DRAFT: Forest Biomass Harvesting for Energy: Recommendations for ova Scotia Ecology Action Centre

If biomass from the forest is to be a sustainable energy source, it is imperative that 1. the forest ecosystem, including soil productivity and wildlife habitat, is maintained, and 2. carbon loss from harvested sites, especially from the soil, is minimized. The pressure to develop non-fossil fuel energy sources increases the popularity of burning ‘waste’ forest biomass, such as branches, tops and otherwise unmarketable trees to produce energy. Indeed, wood has the potential to provide a relatively green, local and potentially carbon-neutral energy source. Wood can be burned to produce electricity, to heat residential and industrial facilities, and to derive products to store and transport energy (such as ethanol or bio-oil). Examples from Europe demonstrate that communities can achieve energy self-sufficiency with the use of small biofuel co-generation power plants.1 In the Maritimes, fossil fuels may be replaced as existing companies introduce biomass energy into their power supply, as home owners switch to wood-based heating, and as new companies emerge to create wood pellets and other products to supply the growing demand for biofuels. However, harvesting biomass from forests poses a fundamental threat to the health and productivity of forest ecosystems. While traditional harvesting of fuel wood has been well within the limits of sustainability, the aggressive harvesting of wood for energy generation will adversely affect forest ecosystems. Much of the material proposed to be removed from the forest as biomass (tops, branches, foliage and decayed wood) plays a critical role in soil fertility, soil structure, carbon storage and wildlife habitat. In terms of sustainable forest management, leaving tree tops, branches and foliage (logging slash) in the forest, along with maintaining standing and fallen dead trees, are two of the easiest and most effective actions forest managers can take to promote biodiversity and sustain a healthy, resilient and productive forest.2 For these reasons, forest certification requirements (such as under the Forest Stewardship Council or the Canadian Standards Association) discourage biomas