%0 Research articles %T Biomass utilization potential on low-productive Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) dominated peatlands drained for forestry %A Silvan, Niko %A Sarkkola, Sakari %D 2022 %J Suo - Mires and peat %V 73 %N 2 %U http://suo.fi/article/10796 %X

The aim of this study was to estimate the biomass potential of low-productive drained peatland forests in Finland. The study material consists of the measured biomass data from one low productive drained peatland stand at Lylynneva -mire, in Karvia municipality, Western Finland and a set of tree volume data of the National Forest Inventory (NFI 11, field measurements are carried out in whole country 2009–2013). Based on these datasets, we estimated the total amount of wood and its biomass for the same kind of low-productive sites in the whole country. The biomasses of the collected tree data were determined and calculated using standard methods, and statistical biomass models were developed to assess how the data used relates more generally to pine biomasses. In addition, the trunk biomass, canopy and root biomass were determined from the biomass samples of the biomass sample trees, as well as the surface peat and litter adhered to the root system at whole-tree harvesting. The calorific characteristics of biomass were determined with a view to energy use. According to the results, there are growing totally 37 billion m3 of trunk wood with a total biomass of about 30 M tons of tree biomass and additionally about 9 M tons of surface peat, mosses, and litter on about 800 000 hectares of these sites. The results showed that the amount of biomass on low-productive forestry drained peatlands is more than twofold when harvesting not only stems but also branches, stumps and roots as whole-tree harvesting, including also surface peat pulled out among the roots. One fifth of all biomasses harvested from the site consisted of surface peat. The utilizable biomasses on low-productive forestry drained peatlands are also significant bioenergy reserve. The whole-tree harvesting as a method could be supportive in terms of promoting mire restoration targets too.