Fresh branches of Norway spruce and birch were torrefied in hot compressed water at varied temperatures (175, 200, or 225 degrees C) and for 30 minutes. The combustion of untreated and torrefied branches in synthetic air (21% O-2 and 79% N-2) was experimentally studied by means of a thermogravimetric analyzer, followed by a kinetic analysis adopting the distributed activation energy model. It appears that, wet torrefaction has significant effects on the combustion reactivity of forest residues. Compared with the raw materials, wet-torrefied branches are less reactive during devolatilization, but more reactive in the char combustion stage. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.