Forests of Vallès – Fire prevention based on the dynamization of the forest biomass market • PROMOBIOMASSE

Buena Práctica / Bonne Pratique / Boa Prática

NOMBRE

NOM

NAME

Forests of Vallès – Fire prevention based on the dynamization of the forest biomass market

Localización

Localisation

Localização

Vallès Occidental, Barcelona, Spain

Tipología – Naturaleza

Typologie – Nature

Tipologia – Natureza

Periodo de aplicación

Période d’application

Período de aplicação

Implementation phase: 2013-2017

2018: ongoing

Principales objetivos

Principaux objectifs

Período de aplicação

The County Council of Vallès Occidental, formed by the municipalities of the region, is developing a strategy to promote the local consumption of woodchip from the planned forest management as a renewable energy resource which contribute to decrease the risk of fire, to promote renewable energies, to reduce CO₂ emissions and to develop a new local economy.

Descripción detallada de la práctica o proyecto

Description détaillée de la pratique ou du projet

Descrição detalhada da prática ou projeto

The Vallès Occidental is an essentially urban region with a high population density (up to 900,000 inhabitants), which has an important industrial fabric, but also with a high percentage of forest area (59.1%). Several municipalities of the region are included in the area for special protection of the atmospheric environment by the Action Plan for the improvement of air quality.

The forests of Vallès Occidental is an undermanaged area that has relatively low productivity and is quite vulnerable to climate change and wildfires. The project aimed to reactivate forest management and wood mobilisation by preferentially acting in those areas where the fire risk is higher and involving most of the stakeholders of the entire chain of Vallès Occidental.

The project is aligned with Strategy to Promote the Use for Energy of Forests and Agricultural Biomass (February 2014) and the General Forest Policy Plan (2014-2014) developed by the Government of Catalonia. However, for an optimal implementation it also considered the recently approved Action Plan for Improving Air Quality (2015-2020).

The project reaches its objective by the construction of a logistic centre (with a capacity to handle up to 7.300 t annual of woodchip) and the installation of two big boilers (1850 kW in the Terrassa Health Consortium and 500 kW in the Sports Activity Service of the Autonomous University of Barcelona). The boilers themselves will increase the demand of woodchip, and will contribute to the mobilisation of local wood. The logistic centre will contribute to boosting the local biomass market and will act as an incentive to the forest owners to better manage its properties and to act as suppliers.

For the construction of these facilities a County Service of Forest Biomass has been created. The creation of this Service has allowed public and private contracts to be drawn up to promote the installation of boilers and the establishment of woodchip Logistic Centre.

The expectation is that the logistics centre, managed as a public service concession through the Public Service of Biomass Forest, can boost the wood mobilization of the region.

The main stakeholders and beneficiaries are:

Forest owners
Wood dealers
Forestry services companies
Woodchip manufacturers
Equipment installers and energy providers
Government of Catalonia
Barcelona Provincial Council
CREAF (research centre)
Local municipalities

The project cost about 1.780 K€. It was founded mostly by Government of Catalonia (investment in equipment and supplies –logistic centre and two boilers) and co-founded by Vallès Occidental County Council, also with the cost of its human resources assigned to the project

(multidisciplinary technical team).

Agentes involucrados

Agents impliqués

Agentes envolvidos

County Council of Vallès Occidental, Government of Catalonia and Barcelona county council

Evaluación de resultados y lecciones aprendidas

Évaluation des résultats et les leçons apprises

Avaliação de resultados e lições aprendidas

The availability of three new facilities (two big boilers and the logistic centre) to mobilize wood in the region and contribute to prevent risk of fire.

The increase in owners’ association.

The great interest to produce high-quality woodchip and reduce the impact of its combustion on air pollution.

This project is highly innovative because includes criteria for traceability and control of woodchip quality. It also anticipates the application of European regulations on the reduction of emissions of boilers, in order to make their installation compatible with areas close to periurban forest with greater risk air pollution.

Models of administrative specifications for the start-up of the service in other regions in other municipalities.

Fotografías

Photos

Fotos