| Summary: | This thesis is a pilot study for cross-disciplinary analysis with the aim to compare the prerequisites for sustainable harvesting of forest residues/fuels in southern and northern Sweden from both environmental and societal perspectives. It has three main focus areas: (A) Potential to produce forest fuels; (B) Effects on the nutrient budget; and (C) Practical aspects and attitudes within the forestry sector. (A) is calculated for 16 forest sites (8 in the North and 8 in the South of Sweden) at 2 harvesting intensities (Scenario 1: 80% slash and 50% stumps; Scenario 2: 60% slash and 30% stumps), based on input data from the Swedish Forest Agency, using the software application StandWise. (B) includes net balances of Ca, Mg, K, P and N, calculated for two forest sites (one in the North and one in the South of Sweden), at 4 different harvesting intensities (Scenario 1 and 2 as in A; Scenario 3: stems only; Scenario 0: no harvest), using the steady-state soil chemistry model PROFILE. (C) is an interview study based on 17 semi-structured qualitative interviews with representatives from the Swedish forestry (the Swedish Forest Agency, the forest industry, forest owner associations, researchers and forest conservationists) active in northern and southern Sweden. The results show that the conditions for forest fuel production vary across the country due to differences in forest properties, environmental conditions and socio-economic factors. (A) In southern Sweden the forest fuel potential is about 60% higher per hectare than in the North, due to more biomass per hectare. This corresponds to 520 MWh ha-1 in the South and 320 MWh ha-1 in the North in Scenario 1. (B) The removal of nutrients is larger in the South compared to the North. 2,5 times more Ca, 10 times more Mg and more than 3 times more K in are lost from the South than the North in Scenario 1. The N loss is about 3 times greater in the North than in the South and for P the balance was around 0 in the North and almost 1 kg ha-1 in the South. The differences ...
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