Burning forest biomass for energy: Not a source of clean energy and harmful to forest ecosystem integrity

The climate crisis is driven mainly by the extensive use of fossil fuels but also by the emissions from widespread deforestation and degradation, plus other factors including cement production (Mackey and Lindenmayer 2014, Masson-Delmotte et al. 2021). In response, a rapid transition toward renewable energy is underway to decarbonize economies globally. Some commentators have proposed that a necessary component of this transition is to burn forest biomass for energy production.

This report argues that a major shift to using forest biomass burning for energy comes with grave risks of highly perverse outcomes, including increased CO2 emissions and negative impacts on forest integrity. A rethink of the role of forest biomass burning for energy in national decarbonization policy is therefore urgently needed. The focus here is on naturally regenerating forests and not plantations.