Wood energy plantations represent innovative crops destined to the production of biomass for industrial use. The plantations are characterised by high planting density: in fact it ranges from 10,000 to 18,000 plants per hectare. The species mainly employed are eucalyptus, poplar trees, willows and robinias but for the Sicilian context has been proved that eucalyptus is the one that can give better results. These plantations in Sicily could product thousand of tons with a coefficient of 7 tons for ha. The following layers of the Territorial Information System have been employed for the individuation of the areas that could be potentially destined to the cultivation of short rotation coppices:

□ Land use

□ Digital Terrain Model

□ Climate

□ Geological substratum

Concerning land use, we considered the possibility of carrying out the cultivation of short rotation coppices in the following categories of present land use:

□ Presently utilised arable lands

□ Arable lands in fallow (set-aside)

□ Bare, shrubby and herbaceous grazing lands and grasslands periodically used as pastures

□ Shrubby area

The following selection has individuated areas with less than 10% slope, in order to allow the mechanisation of operations. Furthermore, since the crops are rather demanding concerning climate, we identified a limit of 500 mm of annual average rain precipitations, so that irrigation can be avoided. Such limit hasn’t involved irrigated arable lands. Making these consideration we can asses the potential areas.

Short rotation forestry could produce in Sicilian context 1.322.250,16 tons of biomass that can be transformed in wood pellets.

With the present price levels and taking into account the subsidies made available by regional regulations, such crops achieve sufficient levels of profitability. Intersecting the ecological needs of the species that could be employed in terms of climate and soil with the economic characteristics of mechanisation and competition with other crops, it was possible to estimate that in Sicily biomass-producing crops could be extended to around

350.0 ha. As mentioned above in order to develop these sector a relevant incentive from public administration is necessary for planting the crop.