Forest Biomass & Bioeconomy

Woody biomass flows and wood resource balance

Wood is a highly versatile material and can be used and reused in cascade in different processes. The developments in wood-based product markets are instrumental to the supply of woody biomass for the different purposes.

Biomass flow diagrams (Sankey diagrams) represent in a unique view the flows of biomass of different sectors of the bioeconomy, from supply to uses including trade. Flows are used to illustrate cascade uses, the competition and synergies as well as the importance of different sub-sectors. We publish the woody biomass flows at EU Member State level, as well as at EU-27 aggregate level in the Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy in interactive web-based diagrams. Within the JRC Biomass Mandate, forest biomass flows are integrated with flows from other bio-based sectors: the agriculture, waste and seafood supply chains.

The Wood Resource Balance is useful in providing an overview over sources and uses of woody biomass, and—most importantly—highlighting data gaps and inconsistencies. As for any balance sheet, the two sides should balance, were all data reported correctly. We publish the wood resource balance sheets at EU Member State level, as well as at EU-27 aggregate level in the Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy in interactive web-based diagrams.

Forest bioeconomy modelling

We model the future demand for woody biomass by applying the Global Forest Products Model (GFPMx) (Buongiorno, 2021). On the forest dynamics side, the JRC forest carbon model: EU-CBM-HAT can simulate different scenarios of how the demand for wood can be satisfied.

The forest carbon model EU-CBM-HAT (European Union – Carbon Budget Model – Harvest Allocation Tool) enables the assessment of forests CO2 emissions and removals under scenarios of forest management, natural disturbances, forest-related conversions and roundwood destinations (Blujdea et al., 2022). The model works as an integration of two EU specific modules developed by the JRC in collaboration with the Canadian Forest Service (CFS).

EU-CBM-HAT is an integration of two EU specific modules developed by the JRC in collaboration with the Canadian Forest Service (CFS) and is available here: the EU-CBM-HAT core package.

Forest Resource mapping

Forests are becoming increasingly relevant for several forest-related policies in the EU under the Green Deal. The JRC supported dedicated efforts of EU National Forest Inventory (NFI) institutions to make a harmonised assessment of the main restrictions to wood availability and to quantify the forest area and biomass stock not available for wood supply, as well as to achieve more harmonised forest increment statistics. The harmonised forest biomass database for EU-27 and related maps produced by the JRC are available at:

• Joint Research Centre Data Catalogue: data and metadata.
• BDAPP open repository: maps.

Detailed biomass flows from forestry and the list of related publications are available here:

• EC Knowledge for Policy

Trade flows, land footprint and deforestation embodied in trade flows

Deforestation and forest degradation, are recognised as important drivers of global warming, the global Carbon cycle, and biodiversity loss. For example, the recent publication "The state of world's forests" from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (FAO and UNEP, 2020) reported, between 1990 and 2020, 420 million hectares of gross and 178 million hectares of net forest loss.

We conduct research to develop methods to monitor production of commodities potentially associated with deforestation and forest degradation, bilateral trade flows of commodities and products between EU-27 and the producing countries (e.g., Rougieux et al., 2023).

We also conduct research on the uncertainty of footprint models, with a particular focus on land and biomass footprint, in collaboration with other JRC Units. Finally, we develop methods to calculate the share of deforestation in import and consumption of forest risk commodities (e.g., Bausano et al., 2023; Migliavacca et al., 2023).

Our approach is to combine the satellite observation developed by the European Observatory for deforestation and forest degradation (EUFO) with official statistics of production, trade, and land use change. Our tools, such as the biotrade python package, are open source and available at the EUFO webpage or in the main code repositories.

Integrated bioeconomy land use assessment

Land-based ecosystems in Europe are mostly transformed and, like all other Earth system components, have been substantially impacted through the post-WWII Great Acceleration. Nowadays, EU bioeconomy-related policies may impact land use in different ways depending on their specific objectives and targets. Either they may directly focus on the protection of wilderness and biodiversity conservation, or enhancement of the carbon sequestration potential of land-based processes, or they may indirectly influence land by promoting the use of land-based biomass to reach climate, energy or other economic targets. In even broader terms, EU institutions and policies affect land systems by influencing cultural and social norms, as well as defining the socioeconomic systems in place (e.g. property and ownership structures). Agriculture and food production systems in particular are major drivers of land use. Additionally, in a globalized world, EU consumption patterns largely affect land systems in third countries.

We are coordinating a multidisciplinary team to assess land use, including society as a fundamental part of metabolic processes governing production, management and use of biomass. Land systems are therefore broadly framed as social-ecological systems (SES): complex adaptive systems whereby the outcomes of human actions on societies and ecosystems, including policy-driven actions, are intrinsically difficult to anticipate. More on this project on the Knowledge for Policy webpages.