Varnagirytė-Kabašinskienė et al. Energy, Sustainability and Society (2019) 9:41 Energy, Sustainability https://doi.org/10.1186/s13705-019-0229-9 and Society REVIEW Open Access Lithuanian forest biomass resources: legal, economic and ecological aspects of their use and potential Iveta Varnagirytė-Kabašinskienė* , Diana Lukminė, Stasys Mizaras, Lina Beniušienė and Kęstutis Armolaitis Abstract The development of bioenergy markets is beneficial from a climate perspective and helps ensure sustainable forest management both locally and globally. This study aimed to provide an overview of the current state of Lithuanian forest biomass resources with a particular focus on the legal, economic and ecological aspects of forest biomass use for energy and to identify the lessons that should be learned from the history of biomass introduction in the country’s energy sector. These experiences and lessons are valuable both nationally and internationally, where good practices and challenges for the introduction and development of forest biomass for energy production are revealed. We examined the question of whether regulatory drivers in the energy sector can increase forest biomass use for energy production and contribute to sustainable development of Lithuania. To answer this question, we described the legal and market instruments regulating forest biomass use for energy production, the forestry sector and renewable energy policy in Lithuania, the current and potential amount of forest biomass available for energy production and ecological considerations relating to forest biomass use for energy. In Lithuania, forest biomass resources are strategically important for the renewable energy sector. The National Energy Strategy of Lithuania aims to increase the share of renewable energy sources, including forest biomass, within the total energy consumption, with targets of 30% in 2020, 45% in 2030 and 80% in 2050. Lithuania successfully achieved the target of EU legislation on renewables in 2015 ahead of the obligation to achieve it in 2020. Renewable energy is mainly used in heating, as well as in the electricity and transport sectors. This has resulted in a significant price reduction for end users due to the increased use of biomass, mainly local forest biomass, for heat energy production and in the emergence of a biofuel exchange, which acts as a system of biomass auctions that to some extent prevent unjustified price increases. Legislation developed for the energy biomass market in Lithuania allows efficient restructuring of the energy sector, especially for heat production. The Lithuanian energy sector has already successfully replaced imported and relatively expensive natural gas with locally available cheaper renewable energy sources (RES). Compliance with formal environmental regulations is required to protect the soil, ground vegetation, understory and biodiversity during commercial tree harvesting. Lithuania has basic guidelines for the use of wood ash as a compensatory fertiliser, with strict requirements for the chemical quality of wood ash. Keywords: Renewable energy sector, Forest biomass for energy, Legislation, Market instruments, Environmental impact * Correspondence: [email protected] Institute of Forestry, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry (LAMMC), Liepų str. 1, Girionys, LT-53101 Kaunas district, Lithuania © The Author(s). 2019 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. Varnagirytė-Kabašinskienė et al. Energy, Sustainability and Society (2019) 9:41 Page 2 of 19 Background far, there has been no comprehensive review of the Renewable energy sources (RES) are recognised widely Lithuanian use of forest biomass for energy. The object- as an important means for the energy sector to achieve ive of this paper is to explore how decisions in the en- the environmental, economic and social aims of sustain- ergy sector can improve its contribution to overall able development [1–4]. The bioenergy market specific- sustainable development in Lithuania. We address this ally can help foster sustainable forest management at the objective by providing an interdisciplinary overview of regional, national and international levels. The produc- forest biomass resources in Lithuania and a synthesis of tion of biomass for energy from forest and agricultural the legal, economic and ecological aspects of the use of waste is becoming an increasingly important sector of those resources for renewable energy production. The the economy, with growing volumes produced, numbers specific research questions include the following: of jobs and added value. As the world moves towards the goal of 100% renewable What are the key political and market-based instru- energy by 2050 in order to achieve the goal agreed at ments acting for implementation of renewables for COP21 in Paris in 2015, individual countries seek to develop energy in Lithuania? strategies for the accelerated development of renewable en- What is the current supply of renewables for energy ergies [5, 6]. Lithuania, together with other European Union in Lithuania? (EU) Member States, has committed to ending fossil fuel What changes and challenges have taken place in use to stop further increases in greenhouse gas (GHG) con- the forestry and renewable energy sectors in centration in the atmosphere [7–9]. Since growing trees ab- Lithuania during last decade? sorb a significant amount of the carbon released in the What forest biomass resources are available for process of biomass combustion, the GHG emissions pro- energy in Lithuania? duced by burning fossil fuels can be reduced by substituting What are the environmental sustainability these with renewable forest biomass. However, while bio- implications of using forest biomass for energy in mass combustion is beneficial from a climate perspective, it Lithuania, and how are possible risks being can have local and global impacts on other aspects of envir- mitigated through regulation? onmental quality [10–12]. What are the future perspectives and challenges for The EU Member States plan to achieve a 32% share forest biomass use for energy in Lithuania? of renewable energy in their total energy consumption by 2030 [13]. The use of biomass for district heating Data and materials in the Baltic countries—Lithuania, Latvia and This section describes the research methods that Estonia—which has increased significantly in recent were followed to assess different national and EU le- years, contributes towards this goal. In 2015, the main gislation, statistical databases and other related docu- energy sources for the Baltic countries were petroleum ments implemented to incentivise forest biomass use products (48%), biomass and waste (22%), and natural for energy. gas (21%) [14]. In Lithuania, the amount of biomass The Lithuanian case study includes descriptive ap- used for district heating and electricity has increased proaches, as well as qualitative analysis. The review since about 2007, and the country continues to in- of regulatory drivers covers legal regulations of forest crease the share of biomass in energy production. By biomass use in energy production and also market- 2020, the share of centrally supplied heat energy pro- based instruments. We first analysed EU legislation, duced from RES is planned to increase to 60%, and the continuing with the analysis of Lithuanian legal is- share of renewable energy in final energy consumption sues, including national programmes, strategies and should increase to 23% [13, 15]. Despite its already laws (Table 1; Appendix 1). The review of current leading position in renewable energy, Lithuania plans energy use and supply provided by renewables is to further develop that sector in order to mitigate cli- based on analysis of statistical data on renewables mate change and increase the country’scompetitive- supply, share of different fuel types and the price of ness [15]. It is planned that by 2030 installed power heat supplied to central district heating. The review capacity from RES will be 2.5 times higher than in of current information on the forest sector is based 2017, and almost half of the energy consumed will be on analysis of literature and statistical data on his- produced from RES. By 2050, most of the energy used torical changes and the current situation in Lithu- in the heating, electricity and transport sectors will anian forests, including tree species composition and come from RES [15]. ownership. The description of biomass supply from Decisions in the Lithuanian energy sector are being the forestry sector is based on data of current and made with little regard for the economic, social and en- potential amounts of forest biomass from different vironmental aims of sustainable development [16]. So sources (harvest residues, short rotation plantations) Varnagirytė-Kabašinskienė et al. Energy, Sustainability and Society (2019) 9:41 Page 3 of 19 Table 1 Reviewed EU and Lithuanian legislation in energy and through the attainment of individual national targets. forestry sectors The directive stipulates that all EU countries must Energy sector also ensure that at least 10% of their transport fuels Renewable Energy