The Pirkanmaa Forestry Management Association (Metsänhoitoyhdistys Pirkanmaa) has a substantial investment plan to build a new biomass terminal in phases over an area of about 30 hectares. The new biomass terminal in the ECO3 area will be significant on a national scale, significantly increasing the capacity for storing and chipping timber fuel in Pirkanmaa.
When the substantial investment plan comes to fruition, it will become possible to use wood in many ways in the area. The aim is to efficiently utilise all of the waste created by operations, preferably in the local operating area if possible. There are a wealth of opportunities ranging from pulpwood to biofuels.
In addition to its attractive location, the ECO3 area contains the right kind of partners to work with. The Forestry Management Association and Ecolan Ltd., which both belong to the ECO3 consortium, are working together on matters such as taking the ash produced in the area and putting it to use for forestry. They will soon turn their attention to biomass and peat.
There are plenty of business opportunities: suitable partners could include pulpwood processors, a cross-laminated timber plant or a biochar producer. The Forestry Management Association is also planning to work with the research institutes in the ECO3 area, at least with regard to biological processing and drying.
Working in the ECO3 area has not affected the Forestry Management Association’s most important principle: everything revolves around forest owners.
The Forestry Management Associations are forest owners’ associations and lobbying organisations. The regional Forestry Management Associations focus on developing their own areas of operation, and this is also true of the Pirkanmaa association. The hope is that the ECO3 area will attract new timber users in the future.