Biomass cultures in Switzerland

Picture: Asea

31.03.08 - The clients wanted to examine whether, in order to cover the increasing demand for timber, biomass cultures produced on agricultural land could represent a viable alternative. The economic and ecological consequences of different cultures and cultivation methods were investigated.

This study answers the following questions:

• Which cultures and cultivation methods can be considered for biomass cultivation in Switzerland? Which regions are suitable, what potential yields can be expected?
• Which technologies are available for the cultivation, care and harvest of biomass cultures?
• How can biomass cultures be evaluated from an economic point of view? What underlying political and legal conditions affect the cultivation of biomass cultures? What opportunities and risks are associated with regional development?
• What environmental effects are associated with the cultivation of biomass cultures?
• What effects would biomass cultures have on the landscape? How will these changes be perceived?

The study was intensively discussed and questioned in the monitoring group. It considers the cultivation of biomass cultures and makes and integrates proposals for the steering of developments in the right direction in Switzerland.