Sustainable development of rural regions by means of the networking of producers and organisations utilising wooden biomass (so-called dendromass) for use as an energy source

The overall goal of the research project consisted of building up regional networks of value-creation for the sustainable and efficient production and provision of dendromass from agriculture and forestry, in short-rotational plantations , as well as from the open landscape in the three model regions, namely Lausitz, the hilly loess landscape of central Saxony, and the southern metropolitan region of Hamburg.

The five part-projects (1)protection of nature and resources  / landscape ecology, (2) socio-economy and spatial planning, (3)production and services,(4) communication and public information work, as well as (5) project management and project coordination provided scientific accompaniment and support to companies in the model regions. The goals in this were: to increase the dendromass potential in the model regions; to promote regional economic development; and to bring about sustainable use of spatial resources.

Within the "Socioeconomy and Area Planning" part, the IfL was responsible for the part project called "Regional Planning". This explored the opportunities and limitations of formal and informal planning instruments used for influencing a sustainable land management, and for promoting the regional use of dendromass, particularly by short-rotational plantations; also, the necessary instruments were identified and recommendations made on how to structure the instruments. The objective was to elaborate both the planning, at federal state level (e.g. Saxony) and at regional level, and also the role of regional / local energy concepts.

Results/Publications

For more information, please visit the project website