The purpose of the proposed regulation is to define detailed quality and dimensional characteristics of energy wood, taking into account the need to optimally use the wood raw material for industrial and energy needs.
Full-value wood will not be used in industry or professional energy
The definition of energy wood is included in Art. 2 point 7a above. Act on Renewable Energy Sources.
The above-mentioned legal provision states that energy wood is a wood raw material which, due to its qualitative and dimensional characteristics, has a reduced technical and utility value that prevents its industrial use, as well as wood raw material constituting biomass of agricultural origin.
The primary function of the proposed regulation is to eliminate, in accordance with the above-mentioned provision of the Act on Renewable Energy Sources, the phenomenon of burning wood in the professional energy industry, which can be used industrially in another, more economically beneficial way.
The proposed regulation is intended to rationalize and optimize wood management, as well as to respond to the social expectation that wood that could be used in a more economically advantageous manner should not be burned in commercial power plants.
According to the authors of the regulation, the adopted procedure is also beneficial from the perspective of environmental protection, reducing the pressure on forest logging from the power industry.
Pointing to specific features of wood resulting in its limited use in industries other than energy, the principle of cascading use of wood raw material contained in Directive (EU) 2023/2413 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 October 2023 amending Directive (EU) 2018/2001 was adopted. , Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 and Directive 98/70/EC on the promotion of energy from renewable sources and repealing Directive (EU) 2015/652 (OJ EU L 2413 of 31/10/2023), which assumes the most efficient method of using wood in the longest possible chain, until it is used for energy purposes.
Energy wood can also be used as firewood
The proposed regulation rationally describes wood raw material that is not industrially useful or has limited possibilities of use (including for economic reasons) in the sector other than energy.
When determining the qualitative and dimensional characteristics of energy wood, the principles included in the qualitative and dimensional classification of wood raw materials specified in the Polish Standard PN-93/D-02002 were used, which hierarchizes this raw material in terms of quality and dimensions, and is an emanation of the concept of cascading use of raw materials.
wood.
This is particularly important in relation to round and split wood, for which there is potential market competition.
§ 2 of the proposed regulation specifies the qualitative and dimensional characteristics of energy wood specific to roundwood or split wood.
In relation to this type of wood raw material, first of all, in order to qualify it as energy wood, it is necessary to meet one of specific dimensional conditions.
Therefore, taking into account the principles of qualitative and dimensional classification referred to above, it is not expected that large-sized wood will be used as energy wood due to economic conditions.
In turn, the lowest type of medium-sized wood in the quality and size hierarchy is firewood.
How will energy wood be classified according to the new regulation?
In the case of this assortment, the characteristics of energy wood were considered to be those that exceeded the possibility of classifying them into the classification unit above firewood.
Moreover, based on the principle of cascading use of wood raw materials and, additionally, the principles of qualitative and dimensional classification of this raw material, in the case of wood raw materials occurring as roundwood or split wood, it is envisaged that in order to recognize this wood raw material as energy wood, in addition to meeting the dimensional conditions , it is necessary for at least one of the following qualitative conditions to occur, causing a reduction in technical and utility value to an extent that makes industrial use economically unjustifiable:
- one-sided curvature of the wood of at least 10 centimeters along the entire length of the wood, or
- multi-sided curvature of the wood amounting to at least half of the single-sided curvature of the wood, or
- soft wood rot, or
- brown algae covering at least 50% of the cross-sectional area of one of the ends of the wood, or
- infusion covering at least 50% of the cross-sectional area of one of the ends of the wood, or
- charring covering at least 50% of the surface of the piece of wood.
As a result of the above, in order for a wood raw material occurring as roundwood or split wood to be classified as energy wood, it must have additional clearly defined characteristics, defined in such a way that the raw material intended for the energy industry has characteristics that exclude the possibility of its use in
another sector.
In the case of round or split wood, in order to be considered for energy purposes, it must meet the following characteristics – if the bottom diameter is less than 5 cm without bark or 7 centimeters in the bark, regardless of the length of the wood, or the length is up to 3 m and the top diameter is equal to or greater than 5 cm without bark or 7 cm with bark.
There must also be at least one of the defects mentioned above, e.g. too much curvature, soft rot, brown algae covering at least 50%. cross-sectional area of one of the foreheads, infusion covering at least 50%. cross-sectional area of one of the ends of the wood, charring at least 50%. wood art surface.
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Wood that will not be used in industry
§ 3 of the proposed regulation specifies the wood raw material which
industrial use is economically unjustified due to its reduced technical and utility value, occurring as wood residues from forestry which, for quality reasons, cannot be assigned to other types of wood, remaining on the cutting surface, related to the process of felling trees and shrubs and manipulation of wood raw materials , wood residues from agricultural production, including:
- woody plant parts and orchard waste and other residues resulting from agricultural production,
- by-products resulting from wood processing, uncontaminated with substances that do not naturally occur in wood,
- generated in wood processing plants in the form of bark, shavings, post-handling shavings, sawdust, shavings, chips, edgings or chips, as well as waste resulting from wood processing or wood-based waste.
According to the authors of the regulation, within each of the above-mentioned groups raw material, there is a significant diversity of qualitative and dimensional characteristics.
It generally has a reduced technical and utility value that limits or prevents its industrial use for economic reasons.
This justifies the recognition that each qualitative and dimensional feature of such a raw material classifies it as energy wood. Due to the above, the raw material specified in this paragraph is considered energy wood, regardless of its qualitative and dimensional characteristics.
Energy wood is wood obtained from processing or wood waste
In the above catalog, energy wood also includes waste resulting from wood processing or waste derived from wood.
In relation to these forms of energy wood, the provisions of the Act of December 14, 2012 on waste (Journal of Laws of 2023, item 1587, as amended) will apply as an act specifying the rights and obligations in the field of waste management. .
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We will grow energy wood
§ 4 of the proposed regulation indicates wood raw material obtained from energy crops, each of whose qualitative and dimensional characteristics classifies it as energy wood.
Due to the origin of this raw material, i.e. documented extraction from specially managed plantations with specific characteristics, and its form, this raw material has a reduced technical and utility value, which significantly limits its industrial use.
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It will not be possible to process high-quality wood for burning as energy wood
The regulation does not allow wood to be processed
full-value, in particular by grinding, chipping or subjecting to another mechanical or chemical process in order to burn it as energy wood.
There is no risk of excessive timber harvesting to meet the needs of the energy industry. The volume of wood harvested by organizational units of the State Forests State Forests is limited by forest management plans approved by the minister responsible for environmental affairs.
Annual wood harvesting in a forest district, as a rule, oscillates around 1/10 of the amount of wood harvested in the forest management plan. The volume of wood harvesting is independent of the market situation, but may be additionally influenced by random events such as natural disasters, hailstorms and others.
The expected date of entry into force of the proposed regulation is 14 days from the date of its announcement.
