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QLK5-2000-00527
WOOD-EN-MAN: Wood for Energy - a contribution to the development of sustainable forest management |
| Contract No: | QLK5-2000-00527 |
| Source: | 6 Month Report - January 2002 - Abstract |
| First Annual Progress Report - Summary July 2002 |
First Annual Progress Report - Summary July 2002
Objectives
The objectives of the first period were in general to establish the working basis of the WOOD-EN-MAN project by building up new databases, creating new field experiments and initiating field studies, collecting data in existing experiments, and elaboration of literature reviews and country reports. The main objectives for the different workpackages were as follows:
Results and Milestones
The results and milestones achieved in the different workpackages were as follows:
The website includes a section for internal (project) use, that includes minutes from meetings, a preliminary list of field sites, the draft version of the literature review and lists of official end-user in all countries. In addition, several working papers are available to project participants.
In the public pages the following products will soon be available:
In addition work aimed at wider dissemination has been initiated. A book, its target groups, and contents have been outlined, as also has the aim and scope of the decision support model to be produced in WP7. Ideas were further developed the next consortium meeting in Sweden in 2002.
Benefits and Beneficiaries
Meetings with/for end-users were held and a joint report produced. The beneficiaries are both end-users (forest and energy sectors, policy and consultant) and project participants. Information about the project was presented to end-users, and they will be offered the opportunity to benefit from future products from the project. Project participants receive d inputs to the research to be carried out, and they will also in the future be able to receive inputs from end-users. Further cooperation is taking place in some countries.
A project website is available. The beneficiaries are end-users and the general public, who thereby have access to knowledge about the project and the participants. Interactive communication can take place through the homepagé, and at a later stage there will be public access to project results and products. Project participants can furthermore use the homepage to retrieve project material, and for communication through internal discussion groups.
A report on the state-of-the-art knowledge on the effects of wood ash recycling on tree growth, ecology and environment was outlined. The beneficiaries of the report will be the end-users, scientists, and the general public with interest in the subject. Also, the report serves as a basis for the further work within WP3. The exact form of publication is yet to be discussed.
A report on practical wood ash recycling, wood ash hardening, and design of wood ash experiments has been drafted. The report has mainly served as a basis for establishing the experiment in Lithuania, but the report also contains information of general interest and it will be available for interested parties. The exact form of publication is yet to be discussed.
An integrated wood ash experiment was established, and data on the experiment will be submitted to the EFERN database (European Forest Ecosystem Research Network - Resolution S6). The beneficiaries are, first, the project participants as the experiment provides a geographically extended experimental basis for investigation of ecosystem effects of wood ash recycling. Secondly, the beneficiaries will be managers, politicians, scientists and the general public who will gain new knowledge on the topic. The establishment-report serves as source for basic experiment information, which will be used in publishing of results.
Future Actions
The work that has been initiated will be continued during the next project period. In general, the collected database data, new measurements, and field samplings will serve as a base for the first analyses. Furthermore, products drafted in the first period will be published in their final version. In addition to the products to be finalised from the first period, new single tree biomass equations are expected for selected species . A database on wood ash properties will be completed and new data samplings will take place in candidate countries . Modelling of the upply of wood-based biomass for energy will be initiated and present policy ambitions and measures will be evaluated.
Objectives
During the first six months of this project the activities and milestones reached were as follows:
WP1 Nutrient balances Data submitted to the database.
WP2 Soil nutrient release capability Literature review completed
WP3 Wood ash recycling and ecotoxic components There were no milestones or deliverables to be completed for this reporting period. The first milestones to be reached are:
WP4 Integrated field experiments A suitable stand will be chosen for the experiment, literature review and visits to existing experiments in member and associate countries completed and a suitable experimental design has been worked out. As far as the report on practical wood ash recycling, wood ash hardening and design of wood ash experiments is concerned the experimental outline is established and the first treatment with wood ash has been performed. Installation of experimental equipment can begin.
WP5 Biodiversity Agreement has been reached on sampling methods and host tree material involved in the investigation by each participant.
WP6 Insect pests Literature review on bark beetle reproductive success in different kinds of forest residues stored in different ways and on risk for bark beetle attacks on living trees adjacent to stored forest residues is completed for each country.
For the other areas (WP7 Forest management level economy, WP8 Policy analysis, WP9 Operational level guidelines and WP10 Policy recommendations) there are no milestones or deliverables to be completed for this reporting period. The first milestone to be reached is the presentation of country reports, deadline month 12.
WP11 Dissemination
Activities
The scientific and technical aspects of the project are proceeding more or less as outlined in the technical annex, but with a few minor delays, as indicated below. Future actions proposed to overcome delays are also detailed.
WP1 Nutrient balances At the kick-off meeting a structure for the database was presented to all participants together with spreadsheets for inserting data. Spreadsheets and documents on the database can be downloaded from the WEM-page.
The Danish data are being compiled in the spreadsheet tables. Finnish material from whole-tree harvesting experiments has been collected and nutrient concentrations of the different biomass fractions of sample trees have been analysed. The analyses are completed, but the collection and harmonisation of the material is ongoing. The Lithuanian data have not yet been submitted due to doubt about the suitability of the data for the work planned in WP 1. In the Lithuanian data, total biomass has not been measured. Furthermore, nutrients have been measured as ash contents. This prevents analysis together with Scandinavian data to be submitted for the database. Methods whereby analyses can be performed on the Lithuanian data to enable it to be compared with the Scandinavian data are being considered. Estonian data are available for small trees and are being considered in terms of suitability for the purpose of WPl. Norwegian and Swedish partners have no data to submit for the database. However, the possibility that other institutions in these countries may have suitable data is being considered. The aim is still to get the first version of the database ready by month 9 (April 2002) and the final version by month 14 (September 2002).
New experiments on nutrients in residual biomass will be performed in the autumn of 2002. The experimental design is still being elaborated. A draft structure for the literature review on biomass and nutrient content has been elaborated and nominated people are collecting and compiling literature. The draft structure can be downloaded from the WEB-page. The literature review on atmospheric nutrient deposition and nutrient leaching is to be developed in co-operation with WP3. This work will be initiated during month 9.
WP2 Soil nutrient release capability Literature review completed. A literature review of soil indicators for carrying capacity has been initiated and is expected to be completed within the next reporting period. Approximately 30 sites with foliage and soil chemical data will be studied for correlation between foliage chemistry and soil nutrient status. The intention is to include some of the field sites used by WP3 and WP4.
WP3 Wood ash recycling and ecotoxic components There are no milestones or deliverables to be completed for this reporting period. The first milestones to be reached are as follows. Review of ecological consequences of wood recycling. A preliminary structure of the review can be downloaded from the WEM-page. The first internal deadline for the contributions to the review was in January. The major part of the contribution has been delivered and are now compiled into a first draft that has been circulated. Data for nutrient contents and soil response have not been compiled yet as the work in WP3has been concentrated on the literature review so far. The literature review on atmospheric nutrient deposition and nutrient leaching is being elaborated together with WP1 and this work will soon be initiated.
WP4 Integrated field experiments A suitable stand will be chosen for experiment. Two possible stands for the experiment were considered at the kick-off meeting. The experiment will be allocated to one of these stands in Kacergine Forest of Dubrava Experimental & Training Forest Enterprise. A map showing the exact position of the experiment was made available in the file archives of the WEM-page in March. Literature review and visits to existing experiments in member and associate countries have been completed. Literature on experimental designs was collected and allocation of experiments mapped and discussed at the kick-off meeting. The literature review will be completed in March. A suitable design has been elaborated and a detailed description made be available in the file archives on the WEM-page. A questionnaire (Wood ash recycling in your country) was sent to Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Estonia and Latvia. The data has been summarised and a report practical wood ash recycling, wood ash hardening and design of wood ash experiments produced. Experiments have been set up, and the first treatment with wood ash has been performed. Installation of experimental equipment has been initiated, but the experiment has been delayed by approximately 3 months due to unsuitable weather conditions.
WP5 Biodiversity Agreement on sampling methods and host tree material involved in the investigation by each participant has been agreed. The sampling scheme will be determined before the start of the field season. Field sites will be selected and a list of insect species for further sampling selected after the field season.
WP6 Insect Pests This activity covers a literature review of bark beetle reproductive success in various kinds of forest residues stored in different ways and an assessment of the risk of bark beetle attacks on living trees adjacent to stored forest residues. This will be completed for each country. At the kick-off meeting it was decided to postpone this milestone from month 6 to month 8. This will have no consequences for the further progress of the work within WP6.
Within WP7 to 10 the first milestone to be reached is the presentation of country reports in month 12. An outline for the report can be down loaded from the WEM page. The draft outline for structure of the country reports has been prepared, further elaborated by project members and distributed to the relevant participants for further comments and inputs. Thereafter, the final format of the country report was elaborated and distributed to the individual researchers in each participating country that have been assigned to elaborate the country reports. The deadline for the first drafts of country reports was April 2002 and final versions should have been ready by May 2002.
Within WP7 the first outline of the decision support model was made communicated to the co-ordinator. It was agreed that the model structure, scope and level should be defined as early as possible to ensure that other WPs are able to deliver model inputs in appropriate formats.
Within WP9 a book manuscript "Wood for energy - Guidelines for sustainable forest management" must be produced by month 44. Because the book summarises the outcome of the whole project, it was decided to formulate an outline for its contents as early as possible. The first draft was prepared by the Co-ordinator and it was further elaborated in co-operation with the editor. The first draft book contents were delivered to WP leaders for comments in January 2002 with the aim to produce "draft final contents" by the end of March 2002.
Dissemination
A co-ordination workshop was held in October 2001. End-users were contacted and invited to the first workshop. However, it proved difficult to hold international end-user meetings. Hence, it was decided to have national end-user meetings and if possible to use existing events where end-users are already gathered to present the project and receive inputs. So far, end-user meetings have been held in Finland, Estonia, Denmark and Norway. A number of further end-user meetings and other meetings have been planned and detailed on the WEM-page under project meetings. Some end-user meetings have been postponed to ensure optimal participation. The meetings will still be held in good time for the end-user report to be completed within the next reporting period. Lists of official end-users are being made and will be detailed on the WEB page. People who have, or will have received information on the project can agree to be listed as official end-users. They will be signed up at the homepage, receive information from the project, and they will be encouraged to response to the information they receive. Furthermore, they will be invited for end-user activities and the final end-user meeting.
Homepage
A WOOD-EN-MAN homepage is being developed and already contains information on the project, the partners, the end user participants, meetings and reports. From internal file archives minutes, presentations, project information and specific work package information can be downloaded. Discussions groups and some links are available.
© Copyright 2006 Policy Statements
Updated
by CPL Press:
03/07/2007
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