Selected aspects of the impact of energy wood harvesting on the forest environment

Abstract Global demand for energy, including renewable energy, continues to rise. As a result, the proportion of woody biomass used for energy purposes is also increasing. The article focuses on a literature review of selected natural consequences of forest biomass utilisation for the forest environment. The impacts of harvesting forest biomass for energy purposes consider three harvesting systems: conventional harvesting (CH), whole-tree harvesting (WTH) and whole-tree harvesting with stump removal (WTH + S). The results of the literature review show that harvesting for energy affects the forest environment, including soil productivity, forest water and biodiversity. The impacts are mostly negative and largely depend on the harvesting system. This literature review shows that the more intensive the timber harvesting system (WTH, WTH + S) is, the greater the impact on the natural environment. Of all systems, conventional timber harvesting (CH) has the best impact on the natural environment.