How to Manage Forest Edge as a Bioenergy Resource

Author: Erlend Bjelkarøy, Fredrikstad municipality

The study conducted for the TREASoURcE project in the Østfold region of Norway focuses on the significant bioenergy potential found in forest edges—the strips of vegetation growing along roads, power lines, and agricultural fields. The final results are presented through an interactive digital map that aggregates complex data into a readable format, allowing users to explore energy resources from a broad municipality level down to highly detailed local grids.

By using advanced Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to overlay forest resource data with infrastructure maps, the researchers identified specific zones where clearing is both practical and efficient. This analysis helps contractors and local planners pinpoint areas with the highest biomass volume, ensuring they can achieve the best energy gain with the least amount of effort.

To ensure the study is both accurate and sustainable, the process involves carefully excluding restricted areas such as nature reserves, private gardens, and protective vegetation along riverbanks. This data-driven approach solves the challenge of quantifying wood volume across a vast landscape and translating it into actual energy potential, measured in Megawatt-hours.

The full details of this methodology can be accessed here: Analysis documentation Fredrikstad Rural-Urban

The Most Important Requirements for Success

Detailed Analysis – Activities, Questions, and Outcomes

To support the general goals mentioned above, the project followed a structured technical process to ensure the data is reliable and actionable:

1. Main Activities: The team mapped potential clearing zones (such as 5 meters around fields and up to 20 meters along power lines) and cross-referenced them with actual forest volume data. They specifically filtered out “no-go” areas like riparian buffer zones to protect water quality and biodiversity. Finally, they converted raw wood volume into energy values (MWh) based on the specific tree species found in each zone.
2. Questions Solved: The analysis provides clear answers on exactly where harvesting is feasible without violating environmental regulations. It also quantifies the energy density of different regions, solving the problem of how to visualize millions of data points by condensing them into a user-friendly map displaying both detailed and aggregated results.
3. Key Outcomes: The primary result is a public digital dashboard and a replication methodology. This allows local authorities to visualize their biomass resources through interactive maps and graphs, providing a repeatable “recipe” for other regions to calculate their own bioenergy potential.