Win Win on forest residues in Allgäu

Southern Image of Germany

During the 1980s and 1990s, private forest owners in the Allgäu region of southern Germany began to mobilize increasing amounts of wood. Until then, only 40-50% of the annual growth of forests was used. However, with the increased use of wood, an inconvenience was generated, the treetops were not used, generating a forest residue that accumulated in the forest and was eliminated through controlled burning. This situation eventually led to the construction of the first wood chip plant in Allgäu and the establishment of the first wood chip logistics chain.

This allowed the natural regeneration of the forest and the continuous supply of chips of wood for district heatings in the area (for example, Sonthofen, Immenstadt, Buchenberg and Scheidegg). This is a successful example of the valuation of a resource that was previously treated as a waste, offering forest owners an additional income of 2-6 € / m3.

More info: http://www.europeanbioenergyday.eu/win-win-solution-for-forest-residues-in-allgau/