Structure: Area under bioenergy crops

FORESTRY

Most of the bioenergy in Finland originates from commercially managed forests which cover around 75% of the surface area of Finland.

AGRICULTURE

Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) is one of the few species that is cultivated for bioenergy production in Finland on a larger scale. It is a perennial grass that is generally used as animal fodder.

The area of reed canary grass fields increased steeply in the mid-2000s but started to decrease first slightly and then in 2013 by more than 50%. There were substantial investments in the reed canary grass production but the investments did not pay off. Another reason for downsizing production is the ending of European Union agricultural subsidies for energy crops.

The statistics are compiled only from registered farms of which annual income exceeds 2000 euros. There were 6 600 ha under reed canary grass cultivation in these farms in 2013. In addition to this some 2 000 ha of reed canary grass is cultivated on a smaller scale. 

National Forest Inventory (NFI) III–XI. Finnish Forest Research Institute.

Crop Production Statistics. TIKE. Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.