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European forests are increasingly under stress. Over the past four decades, climate change has amplified natural disturbances, leaving forests more vulnerable than ever.
Insect outbreaks in European forests have surged by over 600%, wildfires by more than 230%, and windstorms by around 140%. These events are not isolated and together they are reshaping the health and resilience of Europe’s forest ecosystems.
Between 1979 and 2018, it is estimated that more than 33 billion tons of forest biomass were severely affected by such disturbances. The consequences are profound: reduced carbon stock, weakened biodiversity, and higher risks for local communities and economies.
Climate-smart Forest practices can help forests withstand these changes. By actively managing forests, we can keep them healthy by preparing them to face the challenges from increasing climate induced disturbances. Protecting forests in this way ensures they maintain their ecological functions, safeguard biodiversity, and continue providing vital benefits to society.
Across the EU, people are increasingly searching for affordable and sustainable ways to heat their homes.
In some countries, one bag of pellets already delivers heat at a lower cost per kWh than fossil alternatives (more here and here). But this does not mean pellets compete on a “level playing field” with fossils. Europe’s energy system was built for fossil fuels, which still benefit from decades of infrastructure, subsidies, and externalised costs that never show up on household bills.
The real strength of pellets is their price stability and security: they are locally produced from residues, and generally less exposed to international crises, helping reduce Europe’s dependence on volatile fossil imports. Without this form of bioenergy, much of the demand for residential heating would fall back on fossil fuels, locking households into higher uncertainty and expensive energy bills. Find out more about Austria, Belgium, France and Italy.
A standard 15 kg bag of wood pellets contains more than 70 kWh of usable energy, equivalent to 7 l of oil or 7 m3 of gas. But please, do not put pellet in your car tank!
While you can use pellet to produce electricity in an efficient way, you would need a proper plant to do that. You better use it directly to provide cozy warmth for heating your home in a sustainable manner.
Pellets are essentially stockpiled solar energy. They are renewable, easy-to-store, and ready to deliver energy whenever needed. Without this form of bioenergy, much of the demand for residential heating would instead rely on fossil gas, bringing higher dependence on imports and often higher, more volatile prices. It is important that sustainable and affordable heating solutions like high quality pellets remain available for domestic heating.
Reducing CO₂ emissions while keeping heating affordable is a key challenge for public administrators all over Europe. Among many options, a recent study showed that switching from oil or gas to biomass is the most cost-effective solutions to reduce emissions.
In multi-family buildings, an average pellet boiler could avoid more than 300 tons of CO₂ emissions over a 20-year lifetime, while in single-family homes the savings reach more than 100 tons.
The exact impact depends on several criteria, among them the type of building and the countries’ energy mix, but the potential is clear.
Pellets heating systems therefore provide the residential sector with a cost-effective way to heat while making a measurable contribution to climate goals.
The EU’s 2040 climate target requires 80 Mt of industrial carbon removals per year. Achieving this may sound ambitious, but Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) shows it is within reach.
A recent study by BEST – Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies GmbH assessed BECCS potential across key sectors: CHP, power-only, heat-only, pulp & paper, and waste-to-energy plants.
Assuming a 95% capture rate, upgrading just 38% of existing biomass installations would already deliver the 80 Mt target.
These findings align with the European Commission’s POTEnCIA model (scenario 3, targeting a 90% reduction in GHG emissions by 2040), showing that industrial removals with BECCS are not only possible but realistic with moderate deployment. The potential is clear: BECCS can turn existing biomass facilities into key carbon removal hubs.
Represents the interests of the wood pellet sector to ensure its sustainable developement.
The world-leading, transparent and independent certification scheme for wood pellets.
enSURE Compliance with RED II Sustainability Requirements for the Production of Electricity, Heating and Cooling from Biomass.