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Sustainability Considerations in Biomass Harvesting
www.nrs.fs.fed.us/niacs/
Ensuring Sustainable BioenergyConcerns regarding both climate change and energy supplies have dramatically increased interest in the use of renewable and alternative energies.
Increases in the use of wood-based biomass for energy have the potential to significantly alter forest management practices.
Ensuring Sustainable BioenergyHarvests in managed forests may be intensified through increased residue removal (of tree tops, limbs, small diameter trees, “unmerchantable” wood, dead wood, or brush) or decreased time between harvests and rotations.
Conventional Harvest:Remove relatively straight portion of stem 4” in diameter and greater
Biomass Harvest:Remove stem and branches, and possibly leaves, stumps, and dead wood
Ensuring Sustainable BioenergyShort-rotation energy crops may be grown for use as bioenergy feedstock, resulting in management that has many similarities to agricultural crops.
Photos: National Renewable Energy Lab
Ensuring Sustainable BioenergyQuestions:
How does biomass harvesting affect soil nutrients and organic matter, water quality, and biodiversity?How can biomass be harvested while providing for ecological sustainability?
Photos: National Renewable Energy Lab
Ensuring Sustainable BioenergySome Concerns:
Biomass harvesting of small limbs, leaves, and other relatively nutrient-rich plant parts may deplete soil nutrients and reduce organic matter in the soil
Removing additional biomass will require greater use of machinery which may compact soil or increase soil erosion
Biomass, especially woody debris on ground and standing or fallen dead trees, provides crucial habitat for biodiversity
Removing additional vegetation may allow for greater erosion and runoff into water; use of fertilizers could increase risks to water quality
Ensuring Sustainable BioenergySome Recommendations:
Utilize forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) to minimize site impacts; develop additional guidelines specifically for biomass harvesting
Avoid harvesting in forest with special importance, such as old-growth or key habitat for biodiversity
Retain a portion of biomass (often 30%) to reduce site impacts on water quality, biodiversity, and site productivity
Use fertilizers appropriately to maintain water quality (especially important for short-rotation woody crops)
General Bioenergy Websites
US Forest Service – Woody Biomass Utilization: http://www.fs.fed.us/woodybiomass/
IEA Bioenergy – Educational Website on Biomass and Bioenergy:http://www.aboutbioenergy.info/
Forest Bioenergy: http://forestbioenergy.net/Smallwood Utilization Network: http://smallwoodnews.com/Bioenergy Feedstock Information Network: http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/Biomass Energy Resource Center: http://www.biomasscenter.org/index.html
Northern Institute of Applied Carbon Science: www.nrs.fs.fed.us/niacs/
Recommended Websites
Minnesota Draft Biomass Harvest Guidelines:http://www.frc.state.mn.us/FMgdline/BHGC.html
Forest Encyclopedia – Biomass: http://biomass.forestencyclopedia.net/Sustainable Forestry for Biomass and Bio-based Products:
http://forestandrange.org/biomass/index.aspPinchot Institute – Wood-based Bioenergy: A National Dialogue:
http://pinchot.org/current_projects/national_dialogueIEA Bioenergy – Biomass Production for Energy from Sustainable Forestry:
http://www.ieabioenergytask31.org/United Nations – Sustainable Bioenergy: A Framework for Decision Makers:
ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a1094e/a1094e00.pdf
Northern Institute of Applied Carbon Science: www.nrs.fs.fed.us/niacs/
Selected PublicationsCook, J., Beyea, J., 2000. Bioenergy in the United States: Progress and possibilities.
Biomass and Bioenergy 18, 441-455.Dyck WJ, Cole DW, Comerford NB. 1994. Impacts of forest harvesting on long-term site
productivity. London: Chapman and Hall. 371 p.Fox, T.R., 2000. Sustained productivity in intensively managed forest plantations. Forest
Ecology and Management 138, 187-202.Grigal, D.F., 2000. Effects of extensive forest management on soil productivity. Forest
Ecology and Management 138, 167-185.Johnson, D.W., Curtis, P.S., 2001. Effects of forest management on soil C and N storage:
meta analysis. Forest Ecology and Management 140, 227-238.Mann, L., Tolbert, V., 2000. Soil sustainability in renewable biomass plantings. Ambio 29,
492-498.Perlack, R.D., Wright, L.L., Turhollow, A., Graham, R., Stokes, B., Erbach, D., 2005. Biomass
as feedstock for a bioenergy and bioproducts industry: The technical feasibility of a billion-ton annual supply. In. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN. http://feedstockreview.ornl.gov/pdf/billion_ton_vision.pdf
Pitman, R.M., 2006. Wood ash use in forestry - A review of the environmental impacts. Forestry 79, 563-588.
Reijnders, L., 2006. Conditions for the sustainability of biomass based fuel use. Energy Policy 34, 863-876.
Northern Institute of Applied Carbon Science: www.nrs.fs.fed.us/niacs/
Selected PublicationsRichardson, J., Björheden, R., Hakkila, P., Lowe, A.T., Smith, C.T. (Eds.), Bioenergy from
Sustainable Forestry: Guiding Principles and Practice. Klewer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp. 244-261.
Shepard, J.P., 2006. Water quality protection in bioenergy production: The US system of forestry Best Management Practices. Biomass and Bioenergy 30, 378-384.
Stupak, I., Asikainen, A., Jonsell, M., Karltun, E., Lunnan, A., Mizaraite, D., Pasanen, K., Parn, H., Raulund-Rasmussen, K., Roser, D., Schroeder, M., Varnagiryte, I., Vilkriste, L., Callesen, I., Clarke, N., Gaitnieks, T., Ingerslev, M., Mandre, M., Ozolincius, R., Saarsalmi, A., Armolaitis, K., Helmisaari, H.-S., Indriksons, A., Kairiukstis, L., Katzensteiner, K., Kukkola, M., Ots, K., Ravn, H.P., Tamminen, P., 2007. Sustainable utilisation of forest biomass for energy--Possibilities and problems: Policy, legislation, certification, and recommendations and guidelines in the Nordic, Baltic, and other European countries. Biomass and Bioenergy
Sustainable use of Forest Biomass for Energy, Proceedings of the WOOD-EN-MAN session at the conference Nordic Bioenergy 2005 Trondheim, Norway, 27 Octboer 2005 31, 666-684.
Vance, E.D., 2000. Agricultural site productivity: principles derived from long-term experiments and their implications for intensively managed forests. Forest Ecology and Management 138, 369-396.
Volk, T.A., Verwijst, T., Tharakan, P.J., Abrahamson, L.P., White, E.H., 2004. Growing fuel: a sustainability assessment of willow biomass crops. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 2, 411-418.
Northern Institute of Applied Carbon Science: www.nrs.fs.fed.us/niacs/
Ensuring Sustainable Bioenergy
Questions regarding this work or requests for additional citations can be sent to [email protected]
Coming Soon from the Northern Institute of Applied Carbon Science:“Ensuring Ecological Sustainability of Woody Biomass Harvesting”
Northern Institute of Applied Carbon Science: www.nrs.fs.fed.us/niacs/
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