INTRODUCTION

PROMOBIOMASSE: Networking for the development of an integrated model for sustainable forest biomass management in a short-circuit, applicable to mountain areas of the SUDOE territory.

PROMOBIOMASSE is a transnational cooperation project that aims to promote the forest biomass energy market in the SUDOE territory (southwestern Europe), by developing a supply and demand management model that applies the “short circuit” concept in order to resolve the current problems: destructuring of supply; forest ownership divided into small holdings; inefficient exploitation methods; unknown and insufficient demand.

The main contributions that the project is proposing in order to change the current situation are:

• A local-level integrated forest biomass management model that involves the entire value chain, from the forest owner to the end consumer.
• Training courses for those responsible for the biomass market management in the SUDOE territories.
• Development of action plans for the implementation of new sustainable biomass supply and demand management systems in the form of a short-circuit in 6 territories: Navarra, Cataluña, Extremadura, Sud Occitanie, Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Norte Región, Portugal.
• New technologies and measuring systems, more effective use and exploitation.
• Training courses and an improvement in the working conditions of new profiles
• More flexible contracting models that guarantee a continuous supply
• Processes to jointly integrate supply and marketing.
• Complete energy supply circuits at a local level
• Participatory systems for conversion and logistics.
• Programmes for the promotion of public and private demand

The PROMOBIOMASSE project will involve a number of players in the short-circuit biomass market value chain in the territories as well as experts in the three working areas: exploitation, marketing and demand promotion. Through the exchange of knowledge, analysis of good practices, joint work and experimentation in the different contexts, they will develop an integrated model that can be adapted to other forest areas of SUDOE.

The added value provided by this project is the integration of all aspects of the value chain in a single model in order to manage and use a local resource, such as the areas of forest in the SUDOE territories, and to give an environmentally and economically sustainable response to a local energy demand.