Publications
Forests and energy in developing countries - Forests and Energy Working Paper 2
2007
The energy sector plays a vital role in the world economy. Increased fossil fuel prices, energy security issues and climate change have been the main driving forces to development of alternative and renewable energy sources. As a result of increased population expansion and faster economic growth, energy consumption is growing rapidly in non-Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Developmemt (OECD) countries, particularly China and India.
Forests and energy in OECD countries - Forests and Energy Working Paper 1
2007
This report focuses on policies and technologies for the production of bioenergy and liquid biofuels within Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, complementing a second report focusing on non-OECD countries. The report was prepared for the Special Event on Forests and Energy, held at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, on 20 November 2007.
Wood-energy supply/demand scenarios in the context of poverty mapping - A Wisdom case study in Southeast Asia for the years 2000 and 2015
2007
Current (2000) and projected (2015) woodfuel consumption patterns and supply potentials in continental Southeast Asia are analysed and mapped applying the WISDOM methodology. Combined with poverty data, the study helps define areas where poor rural and suburban populations are likely to suffer severe shortages, adding an indicator to the mapping of extreme poverty a nd a new tool for poverty alleviation policies and forestry and energy development planning.
Forests and energy: new challenges in sustainable forest management
2007
More than half the volume of total wood removals from forests and trees outside forests is used to generate energy, mainly for household cooking and heating. In some countries, for example in sub-saharan Africa, households rely almost completely on woodfuel to meet their energy needs.
A review of the current state of bioenergy development in G8 + 5 countries
2007
Bioenergy sits at the intersection of three of the world’s great challenges - energy security, climate change, and poverty reduction - and has received an enormous amount of attention in the past few years. Joint work on these issues is vital considering that together, the G8 +5 Countries account for about 55 percent of the world’s population, 70+ percent of global GDP, and about 72 percent of world energy-related and industry CO2 emissions (excluding deforestation).
PROCEEDINGS - International seminar on energy and the forest products industry
2006
Energy costs, energy supply and climate change are amongst the core issues impacting on the future of the forest products industry. They will have impacts on the manufacturing costs, as well as on the allocation of investments around the globe. The increasing focus on biomass as an energy source may on the one hand lead to competition on the raw material markets for existing industries, but on the other hand open new markets to other parts of the forest cluster.
Cross sectoral approach to forest sector issues: wood energy, implications of Kyoto Protocol and cooperation on forest fires
2006
The importance of a cross-sectoral approach is widely recognized. For instance, the European Forest Sector Outlook Study recommended such approach, which was also taken up by the General Declaration of the Vienna Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE) in 2003. In October 2005, a workshop in Riga, Latvia, examined some of the major issues involved.
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Woodfuel Integrated Supply / Demand Overview Mapping (WISDOM) - Slovenia spatial woodfuel production and consumption analysis
2006
Given the importance of woodfuels in providing energy for both traditional and modern industries, as well as their relevance in forestry, energy and rural development contexts, woody biomass is an important resource that, when sustainably managed, can have positive impacts on the environment, forests, social and economic development.
Energy and gender in rural sustainable development
2006
This paper discusses some gender issues and energy linkages within the international sustainable development context and presents recommendations on ways of incorporating gender sensitivity into energy and development policies and planning processes.
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Interactive Wood Energy Statistics i-WESTAT
2005
Determining the consumption of fuelwood or charcoal in a given country by consulting and comparing different information sources has always been a trying experience. The definitions are rarely consistent, the measurement units are different and the discrepancies among the reported values are so wide, that one remains utterly confused.
WISDOM, East Africa: Woodfuel Integrated Supply/Demand Overview Mapping methodology - Spatial woodfuel production and consumption analysis of selected African countries
2005
In Africa, woodfuel accounts for over 90 percent of total African wood consumption. This study intends to contribute to the identification of areas where rural and suburban populations that depend primarily on woodfuels for their subsistence energy supply, are likely to suffer severe shortages, thus adding a new important dimension to the mapping of extreme poverty.
Unified Bioenergy Terminology - UBET
2004
This paper examines and reviews currently used terminology and definitions for woodfuels and other biofuels used in FAO, and in other major databases on biomass-based energy sources. It also proposes ways to improve the methodology for the definition, classification, compilation and presentation of biofuel data and information using the Unified Bioenergy Terminology (UBET).
Fuelwood "hot spots" in Mexico: A case study using WISDOM - Woodfuel Integrated Supply-Demand
2004
This study uses the WISDOM methodology to identify woodfuel priority areas or household fuelwood “hot spots” in Mexico. WISDOM is a spatially-explicit method oriented to support strategic planning and policy formulation through the integration and analysis of existing demand and supply related information and indicators. In the present report, Mexican municipios (first sub-state administrative unit) are categorized into five priority groups.
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Woodfuel Integrated Supply/Demand Overview Mapping (WISDOM)
2003
The aim of this paper is to describe the key methodological aspects for the application of the WISDOM methodology and to present, as an example, the analysis of fuelwood consumption patterns in Mexico identifying the country’s priority areas for action (fuelwood hot spots).
Wood energy information analysis in Asia
2003
In most developing countries, woodfuels (fuelwood and charcoal) are the main forest products derived from forests and trees outside forests. In order to develop appropriate policies, it is vital to understand how woodfuels are produced, traded and utilized. This in turn requires a reliable database. The study Wood energy information analysis in Asia was undertaken to collect data and to assess the status of woodfuels information systems in selected developing countries of Asia.
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A guide for woodfuel surveys - EC-FAO Partnership Programme (2000 - 2002)
2002
FAO has assembled and published historical statistical data and other studies on fuelwood and charcoal in its Forest Products Yearbook. As part of its Wood Energy Programme, the Organization is continuously reviewing and improving its wood energy information system.
Unasylva, no. 211 - Wood energy
2002
Wood energy policies need to be holistic; they must take into account socio-economic, cultural and environmental factors, to avoid, for example, the deforestation and forest degradation problems that sometime resulted from incentives to promote woodfuel in the past. Wood energy programmes should be integrated into national forest programmes and coordinated with other sectors.
Economic analysis of wood energy systems
2002
The growing interest in woodfuels as an environmentally friendly source of energy is leading to an increased number of initiatives and projects in this field. In fact, EU countries expect to reduce their CO2 emissions by 2010 by 15 percent from the 1990 level. One important contribution to this reduction is expected to come from the utilization of wood fuels.
Forest Energy Forum - Issue no. 9
2001
Woodfuels, and more generally biofuels, are at the core of many critical issues concerning the promotion of sustainable rural development: environmental restoration and climate change mitigation; employment and income generation in rural areas; women's empowerment; and technological change. Improving the current patterns of use and, at the same time, enlarging the contribution of bioenergy to the present world energy mix will require sustained support and an integrated approach.
Forest Energy Forum - Issue no. 8
2001
As a modern, sustainable and climate-neutral fuel for producing heat or generating electrical power it is now seen as an opportunity by many industries and governments. Biomass is widely being introduced by public and private sectors in electric power and/or heat generation, because it is often competitive in price with fossil fuels and because it saves foreign exchange.