energy mower) or wild berries (blueberry, cranberry) cultivation, protected area for birds, and artificial lakes. Investigations made in several countries suggest that one of the most promising ways of regenerating cutaway peatlands is afforestation. The re-vegetation of Estonian cutaway peat production fields is mainly the result of natural processes, which are generally very slow: vegetation covers only 10–20% of a peat field. Carbon dioxide is not bound anymore in cutaway peatlands where vegetation layer has been destroyed and therefore photosynthetical processes no more occur. Using biofuel ashes (wood ash, etc.) for the afforestation of cutaway peatlands helps to balance the content of nutrients in peat substrate, which improves the survival of planted seedlings and significantly increases bioproduction. Drained and mined peatlands have become a significant source of CO2 but stimulated woody biomass production can be helpful to balance CO2 emission from cutaway peatlands. Because of the limited resources of fossil fuels and negative impacts on the environment in recent decades alternative sources of energy have been actively looked for. In Scandinavia a lot of attention has been paid to finding possibilities for using biofuels. The situation in Estonia is that only very few types of ashes (for example certified oil shale fly ash with product name Enefix) have been founded to be suitable for utilization and have been used for recycling in agriculture.

Landowners’ willingness to promote bioenergy production on wasteland − future impact on land use of cutaway peatlands

Landowners are the key players in bioenergy production on wasteland; such as cutaway peatlands. In this study, the landowner’s interest to use cutaway peatlands for bioenergy production was investigated using a survey and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) methods in an area in South Ostrobothnia, Finland. The focus was to identify which different bioenergy production chains are preferred by the respondents: combustion, gasification or biogas production from agriculture, energy-willow short-rotation forestry or forestry based energy crops. Also, the influence of personal environmental values on the selection was measured and the future impacts and barriers for the land use were assessed.Afforestation was the most popular after-use method among the landowners. The next most favorable method was energy crop cultivation but it was highly dependent on economic profitability and subsidies. Currently, approximately 8.2% or 500ha of the total peat extraction area could be used for bioenergy production in the region by 2035. Based on the survey, forest based biomass is the best option if bioenergy is to be produced. The next choice was agro biomass and the least favored plant was willow. This study suggests that the biggest cutaway peatlands will be converted to forest energy in the future. Suggestive results were that the owners with high environmental values are especially interested in agro biomass growing and the landowner having a distant home place does not have a negative influence on bioenergy production. Altogether, land use and biomass production of cutaway peatlands is connected with the demands of the Finnish bio-economy.

The effect of oil shale ash and mixtures of wood ash and oil shale ash on the above- and belowground biomass formation of Silver birch and Scots pine seedlings on a cutaway peatland

Use of biofuel ashes for the afforestation of cutaway peatlands helps to balance the content of nutrients in peat substrate, which improves the survival of planted seedlings and increases significantly bio-production. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of fertilization with alkaline ashes on the above- and belowground biomass formation of four-year-old Silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) and five-year-old Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands on a cutaway peatland. Five treatments were established: three mixtures with different proportions of wood ash (10–15tha−1) and oil shale ash (10–15tha−1), pure oil shale ash (10tha−1) and control (unfertilized plot). Three years after fertilization with ashes the content of phosphorus was up to 150 times and that of potassium 23 times higher in the peat substrate treated with ashes than on the control plot. The growth and biomass formation varied among treatments and depends strongly on the content of P and K in the growth substrate. The best results were observed on plots of Silver birch treated with mixed ashes; there the seedlings annual height increment was 2–3 times (first year), 5–7 times (second year) and 8–9 times (third year) greater than on the control plot. The effect of mixed ashes on the annual height increment of Scots pine was weaker: the annual height increment was 1.4 times (first year), 3 times (second year) and 5 times (third year) greater than on the control plot. The effect of pure oil shale ash on the growth and biomass formation of trees was the smallest. The greatest root collar diameter increment of birch and pine was observed on the third vegetation period. Roots formed the largest part of the total Silver birch biomass, followed by stem, branches and leaves. At the end of the third year after treatment the largest part of the biomass of Scots pine was allocated to the needles, followed by roots, stem and branches. The biomass and biomass production were the greatest on the plots treated with mixed ashes, especially on the WA15+OSA10 and WA15+OSA10 treatments. The total bio-productivity of birch was until 4 times intense than in the case of pine. The average current annual biomass production of Silver birch and Scots pine stands were respectively 0.17–0.21t ha−1 and 0.3–0.56t ha−1 (mixed ashes), 0.04t ha−1 and 0.16t ha−1 (OSA10) and 0.02t ha−1 (control).

Identification of the Criteria for Decision Making of Cut-Away Peatland Reuse.

The total area of abandoned milled peatlands which need to be rehabilitated for sustainable land-use is nearly 10,000 ha in Estonia. According to the agreement between Estonia and the European Union, Estonia has to create suitable conditions for restoration of 2000 ha of abandoned cut-away peatlands by 2023. The decisions on rehabilitation of abandoned milled peatlands have so far relied on a limited knowledgebase with unestablished methodologies, thus the decision making process needs a significant improvement. This study aims to improve the methodology by identifying the criteria for optimal decision making to ensure sustainable land use planning after peat extraction. Therefore relevant environmental, social and economic restrictive and weighted comparison criteria, which assess reuse alternatives suitability for achieving the goal, is developed in cooperation with stakeholders. Restrictive criteria are arranged into a decision tree to help to determine the implementable reuse alternatives in various situations. Weighted comparison criteria are developed in cooperation with stakeholders to rank the reuse alternatives. The comparison criteria are organised hierarchically into a value tree. In the situation, where the selection of a suitable rehabilitation alternative for a specific milled peatland is going to be made, the weighted comparison criteria values need to be identified and the presented approach supports the optimal and transparent decision making. In addition to Estonian context the general results of the study could also be applied to a cut-away peatlands in other regions with need-based site-dependent modifications of criteria values and weights.

Invasion of the Alien MossCampylopus introflexusin Cutaway Peatlands

Priede, A. & Mežaka, A. 2016. Invasion of the alien moss Campylopus introflexus in cutaway peatlands. — Herzogia 29: 35–51.Campylopus introflexus is an invasive alien moss in Europe and North America considered as a threat to biodiversity, especially in dune habitats. In this study, we found that C. introflexus is a common pioneer species in vacuumharvested peatlands in Latvia occurring on dry peat substrates and peat substrates with highly fluctuating water tables, but not on waterlogged peat surfaces. The spread of this species is limited by dense vegetation cover, shading and high water table, but it is tolerant of different peat substrate properties and a wide range of pH values. The invaded plant communities do not represent a species composition typical of natural bogs and fens. C. introflexus can be considered as a successful pioneer invader on cutaway peatlands with minor impacts on vegetation diversity or particular native species and cannot be considered as a threat to peatlands. In cutaway peatlands, the vegetation recovery toward formation of bog or fen communities is hindered by lowered water table, not by invasion of C. introflexus.

Multiyear greenhouse gas balances at a rewetted temperate peatland.

Drained peat soils are a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the atmosphere. Rewetting these soils is considered an important climate change mitigation tool to reduce emissions and create suitable conditions for carbon sequestration. Long-term monitoring is essential to capture interannual variations in GHG emissions and associated environmental variables and to reduce the uncertainty linked with GHG emission factor calculations. In this study, we present GHG balances: carbon dioxide (CO2 ), methane (CH4 ) and nitrous oxide (N2 O) calculated for a 5-year period at a rewetted industrial cutaway peatland in Ireland (rewetted 7years prior to the start of the study); and compare the results with an adjacent drained area (2-year data set), and with ten long-term data sets from intact (i.e. undrained) peatlands in temperate and boreal regions. In the rewetted site, CO2 exchange (or net ecosystem exchange (NEE)) was strongly influenced by ecosystem respiration (Reco ) rather than gross primary production (GPP). CH4 emissions were related to soil temperature and either water table level or plant biomass. N2 O emissions were not detected in either drained or rewetted sites. Rewetting reduced CO2 emissions in unvegetated areas by approximately 50%. When upscaled to the ecosystem level, the emission factors (calculated as 5-year mean of annual balances) for the rewetted site were (±SD) -104±80g CO2 -C m-2 yr-1 (i.e. CO2 sink) and 9±2g CH4 -C m-2 yr-1 (i.e. CH4 source). Nearly a decade after rewetting, the GHG balance (100-year global warming potential) had reduced noticeably (i.e. less warming) in comparison with the drained site but was still higher than comparative intact sites. Our results indicate that rewetted sites may be more sensitive to interannual changes in weather conditions than their more resilient intact counterparts and may switch from an annual CO2 sink to a source if triggered by slightly drier conditions.

Planning land use for biogas energy crop production: The potential of cutaway peat production lands

Each year, thousands of hectares of peatland that had been harvested are being released in Finland, which can offer an opportunity to increase energy crops and attain the bioenergy targets for non-agriculture lands. In this study, the Geographic Information System (GIS) method was used to improve the assessment of decentralized renewable energy resources. The amount of peat production lands and future cutaway areas for energy crop production was calculated as a case study by using ArcGIS and the Finnish Topographic database. There are almost 1000 km2 of peat production lands in Finland, and theoretically, approximately 300 km2 of cutaway peatlands could be used for energy crops after 30 years. The dry biomass yield of reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) or timothy-fescue grass (mix of Phleum pratense and Festuca pratensis) could be higher than 100 Gg a−1 in these lands indicating methane potential of approximately 300 GWh. The exhausted peat production areas in the western region of Finland have significant potential for use for energy crops; North and South Ostrobothnia account for almost 45% of the total peat production land. A future goal could be to use the cutaway peat production lands more efficiently for bioenergy to mitigate climate change. Since the use of wastelands (including peatlands) are being considered in Europe as a way to avoid competition with food production, the GIS method used in the study to identify suitable peat lands could be applicable to biomass resource studies being conducted in many countries.

Impact of Ash-Fertilization and Soil Preparation on Soil Respiration and Vegetation Colonization on Cutaway Peatlands

As a result of several decades of peat extraction, the area of cutaway peatlands in Finland totals ca. 50,000 ha. Furthermore, some 2000 - 3000 ha of peatlands are abandoned annually from active peat extraction. Forestry is considered to be their main after-use option. However, since cutaway peat is generally rich in nitrogen, but poor in phosphorus and potassium, soil amelioration measures are needed for successful vegetation and afforestation. Soil preparations bringing mineral soil into peat surface or recycling of ash containing P and K are alternative ways for soil amelioration. We studied the initial effects of soil preparation and ash fertilization on soil CO2-effluxes and colonisation of cutaway peat by vegetation. Oppositely to the previous studies, this study shows that carbon released from the residual peat may be so high that the ash-fertilized cutaway peatlands still act as sources of carbon even after afforestation. However, even though the CO2-effluxes following ash fertilization or soil preparation may occasionally exceed the carbon sequestration into growing tree stands, afforestation mostly compensates the CO2-effluxes if also we take into consideration the below-ground biomass. In conclusion, our study shows that although ash fertilization enhances the CO2-effluxes into the atmosphere, it has beneficial effects on the environment by enabling rapid colonisation of vegetation on these sites which would remain vegetationless for decades without soil amelioration.

Effect of wood ash on leaf and shoot anatomy, photosynthesis and carbohydrate concentrations in birch on a cutaway peatland.

Trees in cutaway peatland are growing in difficult conditions. Fertilization with nutrient-rich wood ash helps improve growth conditions. Photosynthesis and carbohydrate concentration along leaf anatomy were studied on plots treated with 10 and 5tha(-1) wood ash (WA10 and WA5) and on untreated (Control) plot to explain the physiological background of the differences in tree growth. The leaves from WA10 had the largest leaf area, total thickness, the thickest mesophyll and also significantly larger average values of all anatomical parameters of the shoots. The photosynthetic assimilation was significantly higher on treated plots at 200 and 400ppm CO2 levels. In leaves on the treated plots, the sucrose concentration was lower while that of starch was higher than in trees on untreated soil. The differences in the maximum photosynthesis were relatively small. At unit ground, the leaf area provided for a wood ash-treated tree an efficient surface for CO2 assimilation, light interception and some starch storage during the growing period.

Benchmarking Environmental Impacts of Peat Use for Electricity Generation in Ireland—A Life Cycle Assessment

The combustion of peat for energy generation accounts for approximately 4.1% of Ireland’s overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with current levels of combustion resulting in the emission of 2.8 Mt of CO2 per annum. The aim of this research is to evaluate the life cycle environmental impacts of peat use for energy generation in Ireland, from peatland drainage and industrial extraction, to transportation, combustion, and subsequent after-use of the cutaway area, utilising Irish-specific emission factors. The environmental impacts considered are global warming potential, acidification potential, and eutrophication potential. In addition, the cumulative energy demand of the system is evaluated. Previous studies on the environmental impact of peat for energy in Ireland relied on default Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emission factors (EFs). This research utilises Irish-specific EFs and input data to reduce uncertainty associated with the use of default IPCC EFs, and finds that using default IPCC EFs overestimates the global warming potential when compared to Irish-specific EFs by approximately 2%. The greatest contribution to each of the environmental impacts considered arises from emissions generated during peat combustion, which accounts for approximately 95% of each of the environmental impact categories considered. Other stages of the life-cycle, such as impacts emanating from the peat extraction area, fossil fuel usage in harvesting and transportation machinery, and after-use of the cutaway area have much smaller effects on overall results. The transformation of cutaway peatlands to different after-use alternatives has the potential to mitigate some of the effects of peatland degradation and peat combustion.

Profitability of short-rotation biomass production on downy birch stands on cut-away peatlands in northern Finland

The economic feasibility of short-rotation energy biomass production was evaluated from measurements on six naturally afforested 15–26-year-old downy birch-dominated (Betula pubescens Ehr.) stands in a former peat-production area in northern Finland. In the financial analysis, afforestation by natural or broadcast seeding was assumed, and the stands were regenerated by coppicing after the first, second, and third rotations. With respect to the first rotation, the sales revenues from whole-tree fuel chips covered their production costs in five cases out of six when a 21 EUR MWh−1 price for energy on delivery was assumed. The bare land value (BLV) was positive even with a five per cent discount rate in five cases, reaching a maximum of 995 EUR ha−1. With an interest rate of three per cent, for example, the break-even stumpage price for energy wood (assessed as the net present value of the first generation equal to 0) fluctuated between approx. 1 and 7 EUR per cubic metre, implying an economic surplus to be reached without subsidies in these cases. The unit price of energy (when bare land value equals 0) for the majority of the stands was well below the assumed price level, indicating noteworthy long-term financial incentives associated with the production.