Analysis of the global wood‐chip trade's response to renewable energy policies using a spatial price equilibrium model

Abstract

Wood chip, mainly used to produce paper and other products traditionally, has also been used to produce biofuel. The global demand for wood chip is increasing as policies promote the use of biomass for renewable energy. The USA has been a major exporter of wood chip worldwide, but US exports of wood chip could decline if this resource is increasingly used for domestic electricity generation and cellulosic biofuel production. Meanwhile, European Union (EU) demand for wood chip is expected to increase rapidly in response to its renewable energy policy. In this paper, we build the fi rst global trade model for wood chip using available wood chip trade data and analyze the combined effects of local renewable energy policies in these jurisdictions on the global market of wood chip. We fi nd that the tropical regions of Latin America and Southeast Asia as well as the Former Soviet Union would increase their export of wood chip signifi cantly in response to the policy scenarios. If forest governance in some of these countries is weak, US and EU renewable energy policy could inadvertently exacerbate deforestation in these regions, with an associated negative impact on carbon storage and other environmental services.

Common pathways by which non-native forest insects move internationally and domestically

“…International movement of wood chips, defined as wood reduced to small pieces that can be used for pulping, fiberboard production, and fuel, represents a potential pathway for bark-and wood-infesting insects (Kopinga et al 2010;Allen et al 2017). Global trade in wood chips is growing quickly, with East Asia (China, Japan, and Korea) and Europe being major importers, and Southeast Asia, South America, and Oceania major exporters (Jiang et al 2017).…”

Evidências da análise espacial na bioenergia florestal para geração eletricidade. Uma revisão

“…Todavia, em estudo de caso para a Suíça & Steubing et al (2014) apontaram que as escalas ótimas econômicas estariam (com algumas exceções) entre 100 e 200 MW, o que demonstra que a viabilidade econômica por escala encontra associação com o espaço estudado. Em escala global, Jiang et al (2017) apresentaram um modelo de equilíbrio de preços espaciais (SPE) sobre o comércio de madeira destinada à geração de eletricidade. Os autores destacaram que o aumento da demanda de biocombustível florestal nos EUA (2,37 milhões de toneladas de biocombustível) e EU (34,78 milhões de toneladas de biocombustível) resultaria em aumento no fluxo de exportações dos países da América Latina, sudeste da Ásia e a antiga União Soviética, explicitando a relação da oferta com condições edafoclimáticas favoráveis.…”

An analysis of renewable energy consumption efficiency in terms of greenhouse gas production in selected European countries

“…The consumption of wood chips can be counted as an important contribution to renewable energy resources (Jiang et al 2017). According to the latest Eurostat statistics (European Statistical System), this segment (wood chip consumption) is growing faster than any other renewable energy type (Eurostat 2019).…”