# Obtaining Forest Biomass for Energy Purposes as an Enterprise Development Factor in Rural Areas
## 1 Introduction  
In recent years, there have been many improvements in the heating and power industry thanks to innovative green solutions [1]. This is due to the obligation to adapt the national energy policies to the targets of the European Union (EU). Based on the current legislation, biomass is partially used in heating and power plants. Such actions are directly related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions using \"clean development\" mechanisms [2]. The idea of limiting adverse environmental impacts was ratified at the United Nations conference in Kyoto, which contributed to the enactment of Directive 2003/87/EC aimed at limiting the exploitation and overuse of fossil fuels. In the era of a fuel crisis, global sanctions, ever-increasing energy demand, and climate disruption, bioenergy is the most prominent and fastest-growing economic direction [3]. Bioenergy development makes it possible to use renewable raw materials as an alternative fuel, creating local competitiveness and enabling independence from other countries [4]. Biomass from biodegradable waste, as well as forestry and agricultural by-products, is a resource featuring a significant energy potential [5]. Most of the research results included in the literature concern the densification of three generally available biomass types, i.e., energy crops, wood industry (sawmill) waste, and small-size raw materials harvested in forests. Sustainable development efforts resulting from the EU policy have increased interest in the possibilities of using and managing generally available, environmentally friendly waste material from forest areas, both in Poland and the rest of the world [6]. Such material includes natural waste generated on forest land, as well as waste residues from raw material processes conducted by the forestry products industry. The collected forest wastes resulting from logging operations have been referred to as forest biomass [5]. It includes, among others, firewood in the form of chips and smallwood forestry waste such as branches, treetops, poles, bushes, brushwood and snags, as well as wood industry waste (chips, sawdust). An increasing interest in waste materials that have never been commonly used for fuel and energy purposes is also noticeable in forest management. Considering their small size, such materials are typically made and used by local residents or resold for token sums of money [7]. The terminology concerning this resource has not been standardized. The literature defines it as logging residue, post-logging residue, or logging smallwood [8]. Logging residue is the material created while harvesting timber [9]. After harvesting (logging), branches and treetops should be cleaned and gathered in piles in the harvest area or near export roads to prepare the area for reforestation; additionally, they can be shredded and mixed with the soil using specialized machinery [10]. Logging residues are characterized by high bark and needle contents [11]. The literature review indicated that Poland's current forest areas amount to about 9.2 million hectares, which corresponds to about 29.6% of its total territory. The climatic and habitat conditions are conducive to the development of conifers, which account for 69.6% of the total forest area [12]. The most common and most frequently harvested tree species in Polish forests is the Scots pine (_Pinus silvestris_ L.), also called the European red pine [13]. The timber industry's potential can be expressed by its production capacity. A total of 31,688,773 m\({}^{3}\) of coniferous timber was harvested in Poland in 2019 (Figure 1). Large quantities of waste are generated during the logging process, including logging residues [15]. Logging residues are mainly branches and treetops [16]. The proportion of logging residues varies, although is typically about 15%. Estimates show that about 5.5 million m\({}^{3}\) of logging residues are generated in the process of falling 31.5 million m\({}^{3}\) of coniferous timber [17]. The wood material is processed by turning it into chips using a chipper [18].