Selection of potential areas for the establishment of forest plantations for energy needs: The case of Lazarevac municipality

The needs for energy sources in Serbia are constantly increasing. Wood as the most important energy source is not only used for energy purposes, but also for the wood industry, and it is clear that pressure on the resource is increasing. According to FAO methodology, the estimated energy potential of the available biomass derived from forests and wood processing industry in Serbia amounts to 1.53 Mtoe/year (BrašanacBosanac et al., 2018). In 2016, the Institute of Forestry in Belgrade carried out a preliminary study on the establishment of forest plantations for energy needs. The municipality of Lazarevac was selected as a pilot project for the establishment of forest plantations for energy purposes. It was estimated that this municipality, given its geographical position and ecological conditions, is absolutely in line with the planned production. In selecting potential areas for the establishment of forest plantations, strict attention was paid to the current use of the available areas. The study area includes the areas that can be determined but are not necessarily required for the needs of such production. Out of a wide range of autochthonous and allochthonous species, the tree species that are most capable of exploiting the potentials of the site and provide high energy values in the given ecological conditions were selected.