Computer model for the assessment of socio-economic and environmental aspects of biomass use - a comparison of results obtained in two selected regions in Slovenia and Croatia

Lesna biomasa je pomemben obnovljiv vir energije, ki ima lahko številne pozitivne socialno-ekonomske in okoljske vplive. V članku želimo predstaviti novo računalniško aplikacijo za oceno 15 socialno-ekonomskih in okoljskih vplivov povečane rabe lesne biomase. Računalniška aplikacija omogoča ločeno oceno vplivov glede na mesto nastanka v tehnološki verigi pridobivanja, predelave in rabe lesne biomase. Predlagana aplikacija omogoča oceno jakosti naslednjih socialno-ekonomskih in okoljskih vplivov: nova delovna mesta, povečan prihodek v regiji, dodatne aktivnosti na kmetijah, zmanjševanje nezaposlenosti, povečana samooskrba z energijo, povečani javni dohodki v regiji. Med pomembnejše in hkrati z aplikacijo merljive okoljske vplive sodijozmanjševanje emisij CO2, zmanjševanje stroškov odlaganja odpadkov, vplivna rabo lesnih ostankov, prispevek h gospodarjenju z gozdovi ter vpliv narabo druge lesne biomase v regiji. Izračun novih delovnih mest je razdeljen na neposredna, posredna in inducirana delovna mesta. Računalniška aplikacija je bila preizkušena v izbrani regiji v Sloveniji in na Hrvaškem.Wood biomass is an important renewable source of energy, which can have numerous positive socio-economical and environmental effects. In the present article we would like to present a new model for the estimation of 15 socioeconomic and environmental aspects of the increased use of wood biomass. The presented model enables a selected estimation of different aspects in different chains of biomass production, preparation and use, as well as an estimation of the following socio-economic and environmental aspects: net labour income, net profit, regional public finance receipts, net direct jobs, net indirect jobs, net induced jobs, total net jobs, contribution to forest management, impact on wood waste utilization, impact on other woody biomass utilization, avoided costs of land fuel, saving CO2 emissions, possible impacton regional unemployment, avoided costs of unemployment, additional jobsfor farmers, additional activities on farms (from indirect and induced jobs) and self-sufficiency in electricity production. The most important is the estimation of new jobs, which is the reason why they were divided into direct, indirect and induced now jobs. The model was tested in two selected region in Slovenia and in Croatia

Roundwood and wood waste flow analysis for slovenia

Namen raziskave je preučiti tokove in rabe okroglega lesa in lesnih ostankov vSloveniji za referenčno leto 2004. Izdelan je bil model, na podlagi katerega smo napravili dve bilanci okroglega lesa in bilanco lesnih ostankov v Sloveniji. Opravljen je bil pregled razpoložljivih virov podatkov, ocenjena kakovost in podan predlog izboljšav spremljanja. Rezultati raziskave kažejo, da bilanca okroglega lesa v primeru uporabe uradnih podatkov o poseku izkazujeprimanjkljaj v višini 536.000 m3. Rezultati modelne bilance okroglegalesa izkazujejo pozitiven rezultat. V bilanci lesnih ostankov ostaja po namenu evidentirane rabe nerazvrščenih 297.000 ton lesnih ostankov. Viri podatkov in njihova kakovost omogočata pogojno uporabo in sta potrebna izboljšav. Pregled nad tokovi in realnimi podatki o posameznih rabah lesa je pripomoček pri strateških odločitvah na sektorskem, regionalnem in državnem nivoju.The main objective of the study was to make a model that identifi es fl ows and use of roundwood and wood wastes in Slovenia in the basic year. A new conceptual model was created. On the basis of this model, two roundwood and one wood waste balance were prepared. A wide range of available data was takeninto consideration, the quality of data evaluated and a proposal for improving their quality prepared. The results of roundwood balance showed a defi cit of 536,000 m3, if offi cial data for annual removals were taken intoaccount. In the case of modelled (enlarged) removals, the roundwood balance is positive. The use of 297.000 t of wood wastes in wood wastes balance remains unknown. The gathered data have limited applicability and needto be improved. Wood fl ow and data analysis should play an important role as part of strategic planning and decision making at the sectoral, local,regional and national levels

Assessment of Costs in Harvesting Systems Using WoodChainManager Web-based Tool

The rationalization of working procedures during difficult market conditions is gaining increasing importance. For rational production, it is necessary to always be aware of what and how much to invest in the business process to obtain the desired products or services without economic loss. This article presents a tool for the assessment of costs in forest wood supply chains. WoodChainManager is a Web-based tool composed of three user modules intended for the assessment of material costs of individual machines or the total costs of all selected machines in a forest harvesting system. Users can test the impact of individual technologies on the total material costs of the harvesting system and thus optimize operation processes. The basic tool for describing harvesting systems is the matrix, which visualizes cutting and hauling from the standing tree in the stand to the forest products at the end user. The tool has built-in algorithms that prevent the selection of an illogical harvesting system. The selected method for calculating costs for individual machines is simple, but still reflects the state of the actually incurred costs. WoodChainManager offers cost calculations for a wide range of technologies, machines and appurtenant attachments. The authors of this paper wish to increase awareness and understanding of cost calculations and to offer the possibility to directly compare different harvesting systems

A System for Quality Assessment of Forestry Contractors

Skilled contractors are needed to meet the increased demand for wood and to maintain a competitive edge in forestry. The structure of the forest industry has changed significantly. Today’s situation favours smaller contractors that are more flexible. Worldwide contractors are important for forest operations, but there is often limited knowledge about how well they fulfil demands about resource efficiency, social responsibility and environmental protection. The aim of this paper is to present the guidelines for the assessment of forestry contractors following sustainability principles and to present a recently developed system. In addition to the requirements for professional competences and legislative obligations, the system proposes a number of additional requirements such as corporate social responsibility, participation in the local community and greater environmental responsibility. The forestry contractor and the certification body sign a cooperation agreement to obtain the expert assessment. The expert assessment is performed by an evaluator authorised by a certification body. A web service has been introduced with the purpose of serving as a communication tool between professional evaluators and forestry contractors, as well as providing a new possibility for forest owners to get direct contact with forestry contractors. The system enables its users to exert influence on the assessment of forestry contractors by assessing the quality of their services. Private forests would greatly benefit from customer feedback information on the service quality. By now, 1584 forest contractors have registered in Slovenia, where 67% provide the service of cutting and skidding, 8% provide woodchipper service, 7% transport of round wood, 5% cable crane yarding and 4% fully mechanised harvesting. Until June 2020, 142 forest contractors have gone through the process of quality assessment