Forest dendromass potential in Slovakia
Dendromass for energy purposes can be produced in forestry, wood processing industries, in paper
and pulp industry and in smaller amount also in agriculture and communal sphere.
Forest biomass is one of the main potential energy sources. The share of forests in Slovakia is 45 % of
the total country area. The total area of the Slovak forestland fund is 2 mil.ha. 42,8 % is owned by the
state forest company. Majority of the forests stands (60 %) in Slovakia is still managed by the state
forest company; another 23 % are managed by owners associations. (2004). More than 950 thousands
ha belong to preserved territories (national parks, protected landscape areas, etc.).
The average annual felling in Slovakia was 6,6 mil. m3 with the huge increase in 2004 and 2005 due to
wind throw disaster in High Tatras in 2004. The possible increase of annual felling in 2020 is up to 7
mil. m3.
Table 22: Development of annual felling of wood
| Year |
| |
1980 thous. m3 |
1990 thous. m3 |
2002 thous. m3 |
2003 thous. m3 |
2004 thous. m3 |
2005 thous. m3 |
| Coniferous |
2758 |
2777 |
3209,5 |
3508,5 |
4001 |
6927 |
| Roadleaved |
3106 |
2499 |
3038,7 |
3143,5 |
3267 |
3263 |
| Total |
5864 |
5276 |
6248,2 |
6652 |
7268 |
10190 |
As a result of forest management in Slovakia, the total amount of wood waste from logging after forest management activities (main felling including incidental, cleaning, thinning) is approximately equal to the volume of wood produced by logging. The present average in Slovakia is about 5,6 m3/ha without bark. About 10 % of wood waste dendromass can be used as fire wood or chipped and another 10 % of wood waste currently being left in forests unused (stems and roots, topwood, branches, leaves, bark) is reported to be economically and technically available for collection, processing and transport from the forests for further energy use. It is limited mainly by geographical and economical conditions. The average yield of biomass from forestry usable for energy use was assumed to be 9,6 GJ per hectare. So the potential estimated according this assumptions would be 13,8 PJ with the following regional distribution taking into consideration the distribution of wood felling and regional mountainousness, as an indicator of lower accessibility of the biomass from forests and decreasing yields from the forests.
