Harvesting technology and market forces affecting the production of forest fuels from Swedish forestry

The Swedish forest industry sector produces timber, energy and other commodities, but has to consider the vested interests of other parties. This paper adopts a perspective whereby the modern forest industry sector is regarded as a system for the production of energy products, and where traditional forest industry products are seen as commodities that are released as energy at the end of their lives. Assisted by a review of the literature, the market forces affecting forest fuels are assessed from the perspectives of forest owners, machine contractors and purchasers of forest fuels. Present-day forest operations are highly efficient in terms of invested and inherent energy in harvested timber. There are also markets, methods and technology for the production of biofuels. However this harvest entails economic and environmental costs. The markets for biofuels seem to be growing, and bioenergy from forests competes with energy produced by other actors. Designing systems that provide a profitable flow of bioenergy from forestry without risking the sustainable use of forests as regards the long-term supply of nutrients and maintaining biological diversity constitutes a challenge for scientists and practitioners working in the sector. The author suggests existing systems for environmental and forest certification as a means of safeguarding and confirming that the harvest and trade of forest fuels comply with standards for ensuring sustainable forestry.